When I arrived, Jane Watson was having the final touches done to her new bike, so it was great to catch up with things while Nigel completed the polishing.
Work then started on the FA with a serious water blasting to losen the dirt.
Some local extra cleaning was done with small brushes and cleaning agent, especially where my Scottoiler was being a bit over-enthusiastic!
Now the really spectacular bit; another blast, but with a sudsy detergent mix, which went absolutely everywhere! The bike was pretty clean already but it was clear what dirt there was stood no chance.
After a few minutes to let the cleaner do its work, another hosing down...
Then an extremely noisy blast of air to drive out water still hanging about. This can't get every drop out, but the ACF 50 displaces any remaining moisture later on.
Once dry, the bike was then carefully sheeted to blank off the wheels, tyre and brakes, and the saddle, although in the end I took the saddle off.
Now the amazing bit. Nigel then blasted a fine mist of ACF 50 into every nook and cranny. He explained it only needs to be the thinnest of thin layers to be effective, and it will creep into areas that don't get a direct hit from the spray gun. In fact if you can see liquid AFC50 on the surface, you have dozens of times too much, and it will congeal into a sticky goo, attracting dirt. It will still protect the underlaying material, but it will look a right mess. Easiest way to apply it other than the spray gun, is to spray it from an aerosol can onto a slightly damp cloth, then wipe it onto the surfaces.
As I mentioned above, I removed the saddle so Nigel could get right into the heart of the machine.
Then is was on with the ptfe polish. All the painted surfaces and other bright surfaces were waxxed and buffed. The ptfe makes it very difficult for insect debris, tar, tree sap, let alone mud and salt, to adhere to the surface. A rinse with any cheap car shampoo will remove it easily, and the polish is easy to reapply as neccessary.
And there it is, done!
He advised retreating every 12 months, perhaps more often if the bike is used heavily or in particularly bad conditions, but a session in the autumn months would be perfect to keep the salt at bay, or even if you lay the bike up over the winter.
Price? £60, which for the protection it offers, I think is great value. I suppose only time will tell, but prevention is better than cure!
Usual disclaimers, I have no commercial link with Nigel or All Year Biker, just a very happy customer. I do think it would be good to see him set up a stand at a Super Sunday perhaps?
And the bike? Maybe I'm imagining it, but it felt EVEN smoother going home! Excellent!
Tim
