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review
Cleaning products
Lubrication
Tools - Portable
Juice Lubes JL69 Bike Maintenance Spray 2020 Juice Lubes JL69 Bike Maintenance Spray

Juice Lubes JL69 Bike Maintenance Spray

7
by Shaun Audane
Fri, Sep 04, 2020 09:45
0
£5.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Versatile water repelling, corrosion-inhibiting spray that leaves a lasting film
Lasting lubricant properties
Kind to seals and rubber bits
No PTFE
A bit heavy for use on electronics
Weight: 
363g
Contact: 
juicelubes.com
How we test

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Juice Lubes JL69 bike maintenance spray is, according to the blurb, "Your crowbar wielding mechanic in a can." OK, bike shop shelves heave under the weight of such claims, and nobody really wants their mechanic using a crowbar, but JL69 is a heavy duty, long-lasting water displacer/penetrant/lube that delivers on the hype.

> Buy this online here

> Find your nearest dealer here

This redesigned JL69 is blended to cling to your bike, unlike typically thin water-displacers such as WD-40 which themselves are quickly washed away by rain. It contains no PTFE either – polytetrafluoroethylene, best known by the brand name Teflon – so theoretically it's much kinder to rubberised components and of course, organic life.

JL69 uses a smart-type straw that only deposits when aligned horizontally. This avoids unwanted and wasteful discharges, and is controllable enough to, say, fill an Allen head bolt accurately.

It leaves cables feeling particularly well-nourished and, unlike the otherwise excellent Green Oil EcoSpray Lube, there's no hint of it congealing with time. Used externally, JL69 cultivates a light, filmy patina but isn't overly prone to collecting grit or grime.

This stuff can even double as a fair-weather chain lube – I got 250 miles from a single (admittedly generous) application.

At £5.99, JL69 matches generic sprays such as GT85, and beats some bike-specific products such as Green Oil EcoSpray Lube at £7.99. However, JL69 lingers longer and is closer to a 'proper' lubricant than GT85, and avoids the gumminess of EcoSpray.

You can find cheaper alternatives, such as BTwin's All-In-One maintenance spray at £4.99, which is similarly durable and versatile (and still £4.99 all these years after that test). However, like GT85 it contains PTFE, which isn't too kind to electrical contacts or rubber seals.

Summary

JL69 is a great middleweight option where light but lasting lubrication is required. It can also loosen corroded parts. However, look to something like GT85 and the original WD-40 if you prioritise a light lubricant/water displacer for flushing moisture from cables, accessories and components.

Verdict

Versatile water repelling, corrosion-inhibiting spray that leaves a lasting film

road.cc test report

Make and model: Juice Lubes JL69 Bike Maintenance Spray

Size tested: 400ml

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Juice Lubes says: "New formula JL69 is a do-it-all workshop essential that lubes and protects, drives out moisture, resists rust and stops dirt sticking to your bits."

My feelings are it's a versatile middleweight lube that does most things very well. However, seized parts call for a release/penetrant spray – this is more for flushing things through.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Juice Lubes is very tight-lipped about ingredients. I can confirm it doesn't contain PTFE.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

Well blended and smart straw similarly well designed.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Excellent for most generic workshop duties, a little goes surprisingly far and lasts a good while.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Longer lasting than most maintenance sprays.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
5/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Overall, I've been very impressed by JL69's lasting lubrication, keeping cables, cleat locks and similar mechanisms slick and happy. Hinges and linkages remain slick several weeks down the line and there's been no call to reapply. It will help free stubborn parts but, despite being free of PTFE, water displacers like WD40 are what you need on corroded light switches/battery contacts.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Safer on seals than PTFE types, excellent staying prowess and does most jobs very well.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The price is very reasonable against generic sprays such as GT85 and WD-40, and cheaper than some bike-specific products such as Green Oil EcoSpray Lube at £7.99.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

This is a long-lasting, middleweight lube that does most generic workshop duties very competently, and it's well priced. There's a lot of competition in this area, but JL69 is good and a seven.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 46  Height: 1m 81cm  Weight: 70kg

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

Juice Lubes JL69 Bike Maintenance Spray 2020
Juice Lubes JL69 Bike Maintenance Spray
Juice Lubes 2020
Juice Lubes
Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

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