Ceramic coatings are all the rage in the cycling world and this Ceramic Protection Kit is Muc-Off’s entry into this new technological space. Adding an extra slippery layer to your bike’s paint makes cleaning your bike, even after the muckiest of rides, light work. It goes a long way, too, providing enough fluid to coat numerous bikes. It can wear off quicker than promised.
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Muc-Off Ceramic Coating Kit - Technical details
Hydrophobic ceramic coatings are something that have made their way into the cycling world from the automotive industry. We’ve seen tonnes of videos of over-excited car influencers cleaning their cars to a crisp shine, to pour a load of filthy water over for it to slide off without leaving a drop behind. And it’s quite a surprise that it’s taken so long for to it move into the bike market.
Introduced by Gtechniq, Muc-Off quickly followed suit with its Ceramic Protection Kit that, when applied, provides a silicone-infused hydrophobic layer that’s designed to keep water a dirt from sticking to your bike. That’s done by reducing the surface tension and it contains a UV protection element too so it should stop your fluoro yellow paint from fading.
Muc-Off says that this coating is safe to use on paintwork, carbon fibre, metal, vinyl, plastic trim and even wheels. The brand promises two years of use before requiring reapplication. It can then be used on both gloss and matt paint. It also promises to fill ‘any’ imperfections in the paint. However, this is quite the statement as it’s unlikely that it’ll manage to hide large scratches.
A 15ml of the ceramic coating, a 50ml bottle of surface preparation spray, one microfibre pad used for application and two of Muc-Off’s luxury microfibre buffing cloths are included in the box.
Muc-Off Ceramic Coating Kit - Application
Applying Muc-Off’s Ceramic Coating is an easy but involved process. Before you even reach for a microfibre rag, your bike needs to be perfectly clean, and completely dry. Even then, achieving a proper result is quite a time-consuming process.
With a clean bike, you give the whole frame a once over with the surface protection spray. In a cool, dry space, shake a couple of drops of the ceramic coating onto the small microfibre applicator pad and rub it onto the frame in a cross-hatch fashion, as suggested by Muc-Off. To keep track of what’s been coated and what hasn’t, applying the coating by tube is a great move and it’ll encourage the user to apply thoroughly. A little goes a long way too but add more of the coating if it applies unevenly, similarly to a paint brush that’s drying up.
Once the frame is coated, leave it for five minutes at which time the coating will look a little like a wet oil slick. Only when this effect is all over the bike can you work the frame with a clean and dry microfibre cloth, buffing the frame to a high polish. All of the rainbow effect needs to be buffed away.
Finally, you’ll need to leave your bike for at least 24 hours for the coating to cure and 48 hours before introducing the frame to water. So if you’re riding in the winter, resist the temptation for a couple of days.
Although Muc-Off says that the coating will last two years, the brand recommends topping up every six months for the best performance. Funnily enough, it also says that the coating needs to be used within six months of opening.
Muc-Off Ceramic Coating Kit - Performance
Although the application process is pretty lengthy, it’s a product that’s well worth having, especially if you hate cleaning your bike. During my test of the coating, I applied it to my Invisiframed bike frame, which Muc-Off says is okay – and followed all of the steps to the letter. I then rode through the whole of the winter with my bike coated and given how wet it’s been, I don’t think there’s a better test. I also only coated my frame to see how it stacks up against uncoated surfaces.
But after coating, my bike was left looking very good. It’s picked up nearly three years of wear and tear and the coating effectively fills in low-level scratching, similar to how Silicone Shine and similar products do but without requiring application after every wash.
My first rides with the coating proved that its effectiveness was massive. Again, they were horrifically wet and water from puddle crossings quickly beaded and ran off the frame. It was obvious, too, as mate’s bikes clung to dirt. After rides like these, my bike remained free of built-up chunks of mud, which are part and parcel of riding through the British winter and responsible for the more serious scratching during cleaning.
Dirt and mud do dry up a little on the way home but even then it was very much like rinsing off a bike covered in summer dust. A quick spray and a wipe-down left my bike acceptably clean. I could go a little further with the cleaning after a ride but couldn’t we all? However, its ability to shed gunk is obvious, especially when compared to the uncoated sections that took more effort to clean up.
I’ve been running the ceramic coating for around four months now and what’s disappointing is its longevity. Mud can still build up to a point, so it’s still necessary to attack the bike with cleaner and a brush but this takes some of the coating away. Granted, I’m not using Muc-Off products to clean my bike but the Juice Lubes Dirt Juice bike cleaner that I’ve been enjoying for ages now may have some bearing on the longevity of the coating but I’m doubtful. The two-year estimated life on the ceramic coating likely applies to road bikes which aren’t subjected to the level of filth that mountain bikes are regularly but even then, it requires topping up before Muc-Off’s recommended six months.
Muc-Off Ceramic Coating Kit - Verdict
At £55 Muc-Off’s Ceramic Coating kit is a bit of an ask but it’s offering quite a bit for the cash. It can coat multiple bikes and the microfibre cloths can be used for other applications. But where it pays back is in the reduced time and effort it takes to wash a bike.
There’s only one other bike-specific ceramic coating on the market and that’s Gtechniq’s. It also costs £55 and it comes with everything that the Muc-Off pack does but also provides a pair of gloves. Gtechnique states that it can last up to two years too but it should be used within three months of opening.
Suppose you hate cleaning your bike or want to add even more protection to your pride and joy. In that case, the Muc-Off Ceramic Coating Kit provides another useful, chemically bonded, layer that effectively keeps mud and water from clinging. The bonus this offers over silicone sprays is that it’s easier to keep away from your braking surfaces and it doesn’t require reapplication as regularly. However, it doesn’t quite live up to Muc-Off’s longevity promises and it’s quite the task to apply.
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