Product Spotlight: PELLI Ceramic PROTECT

What is PELLI Ceramic Protect and How Does it Work?  

Ceramic PROTECT is a revolutionary supercar-grade ceramic protectant engineered specifically to enhance and extend the showroom appearance of today’s high-tech carbon fiber and metal-alloy mountain and road bike frames. 

For a crash-course on ceramic technology, visit our Introduction to Ceramics page here.

Using nano-technology polymers, Ceramic PROTECT instantly bonds to the surface of your frame and creates an invisible hydrophobic shield on all Carbon Fiber, Alloy, and Painted surfaces that beads and repels water from the surface, making it more difficult for dirt, dust, mud, and road grime to stick to your frame.  With an easy-to-use wipe on, buff off application, Ceramic PROTECT instantly bonds to the surface of all treated areas, providing 2-3 months of self-cleaning protection under normal riding conditions.

Specially formulated for today’s advanced road and mountain bike frame materials, Ceramic PROTECT’S self-cleaning, ultra-slick coating will keep your bike cleaner for longer and allows for easier maintenance and cleaning in all conditions.

How Do I Use Ceramic Protect?  

We know the word "Ceramic" can inspire both excitement and fear.  In the automotive application, these coatings are typically extremely expensive and labor-intensive to apply - though once completed, offer months and sometimes years of wax-free protection.  

PELLI's bike-specific ceramic protections has been engineered to deliver unprecedented performance while being exceptionally easy for anyone to apply.  

First - we recommend giving your bike a deep clean with PELLI EcoCLEAN Bike Cleaner and degreaser.  Once all contaminants and stuck-on compounds have been removed, simply follow these steps:

1. Using microfiber applicator, apply 3-4 sprays of product to same area of applicator.
2. Wipe product onto frame and all desired components (bars, fork legs, etc.). Re-wet applicator as needed during application. 
3. Allow product to dry and haze / rainbow for 2-3 minutes.
4. Buff treated area with a microfiber towel

Once treated, this coating will last 2-3 months under the harsh conditions that we expose our bikes to - UV light, dirt and rock impacts, mud, water, and oil stains, etc.  During this time, Ceramic PROTECT's extremely hydrophobic properties will immediately release any wet compounds and make it more difficult for these materials to stick to your frame.  The water-beading properties create a self-cleaning layer that allows shedding water to pick up contaminants on its way off your frame - releasing them from your bike and preventing performance-robbing buildup.  

Does PELLI Offer Any Longer Lasting Protection?

We engineered Ceramic PROTECT to be an accessible formula that even the casual cyclist can afford AND apply, while delivering the best possible performance in the harshest conditions.  In many cases, we expose our bikes to a variety of elements and environments that we'd never take our supercars through (if only we owned supercars).  These environments break down these coatings over time and can reduce the effectiveness of their hydrophobic properties.  The actual lifespan of a single application depends heavily on the frequency and environment with which you ride - though we find that for most riders this averages between 2-3 months per application.  

More robust automotive ceramic coatings can cost several THOUSAND dollars to apply.  At PELLI, our goal was to make this technology approachable for everyone from the casual to elite cyclist and deliver all the benefits of ceramic protection in an easy to use and inexpensive formula.  

Given the small application size of a single frame, this coating can typically be applied in under 10 minutes - making regular protection an easy and enjoyable process that has become a regular part of our maintenance program.  

But don't worry, PELLI didn't stop there...for the ultimate protection, read on...

Want to Go Straight to the BEST? 

For the ULTIMATE in ceramic protection, PELLI also offers the most advanced ceramic formula on the market today: Extreme GRAPHENE.  Graphene is the latest breakthrough in ceramic technology and offers dramatically longer protection and hydrophobic properties that traditional ceramic coatings.  

Extreme GRAPHENE offers 1-2 years of protection and is best applied to either new or on thoroughly deep-cleaned frames.  Any contaminants on the surface when Extreme GRAPHENE is applied will be effectively "sealed-in" to the surface under the ceramic coating - so it's important to start with as clean a surface as possible before application.  For more information on Extreme GRAPHENE, check out our Shop Talk post about this revolutionary technology.  

How Many Applications Can I Get Out of a Bottle of Ceramic PROTECT?

Every application is different - and humidity, temperature, frame size, applicator material, etc. can all impact the precise amount of formula needed.  However, in our experience, a complete bike (frame, bars, seat posts, stanchions, etc.) can be coated using less than 1 ounce of Ceramic PROTECT product.  

In our testing, a single 8 oz. bottle of Ceramic PROTECT can coat an entire XL mountain bike (i.e. the largest application possible) and ALL components an average of 12-15 times.  

That's enough to cover (2) bikes for over a full year OR allow monthly application for the ultimate production on a single bike all year long.  

Does Ceramic PROTECT Change The Appearance of My Bike?  

On all painted surfaces, Ceramic PROTECT simply accentuates the shine and clear coat that was applied to your bike during the manufacturing process. This high-gloss, high-shine formula is designed to bring out the richest and deepest colors from the finish underneath and provides for a showroom new appearance on newly treated frames.  

On raw or matte carbon, Ceramic PROTECT restores the finish to a beautiful deep black - one that most frames don't even possess straight off the showroom floor.  The nano-polymers in the Ceramic PROTECT formula instantly bond to the surface of carbon fiber and matte finished surfaces, bringing out a rich deep black that lasts for several months with each application.  Think of this as tire dressing on your car or truck - the only difference being this one performs even better than it looks.  

How Do I Maintain My Ceramic Coating?

By nature, Ceramic PROTECT is designed to be "maintenance free."  Simply apply the coating, receive the benefits, and re-apply as the performance begins to fade.  

However - there are steps you can take to extend the life of your coating.  PELLI's Ceramic MAINTAIN is our daily detailer that is designed specifically to (1) clean your bike after every ride to keep it shining like the day you first sat on it and (2) leave behind an additional ceramic layer that extends the life of your Ceramic PROTECT finish.

The advanced cleaners in Ceramic MAINTAIN eat away at surface contaminants while the integrated lubricants reduce abrasion that eats away at your ceramic coating.  Ceramic MAINTAIN also includes it's own Si02 ceramic components, leaving behind even more protection and extending the self-cleaning properties of your ride.  

Product Review and Application Video by Cure Cycling