Green Oil Bicycle Brush

Green Oil Bicycle Brush was born out of a desire to make a quality brush, with a traditional edge. The Bicycle Brush is also the World's first FSC certified bike product. FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) certification guarantees the sustainability of wood. This forms the ergonomic handle which feels great.
Fact: Its not yet illegal to import wood to the UK from Brazil, Papua New Guinea or any other place where rampant, often illegal deforestation occurs. Fact: Many products from overseas factories use illegal wood. Mainly because we as consumers buy the end products. Fact: Deforestation causes human misery, as in the scene above. Its not just about 'saving the trees'.

But on a more cheerful note, the Forestry Stewardship Council is helping to put an end to this! Generally, you shouldn't buy wood products without the FSC mark. The image above from Greenpeace is of indigenous people walking through their land following their trees being illegally felled - their home being illegally destroyed. Buying wood here in the UK causes this, so we phased that image onto one taken in the New Forest.

The Green Oil Bicycle Brush is:

• Made in Britain
• Has a luxury sustainably sourced, ergonomic wood handle
• Utilizes plant based bristles
• Is designed to last many years of use - 'a brush for life'

What is the Bicycle Brush for?

Scrubbing your chain and sprocket primarily, but also wheel cleaning, as a claw brush, for hard to reach bits, wheel rims and spoke cleaning.
The Bicycle Brush was developed in part because of another brand's 'claw brush'. This claw brush had bristles one end, and a spiky handle the other. So you had to wrap your hands around the spikes to use the brush side. Which of course hurt!
The Bicycle Brush has a burly handle and long bristles -comfortable and with bristles longer than the widest sprocket cog. Its great for cleaning your sprocket set (the cogs on your back wheel), for use as a claw brush to get between the gaps.
The bristles can be a bit harsh at first on some paintwork, but do soften once the brush is 'broken in' - after being used to chain scrub and sprocket scrub a few times, the bristles are soft enough for nearly all bike frames, yet still tough for chain and sprocket scrubbing.
The unique bristles are plant based, not plastic. They are durable, though some will appear to fall out on first use - these are loose bristles left over from the manufacturing process.
The Bicycle Brush also has a 'cog spike' at the end of the handle. This can be used on deraileur cogs.
Another advantage is that the bristles don't clog up easily, nor are they designed to wear out quickly in order that we sell more brushes.

How to use your Bicycle Brush

1. Soak Bicycle Brush bristles in water.
2. If using for frame cleaning, test on a small area to ensure paint compatibility
3. After applying Green Clean or Clean Chain degreaser, use to clean your bike and various parts.
4. Thoroughly rinse the Bicycle Brush
5. Leave to dry, for a long Bicycle Brush life

The Bicycle Brush also has a 'Cog Spike' on the butt of the handle. Its rounded in one direction, yet edged in the other. Simply hold against the derailleur cog of your stationary bike, run the chain through to spin the cogs (you can turn the cranks back by hand to do this), and watch the mud scrape off!
The Bicycle Brush is also great for cleaning spokes and wheel rims.

How is the Bicycle Brush green?

• The Bicycle Brush is built to last. When looking into bristle suppliers, one suggested using a mixture that would wear out over a year - 'so you sell more brushes'. This 'make it to brake' ethos is not something we believe in, its just not the Green Oil way. We would rather sell a products that lasts and sell fewer of them. The bristles used are strong and durable, designed to last a long time, yet plant based and natural.
• The handle is made from sustainably sourced wood with independent FSC certification. At the time of writing, we use specifically wood from rubber plantations. Rubber trees stop producing rubber every 15-18 years. Trees are cut down at this point, and new ones planted. These are very old, established plantations. So, this wood from the cut trees is used to make our brushes, whilst new ones are planted and grow up.
• Its a good thing that the Bicycle Brush is not made of plastic, so no oil is used to make the brush. Similarly, the bristles are plant based, so when there is wear and tear, little pieces of plastic aren't going into the environment which don't biodegrade.
• Even the print on the brush is biodegradable, so theoretically if your brush did ever wear out, you could put it in your compost bin! It is durable though, so a well kept brush should not be heading to the compost bin any time soon!