Here is a round-up of three key Muc-Off innovations to help you with the indoor cycling season.
Muc-Off’s Indoor Training Kit
In terms of bike maintenance, Muc-Off follow three principles which are:
- Clean
- Protect
- Lube
The Indoor Training Kit comes with all the necessary requirements to do those three key tasks. It comes with Antibacterial Equipment Cleaner, to clean your bike after your session, stopping the build up of salt which can corrode components. This can then be wiped down with the Microfibre Cloth that comes as part of the package. Sweat Protect is included which is applied after you have cleaned your bike, to protect it longer term and C3 Ceramin Dry lube is included to be applied to your drivetrain.
Chamois Cream is included to help ease the hours in the saddle.
A small bag completes the package and keeps everything together, nice and tidy. This is your all-in-one package for your winter indoor training.
Muc-Off’s Ludicrous AF chain lubrication
The first thing I will say is that it comes in a really smart box. The packaging reminded me of when you walk through the Duty-Free section of an airport and can’t help pass the rows upon rows of aftershave and perfume bottles. This lubrication, like those expensive perfumes, has the price to match, (£49.99 / €64.99 / $64.99 for a 50ml bottle) but is it worth it?
After going through the process of degreasing my chain, I applied the Ludicrous AF lube and gave it a try. Before giving you my opinions it’s probably worth understanding the development that went into this product which has been in ongoing for three years. The product itself is made from “a unique blend of environmentally friendly raw ingredients designed to minimise chain friction and wear.”
Behind the scenes
It all started with 30 race lubes that were run through Muc-Off’s dynamometer. This is a device that is like a bicycle drivetrain, which has a drive motor that turns the chainring.
Ludicrous AF, Absolute BLACK GRAPHEN lube, Silca Synergetic Drip Lube and Ceramic Speed UFO Drip were identified as the fastest four lubes from what was tested which was undertaken at Muc-Off’s new R&D facility, which is set up at their HQ in Poole, Dorset, UK.
There was a two-hour test on new chains, and a two-hour test on chains which had been run for 6-hours at 300 watts. In both tests, Ludicrous AF was the fastest, with Muc-Off stating it was up to 124% faster than those compared. Further tests were undertaken and Ludicrous AF provided the lowest volume of wear, crucial in preserving the life of both chains and groupsets.
Next, independent testing by New Motion Labs, a high accuracy, multi-torque transmission efficiency laboratory, was undertaken. According to Muc-Off, “they ran tests to measure overall efficiency, completing an absorbing power test across a range of loads (100 – 1100 watts) and cadences (60 – 140rpm). Ludicrous AF was the most efficient (fastest) across all loads and cadences.”
Outside testing was then conducted. After a 3 hour outside ride, the chain was then run for an hour on the dynamometer, with measurements of power loss being recorded.
Ludicrous AF produced the least loss of wattage. Following subsequent races and Ludicrous AF treatments, Muc-Off we were able to reduce wattage loss each time, as Muc-Off states “highlighting the compound effect of repetitive chain optimisation, and how it leads to the chain getting faster every time, and highlighting that a new chain isn’t necessarily a fast chain.”
Muc-Off go on to state that “The combination of robust, in-house testing methods on state-of the-art equipment, with independent and real-world testing data, allows us to say with confidence that Ludicrous AF truly is the world’s fastest race lube.”
Highlights
Some of the highlights which Muc-Off note about the lubricant are:
- Ultra-low coefficient of friction
- Class-leading low wear on chain components
- Continues to improve with Chain run-in
- Super stable in all temperatures
- Raw environmentally friendly ingredients designed for pure performance
- Biodegradable and sustainable
My thoughts
The shifting of the gears is smooth and when climbing and applying a significant amount of power, the chain does feel slick. In my opinion, this product is aimed for those who race seriously and are looking for every bit of difference that might help them. Muc-Off have noted that it was used by Team INEOS Grenadiers in the 2021 Giro d’Italia and was helped to achieve 6 Gold medals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, so it has to be taken seriously and worth considering, but as noted at the start, these gains do come at a cost.
Chain Optimisation Service
It’s not widely known but in the Pro-Cycling peloton, the chains which the riders use are not brand new chains, they have slightly used chains, which are selectively chosen and have undergone an optimisation process to make them more efficient and thus faster.
This “Optimisation process”, is now being made available to the general public as Muc-Off have now rolled out this service to 20 dealers across the UK, with the global roll-out to follow next month, with a further 300 stores, in over 15 countries.
So, like with the Ludicrous AF chain lubrication, if you are serious about your racing on Zwift and want to gain that extra advantage, you might want to consider giving this a try.
The Process
In summary, as Muc-Off describes your “chain goes through an intense cleaning and lubing treatment to level-up drivetrain performance.”
- The chain is placed into a small tank, which emits high-frequency sound waves that pulse through the cleaning liquid.
- This agitates, lifts and removes any dirt from within the chain links.
- A blast from the High-Pressure Quick Drying Degreaser, leaves squeaky-clean surfaces for the lube to adhere to.
- Ludicrous AF or Hydrodynamic lube is gently heated to the precise temperature required to create the optimum viscosity for the lube to penetrate deep into all contact points within the chain links.
- The chain is submerged into the lubricant.
Muc-Off does go into a lot of detail about the science behind the process that can be viewed here, but basically it translates as, “it makes the chain slicker, reducing friction, providing more watts and thus speed.”
Cost and where to get this done
Muc-Off’s new Ultrasonic Optimisation Service retailing at £49.99/€64.99 for application with Ludicrous AF, and £24.99/€32.99 with Hydrodynamic Lube.
As mentioned, this is only available in the UK at the moment but use their Dealer Map to find their nearest Chain Optimisation Centre, which will be updated regularly as the service is rolled out over the next 2 months. For more detailed information visit here.
