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PINKBIKE.COM FEBRUARY 2015

AS REVIEWED IN

MAXIMA SC1 CLEAR COAT - REVIEWMaxima Oils hails from Southern California where they formulate, mix, man-ufacture and bottle a range of lubricants, suspension fluids, engine coolantsand cleaning products for moto and auto racing, as well as mountain bikers.SC1 is one of their products that I first discovered working with motocrossracers who swore by the stuff to keep their plastic looking showroom new.SC1 is a silicone based product that was originally designed to restore andprotect paint and plastic finishes - for which it has earned a legendary rep-utation. What most riders don't know is that SC1's super slick formula hasbeen a well-kept secret among suspension tuners, who use it on fork stan-chions, shock shafts and dropper post shafts to keep them running nearlyfriction free. Maxima sells the 12-ounce (340 gram) aerosol can for $10.50USD.

PINKBIKE'S TAKE:Doubters may scoff at the notion of riders spending ten bucks to shine uptheir bikes when a few squirts of dish-washing detergent and a wet spongecould get the job done for a penny. Doubters, with dodgy looking bikes, nodoubt, because when you roll alongside their soap-and-water specials, thedazzling luster and slick finish that SC1 left on your once crusty steed willmake them look as unkempt as Portland fixie hipsters. The stuff rocks, be-cause once you wipe it on, nothing sticks to the surface, so there are nowater spots or grease smears when you are done. Yeah, you are supposedto wash your bike first, and then apply SC1 as a stunning topper, but if youstole your friend's Yeti SB66 for couple of laps at the bike park while shewas 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 thekind of guy who loves to polish his helmet, SC1 will get the job done in amatter of seconds.

Spray it on your stanchion tubes and dust wipers and SC1 superchargesyour fork's small-bump response. Same goes for air-sprung shocks or anysliding surface with a large swept area. SC1 lasts longer on the suspensionif you clean the sliding surfaces well before applying it, but even if your forkis dirty and coated with a film of oil, SC1 will wake it up instantly. Keep ithandy and give your suspension a spray before your race runs. You'll feelthe difference. All good things have a darker side, and if you manage toget SC1 on your brake rotors, you will be a hurt puppy the next time yousqueeze your levers and expect good things to happen. Poor braking andlots of noise will remind you to remove your wheels and cover your brakecalipers 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 androtors if it has been sprayed directly on them, so be warned. That said, Max-ima's SC1 makes bikes happy, which explains why it can be found near thetoolboxes of so many racing wrenches. - RC

MAXIMA SC1 HIGH GLOSS COATING