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Cleaning products
Fenwick's Frame & Shock Finishing SprayFenwicks frame and shock finishing spray

Fenwick's Frame & Shock Finishing Spray

7
by Shaun Audane
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Dec 4, 2010

0
£7.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Convenient spray for protecting bikes in storage or used regularly on an indoor trainer
Weight: 
500g
Contact: 
www.zyro.co.uk
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Fenwick’s Frame & Shock Finishing Spray isn’t a polish so much as a protective spray designed for preserving seasonal machines and equipment in storage (e.g. Sunday best road bikes or summer-use-only tag-alongs).

It’s silicone free but includes a trace of lubricant, providing a showroom finish in seconds while safeguarding suspension and bearing seals. However, it does attract surface dirt more readily than furniture or car polishes and it can highlight any blemishes in flamboyant, metallic enamels and clear lacquers.

Before using it you need to give the bike(s) a good wash, drying thoroughly. Soaking the can in warm water beforehand gives a more efficient flow, but you should still shake it vigorously before starting to spray.

For best results, spray from 15 centimetres away in short, three-second bursts, keeping clear of braking surfaces. The fizzing solution will cut through superficial dirt and finger marks so the bike doesn’t need to be meticulously clean. It’s not essential to buff the bike with a soft cloth afterwards, unlike some products, but doing so gives a superior, locked in shine – especially on chrome plating and the like.

As an experiment, I took a recently polished bike out to play on a cool, misty morning. I watched water droplets form before dispersing along the frame, leaving watermarks and streaking in their wake. Similarly, it collects road spray, silt and early season’s grime like the proverbial magnet, especially around the rear triangle. So this isn’t the lazy rider’s answer to winter bike preservation.

In fairness, a gentle once over using a clean, lint free cloth left no traces of dirt or streaking, and I didn’t need to re-spray the bike. Conversely, light re-application on a fortnightly basis seems perfect for bikes subjected to extensive turbo trainer slavery, as it provides a rich, protective barrier to safeguard enamel, chrome and other plated surfaces from the corrosive effects of humidity and perspiration.

Verdict

Verdict: 7 Convenient spray for protecting bikes in storage or regularly used on indoor trainers.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Fenwick's Frame & Shock Finishing Spray

Size tested: 500ml

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Utilising the non-sticky hydrophobic technology found in Fenwicks famous ‘Bobby dazzler’ , the frame and shock finishing spray prolongs cleaning intervals, making cleaning easier in hard-to-reach places. It maintains a high gloss finish whilst also lubricating and protecting pivot points and shock units. It is also safe to use on rubber seals, paintwork, anodizing and carbon fibre. Ideal for use after cleaning and lubricating your ‘pride and joy’.

I would broadly agree but feel it better suited to bikes in storage, or used on indoor trainers.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

500ml Hydrophobic (water repellant) sheen leaves behind a protective glossy surface in seconds while trace luibricating properties preserve suspension and other seals.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10

Quick and easy to use.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

A little goes quite a long way.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

As a protectant, its a really quick and convenient means of preserving bikes from top to bottom-especially those being hung up for the winter/summer seasons or subjected to turbo trainer slavery. The glossy barrier is really, really deep but can also betray any imperfections-especially in metallics/lacquers and the same trace lubricant properties will also attract grit and road grime so isn't a substitute for regular cleaning.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Great results for nominal effort and seems kind to all finishes.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing when used as a protectant for bikes in storage but not my first choice as a day to day polish.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 1m 81  Weight: 70 kilos

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

winter
turbo training
maintenance
bike polish
bicycle cleaner
Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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