This degreaser is from WD-40's bike-specific product line, which is not to be confused with the general household blue and yellow WD-40. This product, like others from the range – is only available through specialist bicycle retailers.
We didn't expect anything unique or outstanding from the WD-40 Bike degreaser, but there was something great about its secret formula. It stripped stubborn grime and grease better than other popular bike-specific degreasers and it washed off easily with water. It has a slight foaming action, which would help explain why it seemed to chew through the grime on its own.
One example of how it surpassed other degreasers was when we used it with a chain cleaning device. We used the WD-40 degreaser after another bike degreaser that had left the chain 80 percent clean. The WD-40 made very quick work of the remaining stubborn grime and even left our chain cleaning device glistening!
WD-40 is pretty secretive of what's in the bottle, but it's a thick consistency that wouldn't be ideal for spray application. It was great to drip and scrub, and was thick enough to stick to what you're trying to clean. The smell was inoffensive, and as the degreaser is biodegradable and non-corrosive, we weren't worried about getting our hands dirty.
Given WD-40's R&D budget, it wasn't surprising that this product worked so well. What did surprise us was just how much more powerful and efficient than other popular degreasers it was. The 590ml drip bottle won't suit everyone's cleaning regime, but if you use a chain cleaner device or manually scrub the drivetrain, the WD-40 Bike Heavy Duty Degreaser is a top choice.