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Motorex Bike Shine

7
£12.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Decent, if pricey, protectant that works and lasts well
Lasts well
Convenient
Pricey
Weight: 
303g

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.

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Motorex Bike Shine is a silicone-infused protectant spray designed to provide a lasting, glossy finish. Convenient and durable, it does what it promises while attracting minimal dirt and grime. However, it's quite pricey, and you'll need to keep it away from contact points and braking surfaces.

Rather than spraying it directly onto your frameset and components, Motorex says it's best to apply Bike Shine to a clean cloth and work it in (after cleaning your bike). Unlike some, it lingers long enough to get decent coverage and reclaim any runs or overspray.

> Find your nearest dealer here

Motorex says it can also be used on rubber, leather and plastics. I've treated suspension components, such as Cane Creek Thud Buster elastomers, to a more generous helping, but don't go mad otherwise every bit of dust, grit and sacrificial gnat will stick to it.

From here, you are pretty much ready to ride or, in the case of machines entering seasonal hibernation, store.

Bike Shine is designed for gloss and satin finishes not matts – contact with matt surfaces will result in glossy blotches – and effects have been consistently good on painted, polished and plated surfaces. Elastomers and chrome plastic mudguards also gleamed.

On raw titanium it's good rather than great (depending on grade), but that's the case with most generic waxes and polishes, in my experience.

Judging by my experience, it's reasonably durable too. A single light helping has lasted several weeks – 500 miles along sometimes wet, sometimes dusty lanes and back roads. In showery conditions, water tends to bead up and roll away, and any residual watermarks are easily dismissed post-ride using a clean, dry cloth without needing to replenish.

> How to clean your bike – from a quick lick to a full makeover

Ten rides in and a filmy patina developed beneath the bottom bracket, chainstays and fork legs, but this was easily dismissed with a quick squirt of Bike Shine on a clean rag.

Suspension components retained an obvious sheen but without much grime, despite a lack of mudguards.

If wetter, muddier conditions require a full wash post-ride, you'll need to reapply, so I'd stick to hard paste/polymer waxes on a gravel/adventure or mountain bike, such as Muc-Off Miracle Shine, which will last for a number of washes (albeit at £24.99 for 500ml).

However, it's genuinely more durable than good quality beeswax furniture polishes in comparable contexts, and on a par with other protectant sprays I've tested, short and longer term.

Bushings, elastomers and pump seals/components are still on the first helping, squeak-free and visibly nourished.

Value

Its rrp of £12.99 for 300ml puts it at the higher end of the market. For example, it's more expensive than Juice Lubes Frame Juice at £10 for 400ml, and Muc-Off Silicon Shine at £9.99 for 500ml, while Duck Smart Bike Ezee comes in at £6.99 for 500ml.

Conclusion

Bike Shine is reasonably durable and will deliver on localised polishing, protecting rubberised components and on bikes entering seasonal hibernation, but it works out pricey against comparable products when employed as a default cleaner/polish.

Verdict

Decent, if pricey, protectant that works and lasts well

road.cc test report

Make and model: Motorex Bike Shine

Size tested: 300ml

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?

Motorex says: "Freshens colours and gives a high gloss. MOTOREX BIKE SHINE protects, preserves and is water-repellent (beading effect). Thanks to its anti-static properties, it repels dust and is also suitable for maintaining bicycles that are not used on a regular basis or for bikes in showrooms. Ideal for use after cleaning."

It's a useful protectant, but expensive if used liberally.

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

Extra UK (Motorex distributor) lists:

Key Facts:

Antistatic formulation

Refreshes colours

Tip for MTB: apply for reduced mud adhesion

Sizes:

300ml Spray

Notes:

Apply on cloth – do not apply directly on bike, not suitable for matte paint jobs

Avoid contact with brakes (silicone emulsion)!

Motorex lists:

Colour ISO 2049 colourless

Odour orange fragrance

Density at 20°C (g/ml) ASTM D 4052 0.793

Flash point (°C) ISO 2592 20

VOC % 71.93

Water hazard class: WGK 1

Disposal code: VeVA/EWC 070 604

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

Reasonably durable protective sheen to gloss and satin surfaces. Though lighter than more traditional silicones, it also offers nourishment to elastomer-based suspension systems, fork and hub seals etc.

Rate the product for durability:
 
6/10

Much will depend upon context. However, it's proven more durable than I was expecting during a changeable test period.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
7/10

Convenient and quick to apply and not overly noxious, but best applied in well-ventilated areas.

Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

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

It leaves a reasonably durable protectant layer on gloss and satin finishes. Like most silicone-based products, it will attract a little dust and grime but nothing that isn't easily dismissed with a clean, lint-free cloth. The formula also offers some useful lubrication to seals, bushings and elastomer components.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Convenient and reasonably effective.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

I'm impressed with the longevity and performance, but it's pricey compared with similar products.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

At £12.99 for 300ml it's at the higher end. Juice Lubes Frame Juice is £10 for 400ml, Muc-Off Silicon Shine is £9.99 for 500ml, and Duck Smart Bike Ezee comes in at £6.99 for 500ml.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Possibly

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Generally yes, but there are cheaper, credible alternatives.

Use this box to explain your overall score

Good quality protectant spray, if expensive compared with similar products.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 47  Height: 1m 81cm  Weight: 70kg

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,

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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1 comments

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Freddy56 | 3 years ago
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My local bike ship only really stocks Motorex lubes which are really 40% more than I am comfortable paying for, but I buy them all the same. Wet chain oil is great and highly recommend.

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