Motorex Joker 440 Synthetic Spray

The Motorex Joker 440 Synthetic Spray is a multi-use workshop product, promising to clean and lubricate, repel water, protect against corrosion, penetrate seized threads and stop squeaks. Sure, bike shop shelves groan under the weight of similar, cheaper products. However, it seems more powerful and longer-lasting than just about all of them.

Unlike a lot of maintenance products, Joker 440 doesn't contain PTFE which – though useful – is toxic and unkind to composites and seals. It also impairs electrical connectivity. The 'smart straw' helps ensure precise delivery, too. It's thicker than products such as GT85, and closer to the Tru Tension Maintenance Spray in consistency.

It lingers longer and, for me, seems more efficient when it comes to tackling stubborn contact points like seat posts, threaded bottom brackets and quill stems.

> Buy this online here

> Find your nearest dealer here

Several wet weeks and the odd waterlogged road later, I'm pleased to report there's a solid film still clinging to the rust-prone components I treated with it. No hint of tarnish, or loss of connectivity with the electricals either. In comparable conditions, I would've been into a third helping of GT85 to achieve similar results – at least on electroplated surfaces, anyway.

It lasts well even after several sudsy bucket washes, and lord knows I like my sudsy bucket wash narratives. That said, WD40 is better if you're simply flushing out drowned battery contacts and the like.

It works well on cleat mechanisms, locks and cables too, keeping movements and engagements reliable and slick.

Being thicker it's slower acting than some, but I found I needed less of it to encourage stubborn components to separate, and compared to WD40 and PTFE-infused blends, Joker 440 is palpably more effective. Three liberal blasts, left for 60 seconds apiece were sufficient to liberate a weathered Ti track sprocket and an old-school freewheel.

> Beginner's guide to bike tools – get all the vital gear for basic bike maintenance

The lack of anything obviously harmful to rubber and composites means it's also safe for suspension linkages. It did an excellent job of silencing a squeaky sprung/elastomer unit, for instance, and it remained quiet even a very soggy fortnight later.

Value

£14.99 for 500ml is steep. Tru-Tension Maintenance Spray is £8 for 500ml, while Juice Lubes JL69 is another bike-specific blend I'm fond of and £5.99 for 400ml. Then of course, there's WD-40 Multi-Use, which is £5.99 for 450ml.

Overall

Joker 440 is long-lasting and closer to being a penetrant/protectant than other multi-purpose maintenance sprays, and while it's undoubtedly expensive it's thick enough that a little goes a long way (and stays there a long time). If that's what you're after, rather than just something for flushing out cables and electrics, it's great stuff.

Verdict

Thick, efficient and very effective as a protectant, but pretty expensive with it