I suspect many of us have the same ramshackle cleaning materials for bikes. MIne consists of a set of old t-shirts, toothbrushes and I've found fresh jeye cloths torn into long strips for the rear sprocket work a treat.
I have no truck with fancy cleaning products, potions and unctions. Fairy liquid and elbow grease work just fine and I pop the chain in a bottle of white spirit over night once a month. That said I have to keep a tub of Swarfega handy or I'm not let back in the house but that means wiping the back door, kitchen cupboard door and taps once my hands are grease free.
Do Power Maxed handwipes solve this problem? Yes.
No nonsense, non-green wipes for almost every occasion. I wouldn't risk them as face wipes or baby wipes though as they leave your skin drier than Ghandi's flip flop.
road.cc test report
Make and model: Power Maxed Heavy Duty Hand Wipes
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?
They are described as 'extremely heavy duty' which depends on your definition of 'extreme'. Looking at the website Powermaxed have yet to discover the fertile market of cycling as when you click on 'Bike Cleaning' they are referring purely to the armchairs on two wheels so favoured by our portly leather-clad brethren.
I ran a thorough test as my single speed needed a rear tyre change. I was surprised that one 20cm square wipe seemed to remove every trace of oil from both hands. It took one to clean my filthy Mac keyboard and just one more to wipe down the summer bike to a sparkling gleam with little smear residue.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
A nice beefy canister with a big easy flip lock.
The ingredients are given as 'Aqua' and 'D'Limonene' whicb I assume are Italiano for water and lemon scented cleaner. May be made in Milano but I suspect Chengdung Provincio before being shipped to Evesham.
Rate the product for quality of construction:
7/10
A great big manly white container so you can see the grease on it and use a further wipe to keep the wipe dispenser clean as well. Perfect for the OCD characters out there who don't like to touch door knobs.
Rate the product for performance:
7/10
Pull too hard and you'll pull one and a half wipes out and have to stuff one back in again. Since even Stephen Hawking can't solve this problem it isn't really PowerMaxed fault.
The wipes themselves seem dry to the touch but seem to foam nicely from nowhere when you apply pressure. The lemon smell is very slight so there is no acrid after scent at all.
Rate the product for durability:
4/10
The first thing to break on these containers is the flip lock tab. leaving you with rapidly drying cloths. The tab is joint where it joins the canister is a centimetre wide and already slightly torn after being opened and closed just four times. This needs to be stronger.
As far as the wipes go they are pretty durable under pressure and don't tear too easily.
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
9/10
It's a plastic canister of wipes... Not for the back pocket but definitely handy for the boot of the car.
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
8/10
Leaves products clean and your hands feeling as if you've been shifting sand all day.
Rate the product for value:
8/10
At £10.99 or 20p a wipe it seems a little steep but bearing in ind you might use 3 or 4 times more water based wipes it is value for money.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Very well. They've not taken the surface off anything yet but I won't be cleaning my £300 Oakleys with them just in case.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
They do the job.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
From bitter experience - standing over a manhole cover for 2 hours with a hose pipe washing away a foot high blockage of my neighbours excrement as she would stick her face wipes down the toilet - I would have liked to have seen a biodegrade element to those wipes.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.
Would you consider buying the product? Yes.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.
Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?
Make the tab closure joint wider and you have a winner.
I usually ride: A 20 year old Condor Italia on the school run. My best bike is: Condor Moda Ti - summer bike
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every week I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding,
Add new comment
3 comments
I've found standard baby wipes leave smears on titanium.
while I'm amazed at the things that a baby wipe can remove, your bikes must be fantastically clean to start because oil, grease and road crud are not amongst those things in my experience.
Interesting tip with the sugar though, I've used washing powder as a similar abrasive cleaner. It's quite effective on chains as well.
Screwfix, Toolstation et al all do similar products for similar prices by the way. I have a roll of Swarfega branded wipes that are pretty effective on hand and bike.
Baby wipes for the bike @ around 1.5p each. Also great for a quick wipe of the hands. Finish off with some carex mixed with a bit of caster sugar for anything ingrained or under the fingernails.
Costs me less than a fiver a year and covers maintenance on 4 bikes plus diy.