Outdoor brands you might not know, but you should — Muc-Off
A bike care brand built around the unglamorous parts of riding — and why that matters.
Words by Michele Underwood | Photos by Muc-Off.
I love quality, well-made products. Working in advertising as a creative — from the giant agencies to the boutiques — has given me a unique perspective. It’s not always about the big names you know; sometimes, it’s the ones you don’t that capture your eye.
Now, stepping away from agency life with Overland Girl, I’m spotlighting the brands that ignite my passion and confidence. With my creative roots and a career that’s crossed paths with both the well-known and the obscure, I’m excited to share the brands that stand out — not just for their products but for their stories, commitment, and undeniable spirit. This blog is part of a series highlighting some of the most unique and inspiring outdoor brands.
Let’s dive into the world of these hidden gems, exploring what makes them tick and, perhaps, finding the one that speaks to you. You might already know these brands; if so, that’s great: Mammut, Black Crows, Wild Rye, Stio, Snow Peak, Dragon Alliance, Big Agnes, Mountain Gazette, Wild Sam, HipCamp, Rumpl, and Rovr Coolers.
Today, I’m excited to focus on Muc-Off. This UK-based bike care brand started with a single cleaner. It grew into a complete line of maintenance, protection, and performance products explicitly built for riders who actually use their bikes.
Applying Muc-Off Dry Weather Chain Lube to the drivetrain before a ride.
Muc-Off: From one cleaner to a full bike care system
Muc-Off’s story starts in the early 1990s in the UK, when founder Rex Trimnell set out to make a bike cleaner that worked better than what existed at the time — something effective, but safe for modern finishes and components.
Early days at Muc-Off — founder Rex Trimnell and team developing the brand.
That first pink spray became the brand’s calling card. From there, Muc-Off expanded slowly and deliberately into lubricants, protectants, tubeless accessories, and workshop products, building out a complete bike care system rather than a collection of one-off items.
The goal wasn’t to sell more stuff — it was to solve the full set of small, annoying problems riders face when maintaining their bikes.
The mission: Take care of the parts of riding people usually ignore
Most bike brands focus on the ride itself — frames, suspension, drivetrains.
Muc-Off focuses on what keeps those things working.
Their philosophy is simple: if bikes are easier to clean, protect, and maintain, they last longer, perform better, and feel better to ride.
That shows up in how their products are designed:
Safe for carbon, seals, anodized finishes, and matte paint
Biodegradable formulas where possible
Designed to reduce wear, not just make bikes look clean
Built for real conditions: mud, dust, rain, grit, travel
It’s not glamorous — and that’s the point.
What Muc-Off makes
Instead of building around a single hero product, Muc-Off built a system that covers the full maintenance cycle:
Cleaners for different riding and travel conditions
Frame and surface protectants
Chain lubes for dry, wet, and mixed environments
Tubeless valves, sealants, and setup tools
Workshop and travel care accessories
Each product is designed to work on its own, but together they form a consistent routine that’s easy to stick with.
A few pieces that show how the system works
Rather than trying to cover the entire catalog, it’s easier to understand Muc-Off by looking at a few core products that show how the system comes together. These are the three I use on my bikes.
Nano Tech Bike Cleaner
This is the product that put Muc-Off on the map. It’s a biodegradable cleaner designed to lift mud, dust, and trail grime without damaging modern finishes or seals. It’s the first step in the routine and the one most riders encounter first.
Dry Weather Chain Lube
Once the bike is clean, lubrication becomes about reducing friction without attracting grit. The dry lube is designed for dusty and mixed trail conditions and keeps drivetrains quiet without turning them into dirt magnets.
Tubeless Valves – V2
On the setup side, the tubeless valves show Muc-Off’s attention to small, practical details — lightweight, reliable valves that seal well and make tire setup and refreshes simpler.
Muc-Off Tubeless Valves V2 in pink with interchangeable rubber bases.
Together, these pieces show what Muc-Off is actually building: not just products, but a routine — clean, protect, maintain — that keeps bikes running well over time.
For me, this looks like keeping both of my bikes running well through very different kinds of riding — the S-Works Stumpjumper for trail and technical days, and the S-Works Epic EVO Pro for longer, faster rides. They both see dust, mud, and travel, and the Muc-Off routine keeps them quiet, clean, and ready without turning maintenance into a project.
How people use Muc-Off
Muc-Off fits into riding in practical ways, not aspirational ones:
Post-ride cleaning
After muddy or dusty rides, cleaners remove grit before it can wear down seals and bearings.
Routine maintenance
Lubricants and protectants keep drivetrains quiet and components from corroding or drying out.
Travel and storage
Protectants help bikes handle time on racks, in vans, or in garages between trips.
Setup and tuning
Tubeless accessories make tire setup and refreshes less frustrating and more reliable.
Sustainability & Responsibility — Project Green
Project Green — Muc-Off’s sustainability initiative focused on reducing environmental impact.
Muc-Off’s Project Green initiative tracking plastic reduction across their product line.
Muc-Off has a long-standing focus on making bike care products that are effective — but also kinder to the places we ride. To formalize this commitment, they launched Project Green, an initiative centered on “sustainability built in” rather than as an add-on. The goal is continuous improvement across everything the company creates, from product formulas and packaging to partnerships and refill systems.
Under Project Green, Muc-Off has:
Set ambitious plastic reduction goals and already exceeded early targets, saving tens of tonnes of plastic.
Designed products with biodegradability and reduced harmful ingredients in mind, such as removing PTFE from lubes and developing bio-based cleaners and greases.
Expanded refill and recycling efforts, including in-store refill stations, to cut back on single-use plastics.
Partnered with groups like 1% for the Planet, donating a portion of sales from some products to environmental causes.
Muc-Off openly shares where they’ve made strides and where they plan to improve, signaling that sustainability is part of their long-term brand DNA and not just a marketing slogan.
How Muc-Off compares to generic bike care products
Generic cleaners and lubes are often:
Too harsh for modern materials
Not designed with seals, coatings, and carbon in mind
Built for industrial use, not bike-specific needs
Muc-Off sits in the space between industrial chemical brands and boutique race products: accessible, bike-specific, and thoughtfully designed.
Where Muc-Off fits in your kit
Muc-Off works best as a small, consistent set of tools rather than a huge shelf of bottles:
One cleaner you trust
One or two lubes for your riding conditions
A protectant for storage and travel
Set up tools that make maintenance less annoying
It becomes part of your routine, not another chore.
Final thoughts
My trail bikes loaded on the rack at camp — ready for a day of riding.
Bikes aren’t cheap. I have three in total — my two mountain bikes and a fat bike — and taking care of them is what keeps them working effectively, efficiently, and for the long term.
Muc-Off isn’t trying to be flashy. It’s trying to be useful.
And that’s what makes it worth knowing.
It’s a brand built around the unglamorous parts of riding — the parts that keep bikes working, rides smooth, and gear lasting longer.
Visit muc-off.com to see their complete line of bike care products and learn more about the brand.
Check out more in this series.
If you like finding under-the-radar gear brands, check out more outdoor brands you might not know, but you should.
Michele Underwood writes Overland Girl, where she shares gear she uses on real trips—from the Northwoods of Wisconsin to the Ozarks. She values quality and craftsmanship in everything she buys—from outdoor gear to everyday clothes and furniture. Her choices may seem expensive to some, but she believes in buying less and buying better. Longevity matters, both in terms of function and style. Her couch is five years old and still sold at Design Within Reach—that's the kind of timelessness she looks for. Some of the links in this review are affiliate links, which means she may earn a small commission if you buy through them. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it helps support her work. She only recommends gear she’d bring herself.
