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If you want to keep your cycling shoes feeling brand new, the Muc-Off Premium Bike Shoe Care Kit tackles dirt on the outside and whiffs on the inside. It's quite a comprehensive bundle with the contents all working effectively, whether your shoes just need a spruce up or a thorough clean.
I gave the Muc-Off Shoe Care Kit quite a tough challenge for its first test; a pair of white Giant shoes, last worn in the winter, left covered in road spray – including mud and salt in all the creases, stitches and even the fabric of the tongue. There were also scuff marks from crank arms and tyres.
First up was the Premium Bike Shoe Cleaner, sprayed over the outsides after giving the bottle a good shake. Muc-Off recommends leaving it for a minute to penetrate the dirt before you scrub it with the included brush. It quickly removed all of the scuff marks and filth on the synthetic uppers, and the brush even got into all of the little nooks and creases. It cleaned the shoes up well.
Where road spray had actually got right in and stained the white uppers, though, it could do nothing. Don't expect this to totally restore old shoes.
On the tongues I left the formula to soak in before scrubbing with the brush and a bit of warm water. They cleaned up quite well too, considering how long these shoes had been sat in the airing cupboard covered in dirt.
On shoes that have just been worn in the mud or rain, though, the Muc-Off kit works very well indeed. On both my road and gravel shoes (one pair being knitted), it quickly broke down the dirt and the majority of times I could just wipe them off with the supplied microfibre cloth.
Next you spray your now-clean shoes with Premium Footwear Shield. This applies a finish that is water repellent, and resistant to dirt and oil too. It doesn't affect the breathability of any mesh sections.
Wearing the shoes in the wet after adding this, I found they only needed just a quick wipe over after the ride.
> 24 of the best performance road cycling shoes – get faster with light, stiff shoes
Also in the box is Muc-Off's Foam Fresh, which you squirt inside to clean them and leave them smelling fresh. This stuff expands a fair bit, and at first it can be a little bit OMG as your shoes fill up with foam, but it soon dissipates and dries quickly.
Overall, I found each element of the kit to work well, and Muc-Off says the liquids are water-based and don't contain any chemicals harmful to your shoes, your feet or the environment.
The whole thing – that's the three cleaning products, a microfibre cloth, a brush and a bag to keep it all in – will set you back £29.99. To start with I thought that might be a bit pricey, but you don't need much per application so it's going to last a fair while. Also, if you have spent hundreds of pounds on some bling shoes, this seems well worth it to keep them fresh.
You could also look at the Lake Shoe Care Kit for £25, although that is primarily designed for Lake's own range of leather shoes.
Sneaky offers its more generic Complete Shoe Cleaning Kit which includes a range of similar products for £19.99.
If you are using this to look after your shoes as you go, it does a very good job, but don't expect miracles on old, abandoned and stained shoes. It's not the cheapest, but if your shoes are expensive it's a worthy investment for prolonging that new look and feel.
Keeps your kicks looking clean and smelling fresh with minimal work
If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website
Make and model: Muc-Off Premium Bike Shoe Care Kit
Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Muc-Off says, "The Muc-Off Bike Shoe Care Kit is packed with everything you need to show your shoes some love. There's a cutting-edge hydrophobic rain repellent, super-effective shoe cleaner, premium brush and microfibre cloth so you can freshen up your MTB or road shoes – no matter how grimy or muddy they get. It contains all the tools to get your shoes looking factory fresh. No more excuses for not sending it on rainy days!"
It's a substantial range of products that works on everything from road shoes that need a wipe to downright dirty gravel shoes.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Synthetic PP bristles easily get rid of grime and mud
Biodegradable, environmentally friendly, water-based formula
Suitable and safe - specifically designed for bike shoes
Safe on technical fabrics, suede, nubuck, leather and other fabrics*
Perfect for preparing your footwear for fresh waterproofing/re-proofer treatments such as Muc-Off
Handy sized 250ml spray bottle
Suitable and safe to use - specifically designed for bike shoes
Advanced polymer technology offers excellent performance without using harmful chemicals
Safe on technical fabrics, suede, nubuck, leather and other fabrics*
Added conditioning additives for leather, nubuck and suede
Hydrophobic - offers excellent water repellency
Improves resistance to dirt and oil
Handy sized 250ml spray bottle
Safe to use on all surfaces
Deep-pile material traps dirt deep in the pile of the cloth preventing scratches or swirling
Split-fibre technology for increased absorbency
Great for cleaning the inside of shoes
Gently agitates grime and dirt
Smells rad with citric burst fragrance
Keeps all your bike shoe essentials together
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
All of the products work well at cleaning shoes and protecting them from further bad weather.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The Footwear Shield makes subsequent cleans easier.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
It doesn't clean mesh materials very well if they're heavily stained.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
It's a bit pricier than Lake's offering, although Lake's version is intended primarily for leather shoes. Other non-cycling specific kits can be cheaper, such as that from Sneaky.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
There is quite a lot of kit in the box and it all works well, providing you aren't trying to restore seriously stained shoes. For all other applications though, it's impressive.
Age: 42 Height: 180cm Weight: 76kg
I usually ride: This month's test bike My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,
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With 20 years of road cycling and over 150,000 miles in his legs it's safe to say Stu is happiest when on the bike whatever the weather. Since writing his first review for road.cc back in 2009 he has also had a career in engineering including 3D-CAD design and product development, so has a real passion for all of the latest technology coming through in the industry but is also a sucker for a classic steel frame, skinny tyres, rim brakes and a damn good paintjob. His fascination with gravel bikes is getting out of control too!
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Great kit that tackles dirt and grease with ease, though could do with a small detailing brush
Very effective both diluted or neat, and makes absolutely loads of wash
Good solvent-based chain cleaner that performs just as well as other typical degreasers of its type
Effective and powerful disc brake cleaning, but not environmentally friendly
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