BBB BioGloss Bike Wax Polish 100ml

BBB BioGloss Bike Wax Polish is essentially a spray and buff post-wash wax polish designed to beautify and protect glossy framesets and components. It’s quick to apply, achieves pleasing results and seems reasonably effective at resisting the usual filmy grime, though it lacks the durability of some (more expensive) polymer and carnauba waxes.

> Buy now: BBB BioGloss Bike Wax Polish 100ml for £7.90 from Start Fitness

BBB says its BioGloss Bike Wax Polish is designed to “give your bike that little layer of protection against dirt, grime and a little touch of shining”.

It’s a plant-based blend of waxes which BBB says is designed to biodegrade within 28 days. There’s negligible protection against UV rays, road salt and so on, which may not be a deal breaker, but I’d be inclined towards giving working bikes – especially those serving through winter or on indoor trainers – a liberal helping of polymer car wax first.

Marketed as plant based and biodegradable doesn’t always mean skin friendly, but after polishing for a couple of hours without gloves I’ve had no issues.

Application & performance

Apply to a clean, dry bike and either spray directly to the frame or into a microfibre cloth (especially if it’s windy). Work into the surface and you’re done. No need to buff. Depending on how intricate the areas or how fussy you are, bargain on a shiny steed in 20 minutes, start to finish. Aesthetic results are pleasing, and it requires minimal effort to get a nice, tangible glossy barrier, one you can feel upon touching the treated surfaces.

A little goes a very long way – a couple of quick sprays were enough to treat the top and head tube of a 56cm semi-compact geometry frameset, though for gravel bikes and bikepacking and adventure touring builds, adding a second coat to the down tube, bottom bracket shell and chainstay areas will help stop grime from sticking so readily.

Effects have been universally good on gloss finishes, but get some on a matt finish and you’ll get that oily blotchy spatter, though it’s easily removed with a matt-specific ‘polish’ or left to fade over time. Satin finishes just turned a little glossier.

Gloss helmets quicky regained their lustre, and, being out of the direct firing line of grot, this has lasted – the glossy surface is still very evident.

Bikes left in storage have shown no trace of dust or finger marks during the review period, and touching the frame tubes confirmed there was a tangible layer remaining, three weeks later.

On bikes in everyday service, performance has mirrored the expectations set out by BBB. It’s been relatively dry and not too mucky, but dusty stuff thrown up along unmade roads, dry trails and hardpack hasn’t clung to the bottom bracket shell and down tube areas. Water thrown up while riding through localised wet stretches of road also made negligible effect upon the protective barrier – a quick post-ride buff with a clean rag dismissed this. However, muddy, churned bridleway and singletrack call for a proper clean, and I’ve needed to reapply the polish afterwards.

This broadly mirrors my experience using beeswax furniture polishes, but sealant lacquers and most liquid or hard paste waxes will last weeks – months in some instances.

Value

At £7.99 for 100ml, it sounds a little pricey, especially compared with something like a beeswax furniture polish, but while it is more expensive than some, such as Crankalicious Enduro Frame Sealant, which costs £4 for 100ml and will last up to three months (though it’s a clear barrier sealant rather than a polish) and Oxford Mint Bike Polish, £7.99 for 250ml, it’s cheaper than some options out there.

I remain a big fan of Fenwick’s Professional Protective Coating, which is compatible with all surfaces types and, in my experience, very durable, but it costs £14.50 for 100ml. And InvisiFrame Protective Coating is another very effective water-based sealant, but it’s £15 for 100ml.

Juice Lubes’ Frame Juice Gloss Frame Polish impressed Ali Fraser with its lustre and staying prowess, and at £10.99 for 400ml it’s better value than the BBB. However, my experience mirrors Ali’s in that it can make the frame a little slippery, which can prove tricky when you need to carry or run with a bike – in cyclocross, for example.

Conclusion

BBB BioGloss is a quick, convenient and reasonably effective polish, ideally suited to bikes in storage or fair-weather service. It doesn’t give as hardwearing a barrier as formulas containing polymer or carnauba waxes, but those also tend to cost a good bit more.

> Buy now: BBB BioGloss Bike Wax Polish 100ml for £7.90 from Start Fitness

Verdict

Convenient post-wash protectant for gloss finishes but less stoical than some waxes

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