Of course, panniers can generally be washed with a bike cleaner, but when the kippers I had bought for breakfast managed to leak through the bag and into the pannier, it seemed too good an opportunity to miss. I like kippers, but one does not wish to be assailed by such pungency when fetching out the D-lock, nor does one want it tainting your spare clothes on a weekend trip. So, how did the Tri-Clean do against one of nature’s whiffiest delights? Well, a spray and a wipe, another spray and a wipe, followed by a third, did the trick – the microfibre cloth was immediately shoved in the washing machine. Pannier left open to air, job done.

 

This made me wonder whether my venerable Carradice Nelson Longflap Saddlebag – best cotton duck and leather straps (Tri-Clean is not a leather feed) – would like a brush up. “Yes, please,” it said, so away we went. Next for the little leather pads on some Zefal bottle cages. Then, of course, bar tape. True, this can be washed with a bike wash, but some fabrics prefer to avoid a soaking, although most spray on washes are pretty safe (please check this before you spray).

 

All came up nicely, looking a good deal healthier than they had before.

 

The GTechniq Tri-Clean is also a deodoriser. It certainly neutralises those nasty niffs that build up inside shoes and helmets. However, it does not replace them with a scent of its own. At first the Tri-Clean smells a bit like some furniture polishes, but this does not linger. Leaving things to dry and air for a short while leaves things smelling fresh, but not of Chanel No5, or whatever it is you like to wear on the bike.