Oxford Brush and Scrub Set

The Oxford Brush and Scrub Set gets you four useful, solidly made brushes for cleaning out the various bits of your bike. It lacks a very small brush for really getting into nooks and crannies, but for most stuff – and even the tough, built-up stuff – it'll do the job.

This was almost perfectly timed – it arrived for the deep clean of the household's bikes before enjoying the improving weather. The set includes four brushes of varying sizes and bristle lengths, each designed to clean in different ways.

The Big Softy (the one with the squared head and longer handle) is for large areas like the frame, and has bristles tipped with rubber for paint protection. The other large brush is the Wheely Clean, which as you can guess is for reaching through spokes to the hubs.

Pronging

The smaller ones are the Prong Brush, said to help with getting around the frame and cleaning both sides at the same time, and the Double Stubble, which has double-density bristles for really stuck-on dirt. None are designed for dirty cassettes, although I found the Big Softy was good enough for the job – although once you've made that choice, it's probably best to stick to it.

Perhaps most importantly, they enable you to easily separate jobs – you don't want to be cleaning a dirty drivetrain with something you'll use on a frame. I found they all had a useful purpose, although I could live without the Prong Brush in return for a smaller one that could get inside those little recesses where dirt often hides.

Filth

I found they can really make light work of dried muck if you've been lazy after a ride or two.

Each of the brushes are well made, and the bristles have kept their shape, though the Big Softy has started to fray a little already – inevitable, perhaps, as it is indeed soft. The rubberised handles are sturdy and well shaped.

Soapy

They all wash through quite easily, but it's worth taking the time to do this properly with warm soapy water (not just settling for the dirty water you've been washing your bike in, or a simple rinse either). This way, you get a good clean every time – even more important if you have a white bike in your garage, as I do. The bristles don't hold dirt that well, so it's easy to do.

Value

At £16.99, value is pretty good. Muc-Off sells two multipacks – a three-brush set at £23.99 and a five-brush one costing £34.99 – while Park Tool's latest four-brush BCB4.2 set is £26.99.

Wiggle makes its own Mobi 5-Piece Brush Set for an official price of £19.99, but Wiggle being Wiggle it rarely actually costs that; at the time of writing it was £12.99.

Overall

These are decent quality brushes for getting at the worst grime/trickiest spots on your bike. You'll still need something get in the smallest areas and a cloth to finish the job, but otherwise this set will get the job done without fuss.

Verdict

Good set of brushes that does the job well