Review: Motorex Bike Cleaning Kit

The Motorex bicycle cleaning kit is a unique solution that is extremely effective and practical, although it is quite expensive and not quite complete.

The kit contains a 500 ml pump bottle of Bike Clean, a 500 ml spray can of Easy Clean degreaser and 100 ml of chain lubricant for the suite. You also get a decent sponge that won’t shatter and a chamois-like cloth to keep your bike from drying out leaving streaks. The set usually gives my bike a very shiny look even just drying it in the sun.

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The whole thing comes in a tub with a cover and a handle – it works like a bucket if you don’t have a hose, and the rectangular shape is a real help for storage on a regular round bucket.

Bike Clean is very good, as is the vaporizer; it works in any orientation, rather than just upright. The liquid foams a little right out of the nozzle and acts immediately on dirt and grease, even on a dry bike.

Getting the bike wet makes it easier to spread things out, but the nozzle still provides easy coverage. A quick wipe with the sponge easily removes mud and grease, ready for a quick rinse. It doesn’t do anything about the little tar splatter spots all over my frame, but the Easy Clean aerosol does.

Easy Clean degreaser comes with both a regular and straw-type nozzle for more precise application to chains and sprockets, which it instantly degreases.

While the claim that it dries residue-free is technically correct, in practice it dries so quickly that it frequently leaves hazy trails of the oil it was carrying. I usually clean my drivetrain with the bike upside down (can’t wait to hear why this is terrible), and find that Easy Clean will remove the old lube, drip on my frame and wheels, and then will evaporate before I can rinse it off.

In the end, I found it best to spray a bit of it on a paper towel and just wipe off the smudges. It’s not a complaint – it’s a powerful stuff and it’s a treat. It dries almost as fast as it works. The same gentle wiping also removes tar splatter, which is impressive because nothing else even touches this stuff.

Despite this volatile nature and the harsh feel of the two sprays (I have found that Bike Clean stings all the small cuts around my nails, while the Easy Clean seriously dries out the skin and can easily move up the nose to the tongue on days wind), both biodegradable. The pump spray is also solvent free and available in refill bags.

Dry Power chain lubricant is good, although it is rather thin and easy to apply – although the quick-acting nozzle is much more convenient than a simple plug – but an all-weather or wet lubricant would seem more suitable.

There are also no brushes in this kit; just the sponge and the chamois-type drying cloth.

At £ 39.99, it looks decent, if not unbelievable, and that has more to do with the effectiveness of the basics than the range of what you get. Okay, the Muc-Off Dirt Bucket Kit costs a lot more at £ 64.99, but it also includes a lot more, like wet and dry brushes and lubricants.

The Weldtite Dirt Wash Ultimate Bike Maintenance Kit costs £ 10 less to £ 55 and packs a lot more in it. Meanwhile, Fenwick’s Complete Cleaning Kit doesn’t seem to come in a bucket anymore, but it’s very good, is much gentler on the hands and lungs, and costs just £ 24.99.

The two best parts of the Motorex kit – the sprays – for the record, together cost around £ 27 if you buy them full.

> How to clean your bike – from a quick lick to a complete makeover

To sum up, the Motorex cleaning kit is very good – both sprays are extremely effective, their delivery methods work very well, and the rest of the kit is also nice. Whether it’s worth spending £ 40 (and still needing the wet lube), rather than buying the best parts separately, is entirely up to you.

Verdict

Super effective cleaner and degreaser in a useful kit, but not quite the complete one for the money