For many cycling enthusiasts, bike maintenance is more than just a tiresome necessity – it is a labour of love that embodies the close bond between rider and bike. You oil the chain, maintain the suspension fork, spray a bit of silicone onto the frame – and before you know it, you’ve accidentally coated the brake disc with a wafer-thin film of lubricant that reduces braking performance to the level of a fresh banana peel. The worst part is this: once that fine lubricant has crept into the pores of the brake pads, you can’t even remove it with a grinding block. Up until now, you might have wrapped an old scrap of kitchen roll around the rotor to protect the disc and pads, but that’s about as reliable as a New Year’s resolution – and it merrily soaks up exactly what it’s supposed to keep out.
Muc-Off has now officially launched “the solution for protecting disc brakes during maintenance and transport”: the Road & Gravel Disc Brake Covers. The patented design is said to be quick and easy to use. The principle is simple yet consists of two parts: the covers enclose both the rotor and the brake caliper, so you no longer need to worry about anything when spraying on maintenance products. Consisting of a base plate and a neoprene outer cover, both parts are connected to each other via a Velcro fastening.
The base plate has a central cut-out which is fitted over the hub axle between the spokes and the brake disc. The neoprene cover is then attached to the other side using Velcro. After use, simply rinse both parts with water and hang them up to dry – unlike the kitchen towel mentioned earlier, the cover doesn’t end up in the bin.
As well as being useful in the workshop, the covers also provide protection during transport: they cushion the rotors during loading and prevent contact with metal parts from other bikes, which could damage the brake discs. Cost: 33 euros.
Josh Welz
Editor-in-Chief
