Oxford Tyre Scrub

Oxford's Tyre Scrub is, you guessed it, a brush specifically designed for clearing tyres of mud and, more importantly, those nasty sharps that get embedded in the rubber, causing punctures and more serious damage. It's not bike specific, so is useful for motorcycles and cars too, but doesn't feel too generic either.

The spec is reassuringly high for £3.99. The very broad ergonomic handle fits nicely in the palm, has a nice, grippy texture and doesn't turn clammy with prolonged use – perfect if you're cleaning a fleet of mucky cyclo-cross or mountain bikes.

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Rubberised impact zones are subtle but similarly welcome touches that prevent accidental damage to paintwork, skin and other delicate surfaces when you're really in the zone. Flipping it over reveals a firm, nylon bristle plot, which is supple enough to mould around a tyre's contours for a seriously deep clean but shouldn't leave any swirls or similarly unsightly calling cards on paintwork.

Used dry, I've found it really convenient for those post-ride sweep downs to dislodge flints, glass, thorns or similar sharps that burrow slowly inside the casings. If you find any small cuts, siimply introduce a drop of decent quality superglue into them and leave overnight to cure.

Sprucing up those tyres on a winter/workhorse bike calls for a warm sudsy bucket, but in the words of the late, great Prince Buster: if you have your brush, you can avoid the rush...

I've turned a set of 32mm Kendas, sporting a season or two's heavy soiling, from grotty to very slightly sullied in around three minutes apiece. And that includes the reflective sidewalls! It's also a bit quicker than Green Oil's Bicycle Brush and so far hasn't shown any obvious signs of bristle moult.

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Mountain bike and cross knobblies of varying patterns were transformed in around half the time, but it's worth remembering that these machines, especially race bikes, see more frequent bucket and sponge action than road biased daily commuters or winter trainers.

Playing devils' advocate, I've achieved decent results using big 'knuckle duster type' nail brushes, which can be bought for 50p or so a time from discount stores. I've even been known to demote those from the kitchen sink to workshop duties, so long as the bristle plot hasn't splayed too far...

When all's said and done, though, it's money well spent given the potential cost of tyre damage – not to mention inconvenience of a flat miles from home on a bitterly cold winter night. And, of course, it can also be used on other vehicles too, if that's your thing...

Verdict

User-friendly brush that makes short work of cleaning grotty tyres