Oxford Protex Stretch Indoor Cover

Oxford makes a lot of different bike covers for keeping the elements off your bike, but the Protex Stretch Indoor Bike Cover is, as the name suggests, for indoor use only. It's a quick-fitting solution for protecting your pride and joy from dust and simple knocks, whether you use it every day or for long-term storage.

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Opening the zipped case, you'll find the cover itself and a universal chain guard which you fit to the bike first to stop the chainring teeth from damaging the cover. It's a simple job: fit it over the crankset, looping the elasticated strap behind the crank, and pull it tight to keep it secure. It's large enough to fit over a 53-tooth chainring with ease, so even large time trial gears aren't going to be an issue.

Next comes fitting the cover itself – which takes all of two minutes, especially once you've done it a couple of times.

Some thought has gone into the design, it's not just simply a piece of stretchy material with a hole in the bottom. The Protex Stretch is made in three sections, a left and a right with a triangular section added at the front to give enough width for handlebars. This means the fabric stays taut all around the bike, giving full protection.

The cover is made from 95% polyester and 5% Spandex to give it its stretch – in four directions no less, according to Oxford. It does pull in all directions to be fair, making it easy to pull it backwards and downwards if you start from the end.

Considering how thin the material is, the Protex feels very durable and hardwearing. I fitted it over a fair few bikes and even getting it snagged on mechs, quick releases and disc rotors didn't cause any damage to the cover at all. You could cut it easily with something sharp, but with a bit of care it should last for a long time.

At £34.99 it looks expensive on the face of it – you can pick up outdoor covers for around a tenner – but the Protex Stretch has much more going for it, especially if you use it as much as I did.

Travelling around the country for our team road.cc rideout series (fancy joining us?) means I'm constantly chucking bikes in the boots of hire cars and taking them into hotel rooms. Only taking a couple of minutes to put on and take off/pack away, it has become a really useful item for not only protecting your bike's paintwork but also keeping oil and grease off furniture.

> Check out our guide to the best ways to store your bike

The big benefit for me, though, is its breathability. Leave a bike out in a cold shed or garage in an outdoors 'plastic' cover and condensation becomes an issue. If your bike is stored long term, this can lead to corrosion. This isn't something that happens with the Protex – your bike always remains dry even in humid conditions.

I think the Protex Stretch is a great piece of kit for indoor storage of your bike. It provides just a little extra level of protection against scratches from other bikes, keeps the moisture out, and also protects furniture or car interiors from your bike.

Verdict

A great, tight-fitting, easy-to-use bike cover to protect your pride and joy indoors