Pinkbike Product PicksMaxima Oils hails from Southern California where they formulate, mix, manufacture and bottle a range of lubricants, suspension fluids, engine coolants and cleaning products for moto and auto racing, as well as mountain bikers. SC1 is one of their products that I first discovered working with motocross racers who swore by the stuff to keep their plastic looking showroom new. SC1 is a silicone based product that was originally designed to restore and protect paint and plastic finishes - for which it has earned a legendary reputation. What most riders don't know is that SC1's super slick formula has been a well-kept secret among suspension tuners, who use it on fork stanchions, shock shafts and dropper post shafts to keep them running nearly friction free. Maxima sells the 12-ounce
(340 gram) aerosol can for $10.50 USD.
Maxima OilsWithout a drop of water, Maxima's SC1 can make a dusty, greasy bike look like new in ten minutes. It can make your fork and shock feel like new in only ten seconds.Pinkbike's Take: | Doubters may scoff at the notion of riders spending ten bucks to shine up their bikes when a few squirts of dish-washing detergent and a wet sponge could get the job done for a penny. Doubters, with dodgy looking bikes, no doubt, because when you roll alongside their soap-and-water specials, the dazzling luster and slick finish that SC1 left on your once crusty steed will make them look as unkempt as Portland fixie hipsters. The stuff rocks, because once you wipe it on, nothing sticks to the surface, so there are no water spots or grease smears when you are done. Yeah, you are supposed to wash your bike first, and then apply SC1 as a stunning topper, but if you stole your friend's Yeti SB66 for couple of laps at the bike park while she was in town running errands, armed only with a can of SC1 and an old T-shirt, you could get rid of the evidence in ten minutes. And, if you are the kind of guy who loves to polish his helmet, SC1 will get the job done in a matter of seconds.
Spray it on your stanchion tubes and dust wipers and SC1 supercharges your fork's small-bump response. Same goes for air-sprung shocks or any sliding surface with a large swept area. |
SC1 is like Kashima in a can. It wakes up tired suspension.
SC1 lasts longer on the suspension if you clean the sliding surfaces well before applying it, but even if your fork is dirty and coated with a film of oil, SC1 will wake it up instantly. Keep it handy and give your suspension a spray before your race runs. You'll feel the difference. All good things have a darker side, and if you manage to get SC1 on your brake rotors, you will be a hurt puppy the next time you squeeze your levers and expect good things to happen. Poor braking and lots of noise will remind you to remove your wheels and cover your brake calipers with a towel the next time you fancy up your bike. SC1's silicone-based formula is tough, maybe impossible to remove from brake pads and rotors if it has been sprayed directly on them, so be warned. That said, Maxima's SC1 makes bikes happy, which explains why it can be found near the toolboxes of so many racing wrenches. - RC
Or, you know, actual clear coat.
I do think it works better on painted bikes.
dont know how good this SC1 stuff would be on muddy Uk bikes??
www.maximausa.com/product/sc1-air-freshner
Silicone oil (in small quantity) won't harm. But it will render any future paint job almost impossible to do.
It also have the nasty habit of migrating everywhere, so be sure to not pray it near brakes.
You are onto something though. I can print stickers that look extreme and say "Enduro Only" or "Max Enduro". 1000% markup?
or
www.toolstation.com/shop/Automotive/d60/Lubricants+%26+Sprays/sd2795/Protection+Wax/p41925
As stated in the article too, it also does a good job of cleaning and lubing the sliders and preventing water spots from forming, which act like a knife edge to seals.
The added benefit of this stuff is that thick dirt doesn't stick to the surfaces as easy. It makes cleaning the bike much easier the next time around.
Also it's nowhere near as "runny" as normal aerosol silicone spray. Seems to be a little more dry to the touch too.
EDIT: I have found the teflon lasts longer if you apply it to a warmed surface, so borrow/steal your mom/girlfriend/wifes hairdryer. Or your own if you are into that kind of thing.