Charlotte Veloclean Goes Gold!

  I must first start off with, I didn't have high expectations for bike cleaning products on the market. So when Bruce Dickman from ProGold Bikes recently contacted me and offered to send me samples of their products, I was skeptical.

Now! Let me tell you where I am coming from. I run a small business called Charlotte Veloclean which is a small bike cleaning business here in Charlotte. The first business to offer a pickup and drop off bike cleaning service. I have had experience testing almost every product on the market for cleaning bicycles and was never really impressed. Finish line products were incredibly expensive and never did a very good job at cleaning and took forever. Treacherous would define it very well. I tried quite a few that I honestly cannot remember the names of, and I finally settled down with a product that I could use for cleaning bikes, no matter how dirty they were. It would typically take about 45 minutes/Bike to get to the level of clean I considered to be my standard. I take a lot of pride in my work and would say that I could take bikes to a level of cleanliness that they only had when they were brand-new. So I stuck with that product and life went on. Then I got a package in the mail.....


What I was told should be in my Arsenal. Are these the weapons of bike cleaning awesomeness?

It arrived. To be honest... I wasn't too terribly excited when I received the package especially after my experiences in the past with other cleaning products.... Sorry Bruce! Today I made sure my bike was as dirty as it could possibly be. It had mud and grit everywhere. I'm unsure what was on the down tube, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was bits of old road kill that had been sitting there spoiling for months. Oh yeah! Bits of dead worms. Bits of dead worms everywhere! Why? I don't know. ANYWAYS! It would make any mountain biker proud! Before I started what I believed would be a project that would take forever, I took a few pictures of the bike...

I typically don't leave my bike in this much disarray... I have been cleaning many other people's bikes instead.

Yum!

Mud/Lube/Grit mixture. The bike cleaner's worst nightmare.

I have nothing to say about this one...

  I took the pictures and so it began. Out with the bike stand, the ProGold cleaning products, and the bike. I had started the tests by spraying the Degrease + Wash. I started spraying it on the frame and sprayed the cassette just for fun. It was at that point I remembered that I typically spray down the entire bike with water before I start cleaning it. When I finally did so, this happened...

To my surprise, the entirety of the area I had sprayed became COMPLETELY clean.

I stood for a moment not able to comprehend what had just happened. I was astounded and speechless. So I took a picture! I typically spend a solid ten minutes trying to get the cassette, chain, rear derailleur, and main cogs perfectly clean. It took me only a couple minutes and the old lube literally fell right out! Not just that, the areas I had sprayed with the Degrease + Wash on the frame took the dirt right off. I took a cloth, wiped down the frame and it was almost perfect. I took the bike, put it on the mechanic stand, took off the wheels, and cleaned it with the "Carbon Frame Bike Wash". I was at around 10 minutes by the time I was finished getting every speck of grease, mud, and dirt off the frame. Then I applied the "Bike Shine". Can I just say one thing? I can typically get bikes CLEAN. I mean... Cleaner than anyone else in Charlotte can typically get their bikes. Like I said... I prided myself in making bikes look new. Or at least I thought I could... I was wrong. Their "Bike Shine" product fills in all the micro scratches on the frame and adds back the original gloss of the clear coat. My bike is a 2009 Cannondale Carbon six. It wasn't mine until February of last year and I have put nearly 10,000 miles on it. Needless to say, the clear coat has started suffering thanks to all the sun it has been exposed to. Along with all the scratches from being used in sandy areas and travel. I applied the bike shine, and that is no longer the case. It literally looks like I just walked out of the store with a new bike.

                                        AFTERSHOCKS

Veloclean standard cassette cleanliness.

The Bottom Bracket typically looks scratched, used, and abused. Not anymore.

Absolutely Incredible!

 My conclusion? I wish I had taken a Pre-Cleaning picture of the top tube. Seriously. The difference is incredible. In the end I applied the "EXTREME CHAIN LUBE", (Yes... It's all Caps... Because it's AWESOME!) went for a ride and haven't heard a squeak from my chain. I am now a huge fan of ProGold and will never go back. But you don't have to take my word for it. Make a great investment in the life of your bike, check out ProGold Bikes and buy their products. You won't be disappointed.

  A big shout out to Bruce Dickman of ProGold bikes. It was a challenge cleaning bikes. But it is no longer.
As always, a big thanks to Sandy Kreif Smile Train Athlete! My business wouldn't be where it is today without you!
Don't forget to check out Charlotte Veloclean!!!
If you have any questions or comments about ProGold and their products, or if you want your bikes cleaned, please feel free to contact me at (980)298-2044
Thanks for reading!