Cleaning kit

Tis the season to start re-engaging with cleaning products again. Oh dear…

º Still my favourite thing for removing chain lube from wheel rims, and other light degreasing duties; a big carton of white spirit from the local hardware shop and some rags. It makes up a key ingredient in many fancy cleaning and degreasing products. In these health and safety conscious times I now wear gloves while applying it, there can be side effects to over exposure. Also useful for fitting handlebar grips - a smear of spirit on the ‘bar helps the grip slide on. HW

Dr Downpipe £16.99 drdownpipe.com

º Downpipes are an utter pain because the heat speeds up all the chemical reactions and you get rust in no time. Plus, on an across-the frame engine, the downpipes are in the crud firing line. The easiest solution is to use acid to give them a chemical peel. Lots of people swear by Harpic 10x, a toilet cleaner that contains 9% hydrochloric acid. It works, but it can damage the exhaust. A safer bet is a milder formulation such as Drdownpipe, which takes more agitation and time, but carries fewer risks.

Autoglym Magma £11 autoglym.com

º Every time you put your bike’s brakes on tiny iron particles let loose from the pads and the discs. These particles become airborne and if you’re unlucky they stick to your wheels and bodywork where, over time and with added water, they turn into a grey sludge which is a nightmare to wash off. Autoglym’s spray-on Magma turns the gunge a weird purple colour at which point you just rinse it off, no scrubbing required. I’ve used three bottles of it in the last two years and I’m about to buy my fourth.

Pro-greenmx After Shine £11 pro-greenmx.com

º So you have washed your bike, rinsed it off nicely, but then what? Well in the past I would have spent hours drying, rubbing and buffing, but not anymore. Now when the bike is dripping wet after a good scrub I spray Pro-greenmx After Shine and shove my ride straight back in the garage. The next day and my bike is bone dry, the plastics looking brand new and covered in a protective film. Fellow bikers I have shown After Shine to have always been sceptical, and so was I, but the results are astonishing. It also smells minty when applying and it’s salt free.

‘Cold road-legal tyres, standing water, and yet fulllock cornering, 45° lean and a greedy right hand’