Castrol "high performance" oil + Muc Off protector
Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 9:36 pm
two quick things:
1) gave my bike its first proper service today. oil, filter, grease & tighten. general housekeeping.
i've always been told never to scrimp on engine oil, as a little more money now saves you from expensive rebuilds later.... a bit corny, but it makes a lot of sense.
- SO, i went and bought some Castrol "sporty" oil (racing? sport? can't remember the packaging), just to see what difference it would make.
result? the bike feels like new! the gearchanges are slick as maple syrup, the acceleration is more urgent, and the bike is more willing to rev and generally smoother. i was actually a bit hesitant to use this sort of oil on a standard road bike, but i can see i made the right choice.... although i expect to have to change the oil perhaps a little more frequently than i would with a non-sporty version. i'm cool with that.
2) i've never really got sucked in by motorbike-centric marketing and stuff. i have always just used a jumbo can of WD40 and a rag to clean my bikes down.
but today i got the urge to buy some Muc Off bike protector aerosol. honestly it's fantastic. in 15 minutes my bike went from being simply "mostly clean" to looking like it had just rolled out of a dealership. all you need is a soft cloth and you're away. also, it seems to be a good product for just gently spraying over the harder-to-reach components inside the frame, just to keep them shiny and rust-free... WD40 always felt a bit iffy as a spray-on panacea, and a quick ride in the rain undid all your work. this sutff however seems more heavy duty in terms of protecting and repelling water.
genuinely impressed customer on both counts, and i don't say that lightly.
1) gave my bike its first proper service today. oil, filter, grease & tighten. general housekeeping.
i've always been told never to scrimp on engine oil, as a little more money now saves you from expensive rebuilds later.... a bit corny, but it makes a lot of sense.
- SO, i went and bought some Castrol "sporty" oil (racing? sport? can't remember the packaging), just to see what difference it would make.
result? the bike feels like new! the gearchanges are slick as maple syrup, the acceleration is more urgent, and the bike is more willing to rev and generally smoother. i was actually a bit hesitant to use this sort of oil on a standard road bike, but i can see i made the right choice.... although i expect to have to change the oil perhaps a little more frequently than i would with a non-sporty version. i'm cool with that.
2) i've never really got sucked in by motorbike-centric marketing and stuff. i have always just used a jumbo can of WD40 and a rag to clean my bikes down.
but today i got the urge to buy some Muc Off bike protector aerosol. honestly it's fantastic. in 15 minutes my bike went from being simply "mostly clean" to looking like it had just rolled out of a dealership. all you need is a soft cloth and you're away. also, it seems to be a good product for just gently spraying over the harder-to-reach components inside the frame, just to keep them shiny and rust-free... WD40 always felt a bit iffy as a spray-on panacea, and a quick ride in the rain undid all your work. this sutff however seems more heavy duty in terms of protecting and repelling water.
genuinely impressed customer on both counts, and i don't say that lightly.
