DirtBox Mountain Bike Cleaning Kit
Spring is well and truly here, and it's important to keep your pride and joy clean after those muddy February rides!
The best bike cleaners make the sometimes joyless task of washing your bicycle that little bit easier. I was fortunate enough to be given the ULTIMATE DIRTBOX BUNDLE from the awesome guys at Dirtbox last year. I have used the products every time I have used my bike to give the products a real life test, even used it on my car just too see. Now that I have used the products up, here are my thoughts.
All items and prices are correct at time of writing.
INSTA-WASH
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Chichesters own instant bike wash is certainly a contender to battle against other top end name brand bike cleaners. This is designed to work in just a couple of minutes and I found it did its stuff quickly and efficiently even after wet and dirty rides.
Price: £10.70 for 1 Litre
DRIVETRAIN CLEANER
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This drivetrain cleaner makes short work of mucky cassettes, chains, derailleurs and chainrings. My only critic is the colour it turns after it works its magic and the smell. But once rinsed off this really does work a treat.
Price: £11.95 for 500ml
BRAKE CLEANER
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Everyone hates it when your brakes start squealing like a banshee or developing a loss of braking performance. I was hesitant in using this brake cleaner as I have only ever used traditional spray can brands before. However it really was effective way of getting grease and squeaky filth off my discs, safe in the knowledge that it’s not going to contaminate my pads.
Price: £10.85 for 500ml
CERAMIC SPRAY SHINE
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With a low curing time of 1 minute this product is perfect to protect your bikes paintwork after a wash for a super gloss finish or the perfect matte/satin sheen look! I really liked this product even if it took me a few attempts to really get the best from it.
Price: £19.00 for 500ml
LIQUID SHIELD 9H CERAMIC COATING
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This was definitely a little happy surprise in the box I received. There are many advantages to ceramic coating your MTB. The paint of the frame and other coated parts get exceptional protection from various environmental impacts. Contaminants are prevented from sticking on the surface which makes cleaning and maintenance faster and easier. All of these points contribute to the overall cycling performance and experience, and certainly boost the feeling of pride when riding your precious two-wheeler.
This was definitely my favourite item and one I tried to use sparingly to get as much from it as possible.
Price: £40.00 for 30ml
Key features – 30ml bottle – 3-9 coats per bottle – 2 years protection – 9h hardness
Outstanding scratch resistance – 20-30 minute drying time – High gloss finish – Excellent UV and chemical resistance Super Hydrophobic.
SNOW FOAM
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I enjoy a snow foam, I probably go a bit mad with a snow foam session. But as cheesy as it sounds this product really does do the hard work for you, loosening and removing grime and mud before you even touch your bike with a brush or cloth! Proper enjoyed this product.
Price: £10.50 for 1 Litre
FINAL THOUGHT
Keeping your bike clean is an important way of ensuring it works correctly and safely, and looks good. Clean components wear out less quickly than dirty ones – so a well-kept bike will also perform better than a grubby one, and won’t require as much maintenance.
The above arsenal of filth-fighting weaponry for removing grime, cleaning drivetrains and adding the finishing touches to your bike, is made super easy with the line of Dirtbox products.
There are some negatives, like the triggers felt on the cheaper side and I wasn’t the biggest fan of the drivetrain cleaner but these are all aesthetics. The products themselves work a treat. Plus you look like a mad scientist with this colourful products sat on yourshelf.
