Muc-Off HCB-1

Muc-Off HCB-1 – which stands for Harsh Corrosion Barrier – is a protectant spray designed to defend against corrosion in harsh conditions and last up to 12 months. It's not cycling specific, but is blended for modern materials and components. Technique and preparation are key to getting the best from it, and though it's early days, I'm forming the opinion that it's a great fit for bikes serving long periods on indoor trainers, those in long-term storage and pretty winter/working builds.

I'm told HCB-1 is a 'synthetic based active', a carefully formulated blend of mineral oils and solvents, providing rust inhibition, rust prevention, corrosion resistance, humidity resistance and salt spray resistance.

It's brewed with carbon fibre and electricals in mind, and it reacts to UV light, which might sound like a gimmick but ensures you can see that you've achieved full and even coverage.

Use it in well-ventilated areas away from sources of ignition, and store in cool, dry spaces and away from curious hands and paws.

Application

For best results, give your bike a good wash, and dry thoroughly. Give the aerosol a vigorous 30-second shake, and apply a thin layer from 30cm.

The aerosol is supplied with a straw for very localised delivery (though ours went walkabout). This avoids wastage and minimises overspray, so you'll stand a sporting chance of avoiding braking surfaces, tyres and other things you don't want getting sticky.

Wipe away any excess, or expect a gungy, grime-attracting beard. I know of someone who went to town around his BMW touring motorcycle only to discover things quickly turned gooey and filthy.

Ideally, leave 24 hours to cure, although in a dry workshop I've found it's cured to the faintly tacky state in around 12-14 hours.

Performance

I've used HCB-1 to treat framesets, touring trailers (internally), nickel-plated pedal bodies, hub spacers and locknuts, not to mention workshop stuff such as derailleur hanger alignment tools, the sort that seem to develop a reddish taint even in a dry, secure workshop.

I've also treated the sills and crevices of my elderly but very solid cars, and it certainly seems to work. Early days, but unpainted areas – cantilever posts, chrome-plated cable hangers, frame ends and tooling – remain taint free. It has also done a decent job of arresting any existing taint.

As an example, though generally blemish free, the axle on my tourer's Shimano Deore crankset can hold traces of water, and given a couple of weeks' exposure to mucky roads, it will cultivate an annoying, localised orange taint. The same applies to the derailleur spring on a Tiagra rear mech. All stopped in their tracks.

Ditto some mudguard chainstay bridge fasteners and that frame hanger alignment tool.

Elsewhere, cantilever posts stay unblemished, headsets, quill stems and fluted seatposts on a friend's turbo 'slave' bike remain mobile and corrosion free.

And topping up has been unnecessary, so far.

The cars' sills follow this narrative. I was a little more liberal here, given their exposure to wet roads.

In terms of attracting grime, it's moderate and in some instances serves as a welcome mothballing: after ten days spent traversing very wet lanes on my rough stuff tourer, some obvious gunge had developed but it's localised and doing a good job of sealing out the elements, so it stays. Elsewhere, I've been particular about wiping away excess. Should you wish to strip the HCB-1 completely, the most effective way is by basting the area with bike wash concentrate/degreaser, working this into a lather and rinsing with warm water.

Aside from the cars, in terms of coverage I have treated three framesets and a trailer, mothballed three sets of cantilever posts, cable guides (where ferrules sit), assorted fasteners, two HollowTech II axles and three rims, and I still have half the aerosol remaining.

Value

At £16 for 400ml this is quite an investment, but though there are cheaper options they are possibly less durable.

Probably the closest like-for-like comparator, and one I've used on cars, motorcycles and bicycles, is ACF-50. At £8.06 for 13oz (370ml), it's considerably cheaper than the Muc-Off. It's claimed to be active for 12 months, but though I've found it effective, I've needed to top it up every three to six months, especially during the darker months.

Motorex Moto Protect is another protectant spray designed for bicycles, motorcycles and longer-term storage, and is apparently safe on carbon fibre. It's £13 for 500ml, which is slightly cheaper, but I haven't used it so it's difficult to make useful comparison. Motorex also makes Bike Protect Bio, which costs £11.99 for 300ml. Again, it's not one I've used.

Boeshield T-9 Rust & Corrosion Protection/Inhibitor and Waterproof Lubrication is more expensive, £24.95 for 12oz (340ml), and is designed for marine, aerospace and other applications, including bicycles, but it needs to be applied every few months.

Conclusion

Muc-Off HCB-1 is shaping up as a durable and effective means of protecting bikes, framesets, components and tooling from corrosion. Getting the best from it requires a little bit of forethought, but with the correct technique a little seems to go a long way. There are cheaper means of 'mothballing', but in my experience they can require more frequent (or more liberal) application, and some, especially those containing PTFE, are not particularly kind to seals and other more delicate components.

Verdict

Versatile and seemingly effective corrosion-inhibitor that lends itself well to cycling contexts