Muc-Off Quick Drying Degreaser

Muc-Off High-Pressure Quick Drying Degreaser works fantastically and rapidly on the worst grease and grime. It doesn't need wiping off afterwards and it leaves no residue either, but it is expensive per use – and even this supersized 750ml can doesn't last long.

With the adverts promising a 'high-pressure turbo spray' that 'easily cuts through tough grease in seconds with its fast-acting formula,' I was expecting to be a little disappointed. However, this stuff lives up to the hype, and really does make light work of stubborn grease on neglected chains and cassettes.

Firstly, don't make the same mistake I did and clean your wheels first. My one-piece SRAM cassette is ordinarily a pain in the neck as I'm left scrubbing every nook and cranny with a toothbrush, but this stuff got it looking better than it has for months in about 10 seconds.

The downside was that my freshly cleaned wheel was now covered in old grease. My white t-shirt was lightly speckled, too.

Secondly, use it outside – when Muc-Off says high pressure, it means high pressure!

Muc-Off also says the spray is completely residue-free, and this seems true. However, it is worth remembering that even though the spray evaporates, all the grease that now isn't on your bike has to stay somewhere.

For the next attempt I removed the cassette from the bike (a good idea anyway, to avoid overspray on brakes) and stood a bit further back. Once again, the degreaser was ruthlessly effective, and it's very satisfying watching weeks of grime and grease being blown away with ease. It dries quickly (15 seconds or so) so there's no need to rag anything down either, making the process quicker still.

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It also works excellently on chains, but after two cassettes and three chains, this oversized can is nearing its end. It comes out under such pressure that it's never going to last long.

Value

At £14.99 this, for me at least, is a luxury rather than a go-to cleaning method. By contrast, a 500ml can of WD-40 Bike Degreaser is £6.99, while Muc-Off's own Bio Degreaser (also 500ml) is £9.99. I'd expect both of these to last longer than four components, although they will involve some scrubbing.

In defence of the price, Weldtite's Jet Blast Degreaser is £9.99 per 500ml can, which puts it on a level footing at around £5 per 250ml.

Overall

The Muc-Off High-Pressure Quick Drying Degreaser is an extremely fast and thorough way to clean cassettes and chains, but that convenience comes at the cost of... well, cost. A £15 can will last you barely a handful of components.

Verdict

Extremely fast and effective cleaner, but works out expensive – it's gone very quickly