No Quarter Complete Cycle Detailing Kit

The No Quarter Complete Cycle Detailing Kit is a luxurious ensemble designed to get bikes sparkling clean. Its price of £34 is hardly small change but No Quarter is also a small-scale custom finisher which offers a bespoke service, so should know a thing or two about preserving and beautifying paintwork.

Delving inside the waterproof carry bag, we have a bike shampoo, two micro-fibre cloths, a tub of hard paste Carnauba based wax, a detailing brush and a fine-pore detailing sponge.

> Buy this online here

Shampoo

Though relatively small, the bottle is a concentrate, thus little is needed. Somewhat predictably, No Quarter doesn't give much away ingredients-wise. However, it promises to do the usual dirt-dislodging stuff, be kind to all surfaces and not strip their wax. No Quarter does have a number of videos on its website to show you how to use its products.

Rinse any road salt off with cold water first – warm will simply accelerate the caustic chemical reaction. Then get your bucket rinsed and ready, give the bottle a shake and pour in four capfuls. Fill the bucket with warm tap water until it assumes that familiar sudsy state. Now work around your bikes in the usual fashion.

I'd left the Univega caked in slimy cack for a week or so in anticipation of the kit's arrival. Said tubby tourer disappeared under the sudsy lather, and impacted bovine dung and generic spatter cascaded from the bottom bracket shell, fork legs and rear triangle – pretty much the result you'd hope for from a product at this price. Derv, oil and more sophisticated winter weight chain lubes required more persuasion from the sponge, but still relented fairly easily.

That single bucket was enough for two relatively dirty bikes.

The sponge doesn't harbour abrasive grit, and the 'makeup', or detailing, brush came in surprisingly handy for tickling harder to reach, ingrained dirt from bottom bracket shells, fork legs and chainstay regions.

I then found an empty 750ml bike wash bottle, poured 25ml of the shampoo inside, then topped it up with warm water. Using a more potent trigger produced a livelier foaming blanket, and made the washing phases that bit quicker.

Whatever route you've gone, prompt rinsing with fresh water and drying with the micro-fibre cloth reaps pleasing rewards. Like many bike washes, extending waiting time, or being blown dry on a breezy afternoon can result in dulling, but nothing serious. Not sure about the bubble gum aroma No Quarter promised, but still!

Wax

This fragranced purple hard paste blend is made using carnauba based wax, long popular in car circles, and it seems to go a reasonably long way. Just as well given, bought separately, the pot costs £17.99. As with most formulas, bikes should be washed and dried first, then the paste applied in thin layers, out of direct sunlight.

Air temperature has an impact upon curing times, but once it assumes that familiar haze, buff to a shine with the second micro-fibre cloth.

Results are pleasing across most gloss paint types, including powder coating and wet spray two-pack. In common with other hard pastes, it will also remove light oxidisation. While aesthetics are easy to appreciate, waxing is also designed to provide a long-lasting defence against UV light, salts, acids and similar nasties. On the plus side, several grotty weeks in, my Univega and winter training bike remain resplendent after their first application.

Greasy spatter and heavier grime have been easily dismissed post-ride with a damp cloth and are less prone to sticking in the first place. Leaving more corrosive elements such as horse dung and embedded road salt lingering suggests it's a decent preserve too.

That said, results don't appear vastly superior to a wealth of similar formulas. Some, including a pump-spray silicone/polymer fortified brew have achieved a richer sheen – especially on my Univega's 20-year-old flamboyant stove enamel.

> Video: How to clean and lube your bike

If price is your measure of value, 1 litre wash 'n' wax car formulas, jumbo sponges and brush sets (such as the Oxford Big Softie and triple brush set) will do a decent job of cleaning and protecting bikes from the elements. It's a route I often take, especially during winter when time and daylight are at a premium.

Being a self-confessed polishing zealot, I've discovered similarly sophisticated kits costing £20-odd that seem every bit as gentle. These feature spray-on waxes that achieve better lustres and comparable longevity with zero buffing, saving quite a bit of time. Once washed and dried, the polymer-based formula is applied in a fine mist and left to dry – simple.

Verdict

Nice to use and good results on glossy surfaces, but boutique pricing will alienate some