A decent gloss frame-cleaning and finishing kit, but it comes at a price
We all love a clean bike, and the Cycle Detailing kit from No Quarter – specialists in frame painting – is a great way to keep your frame showroom fresh.
It is only your frame that it can help with, however, because from the outset it’s worth pointing out that there’s no degreaser to stay on top of keeping your chain, sprockets and jockey wheels sparkling.
You’ll need to source that yourself, so if you’re happy to do so in addition to the £34.99 asking price of this kit, then read on. If not, you might want to save yourself some time…
The No Quarter Cycle Detailing contains bike shampoo, wax, two microfibre cloths, two sponges and a brush
If you’re still here, then I can happily report that the kit is very effective, as long as you tend to stay on top of your bike cleaning duties and the bike is suitable. I’ll explain.
In the pack, you get a main (bubblegum-smelling) ‘shampoo’ that mixes with warm water to gently and effectively remove dirt from your frame without endangering your paintwork, and a wax that buffs up your frame to exacting, gleaming standards.
Used on my old white Specialized Allez – a very careworn frame these days – the shampoo manages to easily clean the entirety of the frame surface without leaving streaks, and showed some useful ability to get into and clean out many of the scratches that have appeared on it over time.
It’s safe to say that I’ve not looked after this frame as well as I should have over the years – it’s been a real workhorse – yet it looked as though it had been given a new lease of life from a distance once I’d used the shampoo on it and allowed it to dry.
Old chain oil marks left on the chainstay protector tape rubbed off with a little work, and I’d have to conclude more easily than they used to with normal washing up liquid. It’s not game changing, but if you’re someone who obsesses about having a spotless frame, then it’s certainly an effective product.
The wax is less helpful – yes, it works on glossy frames and really does leave a protective sheen you only really see when a bike is box fresh, but it’s a no-go for matte frames.
That means my beloved Canyon Ultimate has to go without, and that’s a shame. Surely there’s a wax out there that can help protect matte-finished frames too? (There is a separate ‘Speed Detailer’ for matte bikes available, but that’s not included in this kit).
The shampoo is effective at removing hard-to-shift grime from your frame
The kit is fortified by some other helpful tools too, including two microfibre cloths to wipe down your bike (make sure you avoid your drivetrain if you want to use each one more than once), a high-density wash sponge and a buff pad for the wax application.
The size of each – both of them surprisingly small – hints at the sparing quantities you need to use for both products. That’s ok, because that’s all you need for effective use, although having some high quality spares lying around will be helpful when the supplied sponges get dirty – which over time they inevitably do.
The brush is a nice addition, apparently designed to pick up dirt, wash out and be ready to go again. In reality, quite how it’s any better than a standard paint brush is beyond me, although it has a use in poking around difficult to reach spots, like the bottom bracket area and inside the dropouts.
The brush makes it easier to get into tricky spots on the frame
Conclusion
From the outset, I felt that £34.99 for the Cycle Detailing Kit was a lot to ask for when it doesn’t include any sort of chain cleaner or degreaser and has a wax product that is somewhat limited to use on gloss frames. That being said, the products included are of an excellent quality if used for their designed purpose, while there are some nice accessories to help you get the most out of them.
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