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Bike maintenance brand criticised for "really poor taste" video linking Sir Chris Hoy's cancer diagnosis to use of rival company's chain lube

Green Oil faces backlash over "disgraceful" social media posts asking: "Did Sir Chris Hoy get cancer from PTFE bike lubricant exposure?"...

Bicycle maintenance brand Green Oil has been criticised online for a series of social media posts linking Sir Chris Hoy's cancer diagnosis to rival company Muc-Off's chain lube. Joining those condemning the posts, Muc-Off has since said it is "shocked and saddened that Chris Hoy has been dragged into such squalid social media activity" and that the company would be "reviewing our options regarding these false allegations".

Posts appeared on Green Oil's Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages over the weekend, videos uploaded with the title: "Did Sir Chris Hoy get cancer from PTFE bike lubricant exposure?"

Green Oil criticised for "really poor taste" Sir Chris Hoy posts

The voiceover to the two-minute video said Hoy "was part of Team Sky" who were "sponsored by the company Muc-Off", a rival bicycle maintenance products brand. Green Oil's video then said Muc-Off "manufactured lubricants containing PTFE", and later on that "there is a link between PTFE production and cancer".

It finished by asking: "What do you think? Is there a link here or not?" The final 30 seconds of the video then transitioned to an advert promoting Green Oil's products, including its chain lube.

Green Oil criticised for "really poor taste" Sir Chris Hoy posts

Green Oil markets itself as "the world's greenest bicycle maintenance products" brand and offers a range of chain lubes and cleaning products, some of which have received positive reviews on road.cc. Now the brand has received many comments criticising the "really poor taste" video and accusing the company of an "utterly scummy way to approach marketing".

Muc-Off this lunchtime told road.cc that it was "in the process of reviewing our options regarding these false allegations" and expressed shock and sadness that Hoy had been "dragged into such squalid social media activity when he has other more important challenges right now".

A spokesperson told us: "We are shocked and saddened that Chris Hoy has been dragged into such squalid social media activity when he has other more important challenges right now.

"There are comments about our brand that are simply wrong. To be clear, we do not use PTFE in any of our current product range as we took a decision many years ago to become 100% PTFE free due to environmental concerns. We are in the process of reviewing our options regarding these false allegations."

One comment on Facebook accused Green Oil of "exploiting" Hoy's illness for sales, while others on Instagram saw viewers commit to never purchasing Green Oil's products due to the "distasteful marketing".

A bike shop owner told the brand: "You or any of your products will never set foot in my shop. This is absolutely disgraceful."

One YouTube viewer said that while PTFE is "an issue" the "unsubstantiated and tasteless" claims and "dragging Chris Hoy into your marketing" had "just lost you a customer/a shop". Another called it "disgusting opportunism", while a third urged Green Oil to take the "bang out of order" video down.

"Speculation like this (that smacks of commercial opportunism) is offensive and counter-productive," they continued. "Chris Hoy is a real person with a family, I hope they don't see this [...] Drawing on a specific individual case is unscientific, and the backlash will hurt the cause. There is a debate to be had but this isn't how to go about it."

chris hoy london bike show

Green Oil has replied to numerous comments and doubled down on the video. In one reply, the brand said "the idea was to simply raise the question — and awareness".

Without evidence to support the statement, another reply on the brand's Instagram page says: "A fit healthy man like Sir Chris Hoy shouldn't be getting cancer — it was likely caused by a carcinogen like PFOA. Will get in touch with him next week to see what he thinks, likely he would like people thinking about this to stop future victims of cancer don't you think?"

road.cc has contacted Green Oil for comment.

Hoy was diagnosed with cancer in 2023 and told the public of the news in February 2024. In October, he announced that the diagnosis is terminal and he has two to four years to live, adding that he is "feeling fit, strong and positive, and overwhelmed by all the love and support shown".

Chris Hoy and Skarper

The NHS joined the cycling community and wider public in praising Hoy's bravery, the six-time Olympic champion's terminal cancer revelation prompting a near sevenfold increase in prostate cancer advice searches.

"Thanks to his bravery, we have seen a significant spike in people accessing vital information on our website about the signs and symptoms of cancer," NHS England's National Clinical Director for Cancer Professor, Peter Johnson, said in a statement. "One in two people will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime and detecting the disease early gives the best chance of successful treatment."

> "The idea is to create a positive out of a negative": Cancer My Arse's Kev Griffiths on living with stage four cancer, Sir Chris Hoy, and why he's encouraging everyone to ride out of the saddle for charity

Responding to the figures released by the NHS, Hoy said the "massive increase" in men seeking advice has been a "huge comfort" to him and his family.

Hoy's website, with information on an upcoming memoir about his life since the diagnosis, can be found here. For advice on spotting symptoms of prostate cancer, you can visit this page on the NHS England website

This content has been added by a member of the road.cc staff

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23 comments

Avatar
S.E. | 3 hours ago
0 likes

Poor taste and also PTFE is STILL widely used for cookware, so its toxicity should be limited (else much more people would get cancer)...

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to S.E. | 1 hour ago
0 likes

S.E. wrote:

Poor taste and also PTFE is STILL widely used for cookware, so its toxicity should be limited (else much more people would get cancer)...

The recommendation with non-stick cookware (i.e. PTFE coated) is to never use metal implements as that can lead to scratches. When the coating is scratched, there's far more chance that some PTFE (or various other nasties like PFOs) will leech into your food, so basically throw away any non-stick pans that get scratched. Also, you have to be careful to not over-heat them as the coating can release toxic gases.

Avatar
Carior replied to hawkinspeter | 43 min ago
4 likes

In fairness, if you're ingesting anything off a bike chain, I don't think the lube is the things I'd be most worried about!

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SimoninSpalding | 3 hours ago
2 likes

Not a fan of either company, Muc-off have some form as well I believe. However, to use ANYBODY'S illness to try and sell your product over another one is sick beyond belief.

My best wishes to Chris, Sara and the family.

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ubercurmudgeon | 4 hours ago
3 likes

Green oil, black heart.

Avatar
eburtthebike | 3 hours ago
11 likes

"the idea was to simply raise the question — and awareness".

Clearly not: the idea is to trash the competition and sell more of your stuff.  Asking questions like that is a Farage tactic e.g. "Are the police hiding anything."

As a Green, I am disgusted that the concept of being green is disgraced and devalued by this company, which clearly doesn't understand that being green also means being honest. 

If a company has values this low, how can you trust anything they say?

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to eburtthebike | 3 hours ago
1 like

eburtthebike wrote:

As a Green, I am disgusted that the concept of being green is disgraced and devalued by this company, which clearly doesn't understand that being green also means being honest.

Currently being "green" is just another sales opportunity, or a box that needs ticked to allow a product to get to the starting line.

It's not just "lies" always but the truth is usually nuanced. e.g. "zero emissions" vehicles?  No, they emit particulates locally, same as ICE vehicles, and in fact they still emit greenhouse gases.  It's just that now happens somewhere else, and we have no idea what or how much or even where.  "Out of sight, out of mind".

As for "green means being honest" in the political field ... good luck with that.  Idealism and principles are going to be casualties for any movement that aspires to power.  The competition isn't going to be so scrupulous!  Plus if your party succeeds it will become a magnet for ... people who want to succeed.  Some of whom may be more attracted to the "success" part than the cause.

Avatar
eburtthebike replied to chrisonabike | 2 hours ago
2 likes

chrisonabike wrote:

eburtthebike wrote:

As a Green, I am disgusted that the concept of being green is disgraced and devalued by this company, which clearly doesn't understand that being green also means being honest.

Currently being "green" is just another sales opportunity, or a box that needs ticked to allow a product to get to the starting line.

It's not just "lies" always but the truth is usually nuanced. e.g. "zero emissions" vehicles?  No, they emit particulates locally, same as ICE vehicles, and in fact they still emit greenhouse gases.  It's just that now happens somewhere else, and we have no idea what or how much or even where.  "Out of sight, out of mind".

As for "green means being honest" in the political field ... good luck with that.  Idealism and principles are going to be casualties for any movement that aspires to power.  The competition isn't going to be so scrupulous!  Plus if your party succeeds it will become a magnet for ... people who want to succeed.  Some of whom may be more attracted to the "success" part than the cause.

As a member of the Green party, almost everything you say there is nothing to do with being green, mostly it's green-washing, something very different indeed.

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to eburtthebike | 12 min ago
0 likes

Agreed - but - precisely because of assiduous green-washing* - the two are going to be popularly conflated.  Thus unfortunately "no, that's nothing to do with..." may sound like "no true Scotsman..." to many.

* Or being charitable and less cynical one might say there's quite a bit of overselling.  Ignoring the blantant greenwash (e.g. "let us keep selling our product") this is understandable.  Unless there was some strong promotion why would you seek out a way to pay more for the same, or accept less convenience?

Plus small efficiencies / reductions in pollution get eaten up by increasing numbers of people, who all are highly motivated to keep up with the Jones, or would at least like to live a bit less miserably than their parents.

Avatar
henryb replied to eburtthebike | 1 hour ago
3 likes

The media term for this is "JAQing off" (JAQ = Just asking questions). Farage does it all the time (something like "Is there something behind the Southport riots - I'm just asking questions"). It's the feeblest form of argument.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to eburtthebike | 52 min ago
2 likes

eburtthebike wrote:

"the idea was to simply raise the question — and awareness".

Clearly not: the idea is to trash the competition and sell more of your stuff.  Asking questions like that is a Farage tactic e.g. "Are the police hiding anything."

As a Green, I am disgusted that the concept of being green is disgraced and devalued by this company, which clearly doesn't understand that being green also means being honest. 

If a company has values this low, how can you trust anything they say?

Alongside honesty, a critical component of "green" practices is accountability. That's what we have missing in so many of Capitalism's failures is that companies make a lot of profit and then don't have to worry about external pollution etc. (see water companies for more info)

Avatar
Legin | 5 hours ago
2 likes

There really are better ways to wind up a business than by trashing your brand and personal image. Gerald Ratner provided the case study for this, perhaps they didn't include this in the course at Southampton Uni. But he seems top have swerved the tirade of abuse that British Cycling got parternering with Shell... perhaps he'll get away with this as well.  

Avatar
wtjs replied to Legin | 5 hours ago
1 like

This quotation from 'Simon Nash' looks like another hacked account- lots of mistakes in it, such as 'principals'

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Legin replied to wtjs | 4 hours ago
1 like

wtjs wrote:

This quotation from 'Simon Nash' looks like another hacked account- lots of mistakes in it, such as 'principals'

Taken from his LinkedIn page.

Avatar
wtjs replied to Legin | 4 hours ago
2 likes

If it's genuine, he needs somebody with a GCSE to run his social media for him

Avatar
Legin replied to wtjs | 4 hours ago
2 likes

I think we already know that he doesn't have that person.

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Rendel Harris | 5 hours ago
13 likes

Not only is Green Oil's attempt to leverage Chris's cancer a disgrace, it is also entirely ignorant as evinced by its statement "A fit healthy man like Sir Chris Hoy shouldn't be getting cancer — it was likely caused by a carcinogen like PFOA." Chris has metastatic prostate cancer; prostate cancer has one of the highest rates of causation by inherited genetic factors, with approximately 60% of cases derived from them. Sadly although staying fit and healthy can have a small influence on one's chances of developing prostate cancer it is only a small influence compared to the three major factors of genetics, age and ethnicity.

Avatar
Jetmans Dad replied to Rendel Harris | 5 hours ago
10 likes

Rendel Harris wrote:

... prostate cancer has one of the highest rates of causation by inherited genetic factors ...

Indeed, which is why my GP was very keen to know that my Father had prostate cancer 10 years or so back and discuss the potential implications for my own health. 

Not to mention that we are constantly bombarded with information about how many things in our environmental potentially cause cancer that seeking to isolate one specific item in a specific patient solely to sell your own products that don't include it is just appalling. 

As one of the commentors online said ... there is definitely a debate to be had about the presence of these "forever chemicals" in bike maintenance products, but GreenOil have picked probably the worst possible way of framing their contribution to it. 

Avatar
Boopop | 5 hours ago
2 likes

I volunteer to marshall iBike London rides and at the midway point on this year's santa ride, someone asked me to help him record a video for a indiegogo fund for Greenoil's new big bike cleaning brush. I wish in hindsight I said no. Ironically, I feel dirty!

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Shake | 6 hours ago
4 likes

Whoever's in their marketing needs to check themselves. The dated use of 'sexy women' is another issue

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PRSboy replied to Shake | 5 hours ago
0 likes

Indeed.  Do they not have a sense-check before they press "post"?

How did they think this would go?

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Destroyer666 replied to Shake | 5 hours ago
0 likes

In what exactly are you basing you argument?

Avatar
brooksby | 6 hours ago
6 likes

Poor show, Green Oil surprise

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