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Cleaning products
Flaer GuardFlaer Guard Bike Protector.jpg

Flaer Guard

7
by Harry Brook-Dobson
UPDATED Fri, Jun 30, 2017 15:46

First Published Jun 30, 2017

5
£9.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Well worth the money and minimal effort to keep your (non-matt) steeds looking great
Weight: 
823g
Contact: 
www.oxfordproducts.com
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Flaér Guard is a protector spray designed to be used on a clean bike to give a bit of extra shine and protection from the elements. It does a great job on glossy surfaces, leaving a really nice finish, but on matt paint jobs it looks a bit naff. It is supposedly safe to use on all materials and I certainly didn't experience any damage or deterioration to my bikes' paint or components as a result of its use.

The nozzle on the bottle gives a very powerful spray which left an uneven finish, as the spray wasn't distributed uniformly. The advertising material on Flaér's website suggests you just spray it on and leave to dry, but I found you could achieve a more even finish by giving the bike a wipe down with a cloth covered in the spray. This helped to reduce wastage too.

> Find your nearest dealer here

On shiny surfaces not much effort was required to leave the bike looking great. I got a few positive comments from club mates the first time I used it. One thing: best to avoid getting the spray on bar tape as it tends to get absorbed and then gives your hands/gloves a light coating on the next ride...

Inspecting my bike after riding, I was pleasantly surprised to find that less dirt was stuck to the bike than expected. On dry days, even when venturing onto dusty farm tracks, I could barely tell that it had been ridden. It was certainly nice to return from high-intensity rides without dried sweat all over the top tube.

As an aside, this should really be used on a clean bike. If the frame has dust or dirt already on it, the spray seemed to highlight these areas, which wasn't a good look.

Being cheaper than other companies' similar offerings, such as Pedro's Bike Lust (500ml for £15), I think it constitutes pretty good value. It's also available in a much larger 5 litre bottle for £29.99, to refill the user-friendly spray bottle. This offers even better value if you're converted to its use.

Verdict

Well worth the money and minimal effort to keep your (non-matt) steeds looking great

road.cc test report

Make and model: Flaer Guard

Size tested: 750ml

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?

Flaér Guard is described as being a 'high performance protector spray' that will protect bikes from 'all cycling environments'. Claiming to leave your bike shining 'like new', it certainly works well on gloss and metallic finishes, but on matt paintjobs the spray left a non-uniform shine which didn't look great and seemed to attract dust. In terms of protection, it's hard to test over a short term but I can see how coverage would reduce corrosion.

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

Frame protector sprays can be used to shield bikes from the elements, reducing corrosion and prolonging the lifespan of paint jobs.

Flaér recommend the use of their 'Guard' protector spray post-wash and I found this left a nicer finish than just towelling down.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

Relatively sturdy bottle. No issues encountered.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Brings out the shine from neglected gloss finishes and metallic surfaces but leaves streaks that look greasy on matt paint.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

While there are certainly cheaper ways of giving a shiny finish to parts and protecting them, it should last a long time – especially if you spray it onto a cloth and wipe the bike rather than directly spraying the bike, which wasted quite a bit – and it's cheaper than rival brands' offerings. I would expect the 750ml bottle to last at least six months with regular use.

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

Easy to spray on and leave to dry. On gloss paint or metallic surfaces the shine did look great.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

How it brought out the shine from slightly old gloss paint.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The finish on matt paint.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes, it made me proud to show off my bikes and was easy to use.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

Not a universal solution but good for certain applications. While it's easy to think of it as a product that solves a problem you didn't know you had, it should last a long time and regular use is certainly cheaper than giving your bike a new paint job after a few years.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 20  Height: 181cm  Weight: 73kg

I usually ride: Specialized Allez  My best bike is: Starley R1

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, club rides, mountain biking

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5 comments

Avatar
Bigtwin | 7 years ago
2 likes

Absolutely not.  Nowhere near expensive enough, and won't decrease weight and increase lateral stiffness.

Avatar
carytb replied to Bigtwin | 7 years ago
2 likes
Bigtwin wrote:

Absolutely not.  Nowhere near expensive enough, and won't decrease weight and increase lateral stiffness.

Not forgetting increasing vertical compliance

 

Avatar
StraelGuy | 7 years ago
0 likes

Or, and call me cynical if you want, you could use that bottle of car wax you've probably got in the garage?

Avatar
Bigtwin | 7 years ago
1 like

No, matt, as in matt. https://www.dulux.co.uk/en/products/matt

 

Avatar
reliablemeatloaf | 7 years ago
0 likes

"Matt " paint jobs?

Do you mean "matte" paint jobs?

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