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review
Ceramicspeed UFO Clean Drivetrain£22.95
VERDICT:
Highly effective drivetrain cleaner but it is quite expensive
Weight:
969g
Contact:
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 meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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When it comes to cleaning a dirty chain and drivetrain, CeramicSpeed UFO Clean Drivetrain is highly effective. It lives up to its name, delivering a clean drivetrain in no time at all and with very little effort.
- Pros: Highly effective
- Cons: Expensive
CeramicSpeed, a company best known for oversize jockey wheels and the drive-shaft concept bike, developed UFO Clean Drivetrain in its labs for stripping grease off chains for preparation for its UFO treatment, the £100 chains you can buy that are claimed to save up to 5 watts.
> Find your nearest dealer here
The formula uses a 'unique blend of environmentally friendly ingredients to dissolve wax and dirt from internal rollers and all surfaces of chain links, preparing the chain for optimal application of chain coating of lube,' explains the company. It's 100 per cent biodegradable and non-toxic.
CeramicSpeed provides simple directions for how to use it on the back of the bottle, and there's also a handy video on YouTube here. It's simply a case of spraying the cleaner over the chain and drivetrain, leaving it for several minutes, then agitating with a brush to speed up the process of breaking down the dirt, and then rinsing it off.
The results are impressive. It's very effective at returning a grubby chain to box-fresh condition. I've only tested a handful of cleaning products that have had this level of effectiveness: Morgan Blue Chain Cleaner and Smoove Prep Chain Cleaner.
Tested over several weeks with daily bike cleaning, ranging from muddy gravel bikes to grotty road bikes, UFO Clean Drivetrain works wonders. It's easy to use and makes short work of really dirty drivetrains, keeping your cleaning time to a minimum so you can spend more time riding.
I tried UFO Clean Drivetrain on some stubborn drivetrain oil on a bike that hasn't seen much use, and some more earnest agitation with a hard brush was required to remove claggy dirt.
As with most degreasers, you want to avoid getting it anywhere near your disc brakes. There's a warning on the back of the bottle. This is because there are oils in the solution that can ruin the performance of your brakes. So careful spraying is highly advised.
Some degreasers can be harmful to frame finishes too, but CeramicSpeed says it's safe for carbon, glossy or matt painted and anodised surfaces. I used it on several different bikes – carbon, steel and aluminium.
It's obviously intended to be used to prepare a chain for the CeramicSpeed's own lubes, but there's nothing to stop you using your own favourite lube after cleaning. You can read a good guide to cleaning your chain here.
It is expensive, though. A 1-litre bottle of Morgan Blue Chain Cleaner costs just over a tenner on Wiggle, and WD-40 Bike Degreaser is another sensibly priced alternative.
The CeramicSpeed is better value than the Smoove Prep Chain Cleaner, though, which is £15 for quite a small bottle that doesn't last very long.
Verdict
Highly effective drivetrain cleaner but it is quite expensive
road.cc test report
Make and model: Ceramicspeed UFO Clean Drivetrain
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?
CeramicSpeed says: "The CeramicSpeed UFO Clean Drivetrain thoroughly removes grease and grime from all drivetrain components. The unique properties dissolve wax from internal rollers, and all surfaces of chain links.
"UFO Clean Drivetrain is designed and formulated to clean and prepare chains for wax coatings and uses the same formula as we at CeramicSpeed use internally to prepare our UFO Chains.
"This is a non-toxic and biodegradable formula - environmentally friendly and safe."
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
From CeramicSpeed:
Non-toxic and biodegradable formula
Thoroughly removes grease and grime from all drivetrain components
Developed and bottled in Denmark
Avoid applying directly to disc brake pads
Contains 1 litre
Avoid applying directly to disc brake pads
Not to be used as a bearing cleaner
Safe for carbon, glossy or matte painted, and anodized surfaces
Rate the product for performance:
9/10
For getting stubborn chains and other drivetrain components spotless, it is very effective.
Rate the product for value:
4/10
It is quite expensive as cleaners go, and there are cheaper alternatives that are just as effective.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Gets your chain spotless.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Very easy to use.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Quite pricey and you need to keep it away from disc brakes.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
It's more expensive than other very good cleaners mentioned in the review.
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 a highly effective chain cleaner in a generously sized bottle and is easy to use, but it is expensive.
About the tester
Age: 31
I usually ride: My best bike is:
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, mountain biking
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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