Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Back to REVIEWS
review
Cleaning products
Fenwicks FS foaming degreaserFenwicks FS foaming degreaser

Fenwicks FS foaming degreaser

8
by dave atkinson
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Sep 29, 2010

2
£6.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Not the most powerful degreaser, but a great fuss-free way to clean your bike
Weight: 
500g
Contact: 
www.zyro.co.uk
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

We first saw the FS foaming degreaser at the start of the year and it certainly looked like a fun new way to get your bike clean, if it can ever be fun. In practice the main benefits are the ease of use and lack of mess. It's a bit lacking in terms of raw degreasing power but a great choice for a general clean. And it's so safe you could eat it – Mr Fenwick tests all his products by eating them, apparently – although it probably isn't recommended as a regular part of your diet.

The FS degreaser comes in a 500ml aerosol and sprays on to form a pink foam that's about the consistency of a cheap shaving cream. The nozzle makes it easy to direct the degreaser where you want it, and once it's there it stays put until you come at it with the brush. This is the major benefit over a spray degreaser, much of which tends to drip off before you've much of a chance to get in with the bristles. The foam will happily stay put for five minutes or more, giving you the chance to go and have a cup of tea while it starts to eat into the grime.

Once you do get to scrubbing you'll find that the FS is a good all-round bike cleaner. I'd stop short of calling it a true degreaser – it doesn't have the power of some of the other potions you can get for shifting the really grimy stuff – but the fact that it stays put rather than dripping off means it punches above its weight, given that it's a pretty benign formula that isn't going to do your hands too much damage.

A five-minute soak for your cassette and chain will loosen most road grime. you'll need to give them a good scrub to get them shiny, and stubborn stuff may require a stronger formula. FS is also great for buffing up frames and other components, leaving everything looking like new once you've given your bike a bit of a rinse. There's nothing particularly harmful in it and my lawn hasn't suffered at all from a few dousings of the effluent.

Verdict

Not the most powerful degreaser you can buy, but a great fuss and mess-free way to give your bike a spruce up.

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Fenwicks FS foaming degreaser

Size tested: 500ml

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes, as a general cleaner

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 190cm  Weight: 96kg

I usually ride: whatever I\\\'m testing...  My best bike is: Genesis Equilibrium with Ultegra 6700

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

 

Fenwicks FS foaming degreaser
Fenwicks
degreaser
Chain cleaner
bicycle cleaner
Dave Atkinson

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

Add new comment

2 comments

Avatar
timbola | 13 years ago
0 likes

Eat it ??? Has anyone checked whether Contador used this during the Tour, then ? 3

Avatar
Coleman replied to timbola | 13 years ago
0 likes

Perhaps the Spaniard made a mis-steak and used it on his mixed grill.

Latest Comments