ZERO POUNDS / VOLUME 01 / ISSUE 01
LIFESTYLE - PRODUCT - RACING
FREE!
Dr X
WELCOME to the reporter
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his is our quarterly publication to give you an insight into everything we’re up to! From the products we produce, the teams we sponsor, through to exciting developments and what it means to live and breathe twowheeled sports.
1994
My name is Dr. X. I’m the brains behind MucOff and a self-confessed nerd when it comes to all things bike. Since we started the company back in 1994, we’ve been passionate about creating the best products for cleaning and maintaining bicycles, motorbikes and cars. It’s hard to believe that it has been 21-years since I first came up with the Perfectly Pink Bike Cleaner...
FIRST EVER BOTTLE!
Since then, we’ve been working hard on bringing our customers hundreds of new formulas and now work with some of the most exciting cycling and motorcycling athletes and teams in the world. It’s with their feedback – along with many of our own findings - that we continue to bring you the very best products on the market.
Here’s our first bottle, proudly on display at Muc-Off HQ.
DR. X
2015
1998
1994-2015 End to end, 4 Million bottles of our bike cleaner would equate to 12,600 Big Ben’s in height.
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MEDIA IN MALLORCA I
t only seems like yesterday that we were hanging out at the IAM Cycling and Team Sky Mallorca training camps in Jan 2014, but a year goes quickly in the land of Muc-Off, and before the Christmas Turkey left overs were finished, we were packed up and shipped out to spend some quality time with the teams in January! With camera in hand, we wanted to shed some light into how a professional cyclist prepares for a race. We thought there was no better way to demonstrate this than by following Larry Warbasse (Team IAM Cycling) for a full day of training, from morning until night!
Whilst in Mallorca, we also caught up with our friends at Team Sky. They have played a huge part in our 2014 product development, so we were keen to speak directly to mechanic Ryan Bonser to discuss plans for the season ahead, and test some new formulas.
To see just how much Muc-Off is a part of Team Sky’s winning formula, visit the Muc-Off YouTube Channel.
We were amazed at the huge level of detail that goes into each athlete’s training regime, making sure they are able to perform at their optimum level. You can follow Larry’s day at the Muc-Off Media’s 3 part series entitled “A Day With A Pro Cyclist” – on the Muc-Off YouTube Channel. - Larry Warbasse using Anti-Fog for a clear ride
-Taking in the scenery, Team Sky at their Mallorca Training Camp
-Team Sky Mechanic Rajen Murugayan applying Silicon shine
Product UPDATES
This winter has been super busy for the in-house designers at Muc-Off. We have been working hard to bring you the most up-to-date packaging designs, making cleaning hassle-free and giving you more time to do what you love most. Pictured (left to right) are our Designers, Adam, Harrison and Nicky, who were let out of their cages for some fun at Sandbanks beach with the products they’ve been updating over the last few months.
Twitter Competition Best ShopMechanic Neil Trail from Corley Cycles uk We have been on the hunt for the best-dressed mechanic with their favourite Muc-Off product. Our first winner is Neil Trail pictured here from Corley Cycles in Milton Keynes, UK. They offer a huge range of products from brands like Castelli, Mavic and Specialized. Plus they offer a full workshop and bike fit service.
We have made over 200 different formulation, fragrance and packaging changes throughout the entire Muc-Off product range this winter, we are striving 24/7 to continually improve our products to ensure we always remain at the cutting edge!
If you want to be a #MucOffMechanic, tweet a picture of you and your favourite Muc-Off product using the hashtag above, and be in with a chance to win a selection of Muc-Off goodies! You can find us on Twitter @muc_off. - Muc-Off Design team, chilling out on the beach!
Protect your frame for the Season!
Step One
Step Two
Scoop a small amount of Muc-Off Uber Wax using the spoon provided.
Carefully spread the Uber wax directly onto the applicator pad.
Step Three
Step Four
In smooth straight motions, with light pressure, apply the wax directly to a clean and dry frame and forks.
Allow the wax to cure for 10-15 minutes, before buffing off the frame with the premium microfibre cloth. Now your bike has a tough, durable coating, just in time for those Spring showers!
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2015
new products Bicycle Bio Grease Get greasy this season! Improve the performance of your moving parts with this ultra slippery formula.
“TIME TO GIVE THIS BEAST A CLEAN” Danny Mac - Drop & Roll Tour
Tyre Foam Get your tyres super shiny, fresh & looking like new with just one spray!
DANNY MACASKILL
B
uilding on our partnership with Danny MacAskill’s Drop and Roll Tour last year, for 2015 we are now happy to announce a partnership with Danny himself as well as the continued support for his awesome live shows. Danny is king when it comes to generating video views, he is known for participating in videos such as ‘Imaginate’ and ‘The Ridge’, which have been seen by millions of people around the globe. The Drop and Roll Tour recently visited Munich – where over 1500 spectators a day watched 30 minutes of different stunts from Danny and his team. The obstacles used are primarily based on stunt boxes ranging from 3ft – 13ft. They include Danny’s actual red ball from ‘Imaginate’ as well as a mini kicker for backflips. The boys also use a range of “skinnies” - these are thin railings simulating curbs or train tracks, demonstrating balance, sometimes even throwing a rotation into the mix - a trick that always gets the crowd buzzing. Danny has an exciting year planned with live Drop and Roll shows across Europe plus some secret
- Danny MacAskill, flying at the Munich Drop and Roll tour
video projects, which will have you on the edge of your seats! In other news, Danny MacAskill’s wild ride on the Isle of Skye recently went viral on YouTube and has rewarded him with a second nomination for the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award. In just two weeks after the release of the Scotsman’s latest video clip “The Ridge”; it quickly reached over 30 million views. Danny, who was also nominated in 2010, is once again on the shortlist with six other outstanding athletes: freefall record holder Alan Eustace, world champion surfers Stephanie Gilmore and Gabriel Medina, skateboard sensation Nyjah Huston and Olympic snowboard champion Sage Kotsenburg. His obsession with bikes could make Danny the Action Sportsperson of the year, we will find out on Wednesday April 15th, when the 16th Laureus World Sports Awards will be held in the Shanghai Grand Theatre.
Carbon Gripper Is your Carbon Seatpost slipping? Don’t get stressed, get Carbon Gripper!
SNEAK PREVIEW
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e are soon to be launching a brand new ground breaking Athlete Protection range specifically formulated to give athletes everything they need to improve and enhance performance from start to finish including preparation and recovery. Products will include a Luxury Warm up Cream, Amino Explosive Power Cream, Amino Ultra Endurance Cream and a Amino Muscle Recovery Balm.
rachel atherton : where i ride
X-3 Dirty Chain Machine Our Ultimate Bicycle Chain Cleaning Device will leave your chain looking brand new in seconds!
We recently had the pleasure of catching up with our girl Rachel Atherton, of GT Factory Racing, to see where her two favourite locations in the world are to head out for a ride! Q: Where is your favourite place to ride in the world? “Both of my favourite places to ride are in Wales, which shows I’m a home-bird at heart! It’s actually why we moved to this area, so it’s good to remember that. The first place I’ll pick is so easy!” “The Dyfi forest near Machynlleth. The signposted Climax trail and the ‘untamed’ tracks in the surrounding valleys and forest, offer some of the biggest challenges around!” Rachel went on to describe the area, “It’s slatey rock so you can ride fast all year round. The descents are gnarly, long, rocky, wild and free, mountain-biking at its finest. You really can explore and ride to your hearts content, and the forest trails offer some of the most technical riding in the country.” “On top of this the landscape is breath-taking with never ending forests, and startling bed-rock outcrops, moorland, felled areas and sea views over to Ynslas and Aberdovey. - Rachel Atherton, doing what she does best!
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The whole range has been formulated with unique scientific research, plus, it’s natural and skin friendly. It will soon be in high demand and we can’t wait to share it with you!
Riding in the Dyfi area makes me feel like I am connected with the land in such a way, there’s no trail centre distractions, just real riding and pure wild country, smashing down a wild, eye-watering downhill, with rocks flying off your tyres and your heart pounding!” Close second… “The second is a bit harder – just because there are so many great places to ride around our home but I think I’ll have to plump for Antur Stiniog. Stiniog is awesome! I love training there for World Cups or riding with a bunch of mates. It’s so well built that the thrills of real speed are easy to get because all you’ve got to do is let your brakes off! The tracks are flat out fast and have some really good hard technical rocky sections, so it’s the perfect place if you want easy uplifts to the top of the mountain and depending on how brave you feel on that run, a solid choice of tracks, from blue, red, all the way to double black. The thrills are certainly easy to find and the uplift is the best of anywhere we ride – great cakes in the café too!” To see what Rachel and the rest of the Atherton team use to clean and maintain their bikes - check out our Bicycle Product page for their full checklist!
2015 MOTORCYCLE RANGE
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e’ve updated our entire motorcycle range to make cleaning bikes even more quick and easy! After all, by reducing time spent cleaning you can spend more time riding!
After a ton of research, we’ve produced our best stuff yet. We got there by compiling feedback from our teams Quattro Plant Kawasaki and Team Traction Control. Applying lube to a chain increases its life and is also key to performance by reducing friction. This is something our teams can’t stress enough at top level competition. Depending on your style of riding, we have two excellent lubes to choose from. Endurance Chain lube, has been formulated with ceramic additives to increase component life and maximise horsepower, which is perfect for when you are riding in wet and damp conditions. Alternatively you may prefer Dry Chain Lube, which is a wax-based lubricant designed to hold up to the extreme pressures that are applied to the chain. It’s highly versatile and can be used year round, but best suited to dry and dusty conditions because grime build up is dramatically reduced. Perfect for
‘‘Team Traction Control’
From Prodigy to racing team... No fires started!
the summer months ahead.
In both the Endurance and Dry Chain lubes and the Motorcycle Protectant, we have added UV Dye, so it’s possible, with a UV torch, to see precisely where the chain and bodywork is protected. And more to the point, where it isn’t! We have split the Premium Motorcycle Care Series into 3 stages: Clean, Protect and Lube. Each section has a number of different products depending on your needs. You can find the whole range on the Muc-Off website with easy to follow videos for each.
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e caught up with Team Traction Control owner, Keith Flint who tells us everything we need to know about his team this year.
we just know he is going to surprise a lot of people this season when he steps up to Supersport…watch out for him!
“After our debut season in 2014, we are buzzing for 2015 to kick off! We will be riding new bikes with new technology and have added 2 new young, and super fast riders to the team!
Finally, Team Traction Control will be competing in the Stock 600 championship with Joe Francis on board. Even though he’s only 17, Joe has won stacks of races and championships and comes to his first Pro team full of confidence. He is hugely respected by his peers and former pros and it’s great to have him. Together we’re gunning for that title!
Our focus for 2015 is purely on winning championships! It’s all about consistency throughout the season and learning from last year, especially now we have the full package in place to really deliver the goods! In the British Supersport we have the one and only James Rispoli for another season. We’re excited to have someone with such ability and pace onboard. This winter Rispoli has been working hard training back home in the US, he underwent an operation on his shoulder to fix a niggling old injury and is now fighting fit - the boy’s pumped!! We have also signed Andy Reid up for the British Supersport Championship. He is fast, really fast, and super talented! Last season he picked up numerous wins and multiple podiums on the Stock 600 bikes,
For us, racing is just around the corner, with the fast approaching first round at Donnington Park on 4th/5th/6th April. None of this would be possible without the assistance from the team’s partners; it’s great to have MucOff back on board for the year! Not only do we get through stacks of their product, the support from their technical staff is second to none!” Keith Flint, Founder. Team Traction Control.
- James Hillier, pumped at the start of the Isle of Man TT, 2014
q&a with JAMES ‘DYNAMITE’ HILLIER
James Hillier from Quattro Plant Muc-Off Kawasaki tells us how he plans to Tackle this years Isle of Man TT. 1. How has your training been going so far? “Overall it has been good, I feel I’m already in a stronger position than I was at my peak last season, plus I still have another 3 months training to go.” 2. How do you prepare mentally for the Isle of Man TT? “It’s hard because there is nothing like it. A sponsor kindly gave me some HD cinema glasses which I have been watching onboard laps of the TT with, they give a much more realistic feel and sound than just watching on a normal TV so its easy to get into the zone and almost feel like you are on the bike. I think it’s the closest you can get without physically riding a bike round the course.” 3. What are you most looking forward to this season? “The TT is the highlight of my year without doubt, it
does come with a degree of pressure now though because of the level we are at with it. The classic TT in June is close behind as it’s the same amazing course just on older, slower bikes and easier to enjoy.” 5. What do you ride when you are at home, off the track? “I love to ride enduro and off road, riding at speed through the trees and reading the tracks is quite similar to riding the TT, you can’t beat a Sunday out riding with your mates. I’ve also got into the trials this year, I recently brought a 30 year old twinshock trials bike and have been entering competitions with my son. It’s funny taking my son to ride where my mum and dad used to take me, when I was young.” 6. Do you listen to any specific tracks before a race? “Not these days, I used to but now I like to be chilled and head off pretty steady, for me it’s important to stay calm and focused. TT is not the type of track to head off to all hyped up as it’s quite the opposite to what it probably looks like to an outsider looking in.”
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“IT’S CALLED ‘ASLEEP’ BY THE SMITHS” Bradley Wiggins - Team Sky
Team Sky – Product testing at the highest level
B
orn in 2014 and baptised at the most famous French road race in the world, with the worst weather conditions seen in years, our new Hydrodynamic Chain Lube is the first to be created by the Muc-Off research team in collaboration with Team Sky. Team Sky set us challenging and ambitious goals “We want the fastest and most efficient lubes, that last longer than anything else out there. We are an evidence-based team, so the advantages need to be quantifiable”. At Muc-Off we thrive on challenges, so we designed and built a Chain Lube Optimisation Dyno (aka C.L.O.D) that could provide quantifiable data, a world first for a bicycle chain lube manufacturer. We can now test and analyse all bike lubricants in minute detail, giving us an advantage over all our competitors in formulation development. After over 15 formula tweaks and hundreds of hours of lab and real world testing, we have arrived at our newest breakthrough - ‘Hydrodynamic’. We can now prove with cold hard data that we are leading the way in bicycle lubricant development.
interviewS with TEAM sky If you are looking for the most efficient formula over long distances and/or for the harshest of conditions, look no further. Unlike other wet lubes our formula strikes the perfect balance between chain lube efficiency and resistance to environment conditions. This means it gives you the ultimate protection but with an incredibly low friction coefficient, even in the harshest conditions. Hand blended in the UK, we used the finest ingredients to create a sophisticated, synergistic blend of esters coupled with aerospace quality based oil lubrication, before packing it with ground-breaking extreme pressure additives. All this means it’s possible to create a high strength film forming lubricant which prevents metal to metal contact to ensure peak performance, even under the most extreme workloads that a pro peloton can throw at it. Each handmade batch takes hours of painstaking work to deliver a highly advanced bicycle chain lubricant, reaching previously unobtainable levels of lubrication and protection. May we introduce ‘Hydrodynamic’ the result of a dedication to innovation by both Team Sky and Muc-Off.
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e were lucky enough to catch up with a few riders from Team Sky whilst we were in Mallorca to get to know what makes them tick. They were fresh from seeing family over Christmas and were back where the roads are smooth and the sun is shining! We were granted exclusive interviews with Sir Bradley Wiggins, Ben Swift and Ian Boswell. We seized the opportunity to find out a little more about some of the most familiar faces in road cycling today. Some of the questions the riders were asked include the use of technology and it’s place in cycling, what they hope to achieve this year, which races they plan to target and how they prepare, plus, what challenges they plan to overcome in the 2015 race season. You can find the complete interviews and more from our stay with Team Sky, at the Muc-Off YouTube channel, but for now - here is just a teaser!
First up, Sir Bradley Wiggins: How do you get involved in product testing with Team Sky? Certain guys are tech enough to realize small differences, for me it’s on the Time Trial front and chain testing, I pay attention because it’s important. I think it’s worth investing time in product development to make gains wherever possible. The gap between first and second is getting smaller and smaller. Do you think chain lube efficiency is an important part of your racing? You can hear the other teams bikes creaking and squeaking which to me, shows friction, which will be slowing them down. In races like Paris Roubaix you are on the bike for 6-7 hours, in incredibly harsh conditions, if your bike is still going strong after all the mud and dirt, you will be gaining speed. Marginal gains are everything. Finding the next thing to make a difference is what we do. The minute you stop looking to improve is the minute you go backwards as a team.
Bradley Wiggins - Team sky
Next up, Ben Swift: Year on year you have been given more responsibility, what do you enjoy most about that? I like being a part of the team and having more say, the team has improved each year by taking on rider’s feedback. I’m no longer one of the young guys, I try and give as much advice as I can to support new riders when English isn’t their first language. What do you do to relax? I like anything with engines, especially watching Moto GP. Similarities between Moto GP and cycling would be having good attention to detail and how the riders study circuits like the back of their hand. Why is Paris- Nice so important? It’s an iconic race, this year will be the first time I’ve done it. It will also be my last race before Milan San Remo which is a big target for me this year. It was always on TV when I was growing up watching the sport. Normally there are a couple of hard days, some lumpy days and days with sprints that hopefully I can turn my hands to. Tour De Yorkshire – what are your targets? It’s a home race for me and I’m really excited to do it, the terrain suits me as it’s where I grew up, it will be great to see the crowds. A bike race coming to my county is pretty cool!
Do you feel you perform better at the bigger races?
What advice could do you give the younger guys?
I like the challenge of big occasions and having something to aim for, once the bar is set there’s no going back. I like the fact that there’s a chance you won’t make it.
Be committed and be ready to devote yourself 100% as it’s such a hard sport, you also have to enjoy it at the same time.
Do you wash your bike? I like washing my bike, it’s a nice sense of routine when you have trained all day; I like a clean working bike.
What’s the most challenging bit about your job? Overcoming injury, you never want a set back as a professional athlete, managing injury is a key part of succeeding. I’ve got great backup staff from Team Sky and British Cycling that have helped me with this.
introducing C.L.O.D Y
ou may not know this, but Muc-Off is the only bicycle chain lube manufacturer to have designed and created it’s very own own Chain Lube Efficiency Dynamometer. It’s been integral to our new product testing and has enabled both new and existing products to be comprehensively tested, with quantitative data, which helps us take the guesswork out of testing between different formulas. This machine has the ability to test any lubricant and chain combination, to provide efficiency, performance and durability data. In other words, we have data that proves we have the most leading edge products on the market! Muc-Off will continue to test its own lubricants against that of competitors to ensure they are the most efficient and high performance on the market. This graph shows when testing Hydrodynamic lube it’s 15.5% more efficient when compared to our C3 wet lube and 27% more efficient compared to a leading competitors wet lube!
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“BE COMMITTED AND BE READY TO DEVOTE YOURSELF 100% . Ben Swift - Team Sky
And finally we caught up with Ian Boswell Team Sky have set some new plans for this year, what does that mean for the riders?
“TRAINING WHEN YOU REALLY DON’T WANT TO CAN BE HARD” Ian Boswell - Team Sky
This is my 3rd year in the team and I’ve seen it change quite a bit, we are more cohesive and all have individual goals to focus on.
possible result for the team.
How do you prepare for a race like The Tour of California?
It’s a unique career, you can spend a whole season with a rider, know everything about them and their family but at the same time you don’t know them that well at all. It’s definitely important to go out for dinner and watch movies together to relax.
All the work is done in the winter months; I’ll be doing some big races in Europe beforehand to prepare. If you have done your winter training right it should all run smoothly.
Is it good for a team to keep a life outside cycling?
Kitted out If you didn’t know already - we produce a wide range of kits. We’ve grouped together some of our favourite products into handy kits so that you’ve got everything you need to keep your bike performing at its optimum level.
What’s the most challenging thing about being a pro cyclist?
What makes that race special to you? Going back home and racing in front of my friends and family is nice. Both my parents came and watched me last year.
Probably the weather, training when you really don’t want to can be hard but you have to get out there. You do it because you know it’s going to make you better. Best Part?
What’s the most challenging part of the race? This year the route goes up Mt. Baldy, which is a mountain top finish I did back in 2012, which will be the Queen stage of the race. Thankfully I’ve done it before so I’m looking forward to going back up there. Hopefully I’ll get to be a GC rider leading the team in this race, that’s my goal for the year. There is a good mix of flat and mountain stages this year we will all work with each other depending on who has the strengths for that stage to get the best
Winning! Either yourself or as a team, it’s the best feeling in cycling, winning drives most of the guys on the team. It’s also nice to see improvements as you hope they will lead to victories. A perpetual drive to improve is something that drives everyone. Check out the Muc-Off You Tube channel for the full interviews and more interviews like this!
“A PERPETUAL DRIVE TO IMPROVE IS SOMETHING THAT DRIVES EVERYONE”
Ian Boswell - Team Sky
Uber Wax
Essentials Kit
Muc-Off Uber Wax is the product for deep gloss protection! Formulated with an extremely high concentration of pure North Brazilian Carnauba, natural oils and the finest blend of luxury ingredients. This kit has it all, including an applicator spoon plus premium microfiber cloth and applicator pad to buff to an unbeatable high-gloss shine.
If you are looking for a collection of the best products to clean your Mountain bike, Road Bike or Motorbike, you need the Essentials Kit. It includes the famous, all over Nano Tech Bike Cleaner, Bike Spray, Wheel & Component Brush in a handy Storage Tote.
Bike Care Pack
8 in 1 Kit
The Muc-Off Bike Care Duo Kit covers Stage 1 and 2 in the Muc-Off cleaning system. Our award winning Nano Tech Bike Cleaner cuts through dirt, mud and grime quickly and safely, and the Muc-Off Bike Spray is the ultimate post-wash water dispersant, preventing rust and corrosion and making future cleaning and maintenance a breeze.
The Muc-Off 8 in 1 Bicycle Cleaning Kit is perfect for any lover of bikes. Complete with our Nano Tech Bike Cleaner, Expanding Microcell Sponge, Soft Washing Brush, Detailing Brush, Claw Brush, Two Prong Brush, Bike Spray and Storage Tub this kit has pretty much everything you need to keep your bike looking nice and tidy. It makes a great Christmas or Birthday gift for your bicycle obsessed friends and family.
CHAIN LUBE 426 days IN FORMULATION DEVELOPment
HOTEL HOTEL
innovative/CRAZY IDEAS
CALL
OVER1000 CUPS OF COFFEE
feed back
300 HOURS TESTED ON DYNAm0meter
TESTED ON THE BIKE
GIVEN TO OUR test TEAM
18,687 miles
6,728 miles
3 x Brush Pack
Ultimate Kit
No mud will be left un-touched with these 3 brushes that make cleaning simple and easy. They are designed to remove dirt whilst being delicate and durable, they are built to last and offer maximum protection whilst thoroughly cleaning.
This is THE kit for Motorcyclists; it includes all the tools you will need to keep your bike Factory Fresh. Muc-Off has packed 10 products into a durable toolbox. Products range from grime busting cleaners, protective sprays, sturdy brushes and Detailer Wax for a fantastic, high gloss shine.
EVEN MORE COFFEE!
TIME (MINS)
QUANTiTATIVE DATA ANALYSED
NO
reformulated
YES
hand blended and filled in our factory
delivered TO AND STORES
over 80 HOURS IN PACKAGING DESIGN
NEW HATS! COMING THIS SUMMER FINISH
WWW.MUC-OFF.COM
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NAME: SPEC:
SILICON SHINE 500ML 6.9 US FL.0Z
PART NO.
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