Stuff Saturday: ProGold Helmet Cleaner

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Back in April at the Whiskey I ran into the ProGold guy and he hooked me up with some product to try out. Now if you have been around bikes for a while you have probably heard of Pro Link and know it’s solid stuff. It’s not really in need of a product review. But much to my surprise they also make a bunch of other bicycle related items. Grease, shop towels, and some bike wash that is good for cleaning just about everything around the house (especially the bathtub).

There was also this pretty plain looking spray can in my little care package I was given. I honestly didn’t pay it any mind and forgot about it for a couple months. Come to find out it was their helmet cleaner. After hearing a couple friends sing it’s praises, I figured I should give it a shot and let you all know how it went.

By mid summer I have gone on enough rides that finished in the triple digits that my helmets start to smell like used hockey pads combined with hot garbage. Delicious, I know. But I’m not one to put random chemicals on the piece of styrofoam that protects my melon, so I did a little research. It seems that aside from some spray propellants there is only one active ingredient, Diethylene Glycol Butyl Ether, a fairly common and mild cleaning solvent. In theory, it shouldn’t damage the foam of helmet or the glue holding the pads on.

I had a dirty old helmet tucked away in the gear closet and decided to start with that. At first spray, I noticed that it doesn’t smell half bad and went on with a nice even foam.

The directions said to let it set for a minute and then wipe it off with a rag. I knew this helmet was extra dirty so I decided to just rinse it off in the sink after about 5 minutes. Sure enough, that crusty old lid came out pretty damn clean. Once rinsed off, there was no trace of the spray’s scent and it dried free of any residue. The straps were noticeably cleaner and most importantly, it didn’t ruin any of the stickers on my helmet. Just for shits, I decided to try it on a pair of riding shoes to see what would happen.

Left clean. Right Dirty

Now I know this isn’t a shoe cleaner, but it did a great job. Plus it’s nice to know that it won’t hurt the stuff that holds a pricey pair of shoes together. I have been using this spray on all of my helmets for the past couple months and I would say it has made me at least 10% more attractive. It has also made my helmets smell a whole lot better.

This is a pretty niche little product but for only about $7 I would grab a bottle if I ever saw it in a shop. Besides, it sure beats my last two ways to clean my helmets. Jumping in the pool with it on or taking it into the shower with me. There are few things more depressing than a grown man standing naked in the shower with a helmet on.

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About dirty biker

I am a fan of singletrack, singlespeeds, single women and single malt. Currently in Carbondale, CO Follow on Instagram @dirty_biker

14 Replies to “Stuff Saturday: ProGold Helmet Cleaner”

  1. You know you left out the best part of that story, the part where FatbikeJoe, had you, cupcake, and myself nearly pissing ourselves in Prescott.

    ” Yea, I totally took you from behind at Old Pueblo…….”

  2. Dear Dirty,

    It might be depressing to be the grown man in the shower with a helmet on, but it certainly isn’t depressing to see the grown man in the shower with a helmet on. Next time you run out of pro gold cleaner, please invite a friend with a camera to document the cleaning process, please. So that we, your curious, interested, and purely scientific readers, can make a proper comparison of the benefits of each.

    Cheers,
    Babbles

  3. @babble on- dirtybiker is a baller scientist. With his mad chemistry skills and my ninja style camera skills we could make you melt.

  4. …not to be overlooked whilst dirty b foam cleanserizenates his helmet is the little slewfooted ‘gina on the corner of the sink…

    …that ain’t no ‘scrubbing bubble’

    …just sayin’…

  5. …no fancy foam cleaners for me…

    …i use a hammer & cold chisel, an industrial grinder, gasoline & matches for cleaning my riding shorts after a lengthy ride…

  6. …hey, great minds think alike, new hampshire guy…

    ..or, uh, fools seldom differ, right ???…

  7. can’t find this stuff. Ordered it from Amazon and they then sent me an email saying they did not have any…