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review

Juice Lubes Carbon Juice Friction Paste

7
£8.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Grippy carbon paste that works very well - though not the cheapest option
Particularly abrasive and grips well
Good if you don't need much
Works out quite expensive
Weight: 
65g
Contact: 

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The Juice Lubes Carbon Juice Friction Paste grips well, which is good – you don't want to be overtightening carbon tubes and crushing them in your efforts to stop them slipping.

Carbon fibre friction paste is a must-have if you have two carbon components in contact, such as a seatpost in a frame, or carbon bars in a carbon stem. The aim of friction paste is to stop them slipping once you've dialled in the correct torque.

It's also great for stopping carbon parts seizing in aluminium ones. Getting them apart once this happens is an absolute nightmare.

This paste is up there with the most abrasive I have used, and is very good at preventing annoying slippage. It made short work of securing a carbon aero seatpost I've had problems with in the past. It's thin and easy to apply, and you can just get a small blob and rub it into the desired component by hand without wasting any meaningful amount.

It's also easy to clean off your hands.

Value

This 50ml tub is £8.99, and a little hard to compare when most other pastes are sold in grams rather than millilitres – and often in tubes instead of pots.

It's quite common to find 75g tubes, and they're often more expensive – Muc-Off Carbon Gripper is £16, for instance, though Peaty's Max Grip Carbon Assembly Paste is cheaper at £9.99 and works just the same. At 65g including the pot, this Juice Lubes paste is clearly more expensive than the Peaty's Max Grip and probably the equivalent of the Muc-Off.

You can buy smaller amounts, such as the 10g Halfords Carbon Gripper Paste, though even at just £3 it works out cheaper to buy a bigger size if you're going to be using it frequently.

Overall

This carbon paste does its job excellently and is easy to apply – it's particularly abrasive too, so if you've been having problems even with other pastes it's worth a try. Otherwise you can get much the same thing for less, however.

Verdict

Grippy carbon paste that works very well – though not the cheapest option

road.cc test report

Make and model: Juice Lubes Carbon Juice Carbon Friction Paste

Size tested: 50ml

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Juice Lubes says: "Carbon Juice provides a non-slip helping-hand for any of your carbon components and helps keep seat-posts, bars and other bits in place. It'll help guard against slipping and avoid the risk of you over tightening your clamps and breaking your expensive carbon bits.

"Carbon Juice is easy peasy to use. Just blob a thin layer on any of your carbon components where they come into contact with another material. Tighten to the manufacturer's settings and away you go on your search for two-wheeled glory."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Juice Lubes says:

Increases grip of carbon-to-carbon or carbon-to-metal parts to prevent slipping during use.

Prevents the need for over tightening

Allows correct torque pressures to be used on delicate carbon components

Suitable for use in any seat post clamping situation to increase friction

Recyclable packaging

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Grips carbon parts well.

Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

This paste worked really well, giving plenty of friction to carbon parts, and stopped any slipping from occuring.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

I liked the amount of texture in it. It had a lot of gritty texture, which aids in the friction properties.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

It could be nice if it came in a larger tub.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's at the upper end of the market.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

This carbon paste did exactly what I wanted from it – it stopped any carbon parts slipping, and at a good price.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 23  Height: 174  Weight: 72

I usually ride: Storck Aerfast   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Semi pro

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, commuting, touring, club rides, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

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