Review: Muc-Off 5X Premium Brush Kit

(2023) If there is one chore dreaded at the creakybottombracket.com office, it is definitely washing bikes. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact disdain for such a duty, but for the most part cleaning follows a pattern: a decision is made to wash a bike, there’s intense reluctance to get the stand out, several minutes later it is decided to get tools off the bench. Eventually the cleaners come out, along with the dirty bike, and the hose is grudgingly unraveled. Despite all this, the experience is only half complete as the tools, cleaners, bike, stand, and hose have to all be put back. Anything that makes bike cleaning easier deserves a second look. This is how Muc-Off 5X Premium Brush Kit was added to the office service course.

Having completed two completely different gravel events with two different bikes, both rides were in need of strong cleaning. As it stood, the task was uncharacteristically anticipated due to the five-brush Muc-Off set that remained unused on the bench. Further, one of the bikes was on loan (and brand new), so it required immediate attention and a new-bike shine. With Adirondack grit on the gravel bike and Bucks County dust on the road bike, the shop equipment was rolled out and water applied to the bikes.

The cleaning process was started using Muc-Off Drivetrain Cleaner in tandem with Muc-Off Fast Action Bike Cleaner. While the drivetrain cleaner went to work, the bike soap was brought to a sudsy level in a bucket. That first brush, and most anticipated, was employed to loosen the largest clumps and stains. The giant soft washing brush scrubbed the obvious grime buildup from both bikes. The Adirondack sand and Bucks County dust were handled easily with the soft brush clinging Muc-Off lather.

Once the bike was properly sudsed, the tires on both bikes desperately needed cleaning. For the gravel bike, the tread shoulder still held onto grit from the Upstate New York race. Meanwhile, the road bike’s tanwall had become unsightly and needed a good scrubbing. Muc-Off’s tire and cassette brush made it easy to add pressure to dirty tires to restore a showroom appearance. The brush made access to rims and spokes easy, restoring shine to the carbon hoops.

Muc-Off’s Premium Brush Kit comes with a tire and cassette brush, soft washing brush, two-prong brush, claw brush, and detailing brush.

Once time had passed on the drivetrain, and drivetrain cleaner had set in, the Claw Brush was employed on the chain, cassette, derailleurs, and chain rings. Special attention was given to the jockey wheels on the gravel bike after being exposed to sand. Meanwhile the road bike’s derailleur cage needed the claw pick to remove debris buildup. In this instance alone, the brush kit made for quick cleanup across both bikes. Drivetrain maintenance alone is the best home remedy for longer component life.

The two-prong brush is a tool that takes some getting used to. It is designed to clean spokes, discs, cranks, and even pedals. The prongs can be manipulated into positions that can clean awkward areas like hubs. It took some getting used to, but eventually the recommended use added a higher level of cleanliness to the bike.

For the smaller jobs such as hard-to-reach areas, the Detailing Brush was put to work near the bottom bracket, steerer tube/ fork area, saddle rails, and any place where a small brush would work. It’s the brush most needed but never thought of during bike cleaning. 

Muc-Off’s 5X Premium Brush Kit is smartly designed to help the home mechanic maintain the life of bike parts. The engineering did not stop solely at helping clean bikes; each brush has nylon bristles, but more importantly each brush is rubberized to reduce the likelihood of accidentally clapping a brush on sensitive parts. The bag, too, is durable and meant to be used as storage. There are smaller brush kits, but honestly, why not splurge on something that cleans the bike thoroughly? More importantly, it encourages bike cleanings. Cleaning the bike leads to better performance and less time shopping for replacement parts. If five brushes can activate the service course at the office to shine up the bikes more often, then it’s doing more than just causing the bikes to shine while rolling down the road.