Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Tru-Tension Monkey Juice Gel Bike Cleaner 1 litre

7
£9.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Effective cleaner with useful protective properties, but a bit pricey – and that banana smell...
Efficient
Effective
Gentle on hands and bikes
Not the best for matt finishes
Chemical banana scent – beware, banana haters
Weight: 
1,071g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

Tru-Tension Monkey Juice Gel Bike Cleaner is a surprisingly powerful yet gentle formula that shifts most types of oily, scuzzy stuff with only moderate effort. The deeply synthetic banana smell won't please everyone and there are cheaper ways to wash your bike effectively, but, used carefully, a little goes a long way.

Instead of having the usual watery consistency, Monkey Juice is a gel designed to cling on and make greater inroads into the grime. Consequently you can use less of it, because it's not just running straight off.

> Buy this online here

Furthermore, once the bike's clean and rinsed off, there's still a thin, dirt-repellent layer left behind, which theoretically keeps your bike cleaner for longer and makes subsequent washes that bit easier. It's the same principle as car wash 'n' waxes, but I'm told the alchemy is different. As we'd hope, this doesn't contain any harmful surfactants, salts, chemicals or acids and is, therefore, safe on all materials and surfaces.

Application

It's important to leave your bike marinating for a couple of minutes, and then get in there with a brush to work filth loose. Embossed coverings respond particularly well to this and, so long as you rinse with warm water, the results are pleasing first time.

2020 Tru-Tension Monkey Juice Gel Bike Cleaner foaming.JPG

Since the gel hangs around for several minutes, there's minimal wastage and little call for reapplication – even on weathered/impacted petrochemicals.

Should you neglect to rinse Monkey Juice away, it dries to a consistency reminiscent of caked-on Weetabix. However, a prompt tickle with a damp brush lathers it up again easily.

Performance

Monkey Juice is slower-acting than some cleaners, but regains the lost time with a superior result. I found it saved a couple of minutes per wash overall, and results are uniformly good on gloss and satin finishes. Mud, dung and rainy filth simply disintegrate into a puddle below.

It does a decent job of removing road tar and flung chain lube from the rear triangle too.

Use this on matt finishes and, inevitably, the remaining layer will add some gloss and you'll need a matt polish. However this is a finish rather than a product issue.

As for the protectant layer, it seems reasonably effective, and on a par with car type wash 'n' wax formulas (water is still beading up and rolling away, several weeks in) which I tend to default to.

Value is okay if not exceptional as, at £9 per litre, Monkey Juice is fairly expensive, and that thick gel formula only saves – as far as I can tell – around 10 per cent over regular watery cleaners. Oxford Mint Bike Wash is £6.99 a litre and, though slower acting, effective. At £7.99 per litre, Juice Lubes Dirt Juice is reasonably effective too, while Green Oil Green Clean is also £7.99.

Monkey Juice isn't the most expensive, though: £9.99 buys just 750ml of Flaer Revive, though its prowess impressed our tester. 

Conclusion

I've been pleasantly surprised by Monkey Juice. It's gentle yet ruthlessly efficient on ingrained grot, and the layer it leaves after rinsing has some genuine benefits. However, there are cheaper options for those who frequently wash their bikes, or don't get them heavily soiled in the first place.

Verdict

Effective cleaner with useful protective properties, but a bit pricey – and that banana smell...

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

road.cc test report

Make and model: Tru-Tension Monkey Juice Gel Bike Cleaner

Size tested: 1 Litre

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?

Tru-Tension says: "Our applied MicroFoam science uses microscopic foam generated by our industry leading formulation to quickly and effortlessly remove dirt in any conditions."

My feelings: I'm not sold on the distinctly synthetic banana smell, but it's an effective and seemingly economical bike wash.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

The company says:

"Unlike other cleaners which quickly evaporate or drip off, Monkey Juice is designed to cling to the surface ... Once rinsed, your bike is left with a micro layer protective coating which reduces dirt build up and makes future cleaning a breeze.

"Our formulation is completely Biodegradable and contains no harmful surfactants, salts, chemicals or acids.

"Monkey Juice is safe to use on all surfaces, including paint, carbon, rubber and brake components."

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

Gel formulation is very effective, and the layer left behind actually seems quite effective too.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

The protectant barrier is proving more durable than I was expecting.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Clings on, gobbles grime and protectant barrier is genuinely useful.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Synthetic banana scent.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

At £9 per litre, Monkey Juice is fairly expensive, and that thick gel formula only saves – as far as I can tell – around 10 per cent over regular watery cleaners. Oxford Mint Bike Wash is £6.99 a litre and, though slower acting, effective. At £7.99 per litre, Juice Lubes Dirt Juice is reasonably effective too, while Green Oil Green Clean is also £7.99.

Monkey Juice isn't the most expensive, though: £9.99 buys just 750ml of Flaer Revive.

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

It's an effective bike wash with some unique properties. Not the cheapest, but it works well, and lasts.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 46  Height: 1m 81cm  Weight: 70kg

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset  My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing's sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets.
Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

Latest Comments