About us

One of Green Oil UK's original courier bikes

Green Oil UK is a young upstart company, that was started at the latter end of 2007. The economy crashed, but we kept on going...

The History and growth of Green Oil UK

Green Oil UK is now based in London near Clapham, with a factory based in Wales. With humble begininges in a garden shed in Kent, Green Oil has grown from its green niche to become a market leader.

Performance products that are green is what Green Oil is about, and since the original Green Oil chain lube our first product, this ethos has remained.

We make the world's greenest bicycle maintenance range, have the worlds only 100% recycled plastic bottles in the industry and in 2010 released the world's first FSC certified bike product, the Green Oil Bicycle Brush.

Green Oil has won awards for performance from the cycling world. Green Oil UK won a Bromley Environment Award, presented by Sian Lloyd in 2010 and was proud winner of a Bike Biz Award in 2010.

.....................................................Simon Nash receiving a Bromley Environment Award on behalf of Green Oil UK Limited from Sian Lloyd

join the revolution!

Our cheesy slogan used to be 'destroy limits, not nature!'. The slogan referred to destroying your limits of skill, stamina and speed, yet without damaging the environment with nasty toxic chain lube. However, this wasn't inclusive of people who just wanted to ride their bikes to the shops.

Our new slogan, 'join the revolution' isn't calling for a military coup, so don't worry. The revolution we all need to join, is one of making the world environmentally sustainable. Within this, we need to use bicycles more, and embrace the 'revolution' of green products and ways of living (e.g. don't drive 2 miles to the shops for a bottle of milk - ride and refuse the plastic bag!).

If people continue to use toxic chain lube indefinitely, future generations will have more pollution to clear up, aquatic life will suffer and cancer will spread. PFOA, a byproduct of Teflon, the ingredient used in many chain lubricants was classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a 'likely human carcinogen' in 2005.

If companies continue to use deforestation paper, and generally operate for short-term profit at the expense of the environment, the future will not be good for us, or for future generations.

We at Green Oil UK buy back our bottles, use sustainably sourced ingredients, and use recycled paper in the office. Our packaging is easily recyclable. For example, the plastic labels now used are the same type of plastic as the bottle, making recycling more efficient and reducing label contamination in the recycling stream.

End dependence on pollution join the revolution!

The Green Oil UK logo

The Green Oil logo represents a coming together of the environment, and bikes. Simply, the cog around the edge (the image is taken from a real cog from a rear sprocket), represents cycling. The tree inside represents nature, and the many trees you will ride past whilst riding, on the street and in the deepest woodlands.

The blue represents clean, unpolluted water (anyone riding through it was using Green Oil rather than Teflon filled petro-lube). Abstract as it may look, the tree is floating in unpolluted water, with the bright yellow sun rising from behind.

Our logo is basically trying to say 'ride in harmony with nature'.

Our History

Green Oil UK was founded by Simon Nash, a cyclist and entrepreneur. As a keen rider from a young age, and someone who cares about the environment, there was a dilemma. This dilemma was simply, that a bike needs chain lube, but that chain lube was petroleum based and toxic.

This dilemma was exacerbated by the fact Simon liked to ride across the occasional river and in British weather - which usually involves lots of rain and mud. The sea is also an entertaining landing spot for some of us too.

Moreover, Simon went to one mainstream bike shop to find nearly every lube even said, 'DANGEROUS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT' on the back.

Whilst studying at the University of Southampton, Simon developed Green Oil. This revolutionary lubricant would mean no more guilt about cleaning off chain oil into the soil, riding in heavy rain, or even riding across streams.

...................................................................The first ever bottle of Green Oil, in an old petro lube bottle

Green Oil was developed and tested by Simon in Southampton's Lord's Wood, and on commuting to University and back. After a long period of experimentation, the first sale of Green Oil was to a friend in Southampton who was extremely pleased with its performance.

.................................................................................An early prototype bottle of Green Oil

Then, as now, the ingredients were sustainably sourced, and the label made of 100% recycled paper just like the first 10,000 bottles produced. The bottle deposit idea was based on a Scout Trip to Austria in 2000.

In Austria as in many European countries, drink bottles can be returned for a deposit, saving energy and resource use. Every Green Oil bottle sold from day one has been a deposit bottle. The new Green Oil range have bottles with a 10p deposit, and the original Green Oil has a deposit of 20p.

.................................................................................The first production bottle design

To get Green Oil to the masses, Green Oil would have to be a business. To raise money for the Green Oil project, Simon entered a competition run by Southampton University similar to the BBC's apprentice show.

On this 'Business Boot Camp', Simon's team won two prizes, for the best business idea, and most persistent team. This was actually nothing to do with Green Oil, but the the £480 share of the prize helped to fund Green Oil as a business. Later, a business pitch to the University of Southampton resulted in a loan to get Green Oil UK Limited up and running.

The first attempt to sell Green Oil to the public was in Trafalgar Square during Le Tour de France, in the summer of 2007. Simon and his friend offered to 'lube people up for free', to which most people responded positively. A number of people turned away from the giant TV screens showing the race to purchase one of the first bottles of Green Oil.

The labels have a simple white background because they were originally designed in Microsoft Word on an old Windows 98 lap top computer. Keeping the background white saved ink, and the recycled paper used was white already.

....................................................................... ...... .. ..The second generation Green Oil bottle.

An endorsement from the Ecologist Magazine helped get Green Oil into the first few shops, as did critical acclaim from the cycling press in the following months.

The business started in a bedroom as many business do. It was small but growing. What Mountain Bike gave Green Oil their Gold Award, and sales to bike shops flowed significantly from this. Pulling old cardboard boxes out of local company bins provided the wholesale packaging, and orders were taken to the Post Office by bicycle trailer.

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Green Oil UK then expanded to 'The Eco Cabin' (a large garden shed) shared with garden tools and other nick knacks. A solar panel was later fitted, which on a sunny day could run the bottling machine for 6 hours, and a 12 volt radio in the winter for about 2. (Though through a car battery which can charge for a couple of days, this is increased significantly).

At the end of 2008, Green Clean, Clean Chain degreaser and Ecogrease were launched. These proved popular alongside Green Oil . Calls for wider distribution and increased demand meant further growth was necessary.

Unfortunately, this would require money which was not available. The bank turned Green Oil UK down, without even requesting a meeting or re-written business plan. Their use of the phrase 'moving forward' was particularly annoying in their rejection call. During this time Green Oil UK still expanded, working on new products and increasing the number of stockists around the UK. Around this time Green Oil was also featured in 'Bicycle Navi!' a famous Japanese bike magazine.

Many months before this, Simon saw Zac Goldsmith speak at an EcoConnect event. At this inspiring event, Simon met another entrepreneur who told him about the London Rebuilding Society, a green bank. Having been turned down by one major bank, this lead to a meeting...

This LRS lent to social enterprises and environmental companies specifically. They were contacted, and after a meeting, many phone calls, a modified business plan and many new cash flow drafts, the funding was secured.

Soon after Howies, the world famous ethical clothing company decided to support us. Howies sell online, and on the high street. Green Oil is now even sold in the Howies store in Carnaby street. Howies Kindly write, 'Green Oil® rule and until every bike shop in the UK sells their stuff, we will sell it in our shops.'

In 2010, having scaled up and moved over to 100% recycled plastic bottles, Upgrade Bikes successfully took on distribution of the Green Oil range, with their vast network of UK Bike shops. Upgrade is a similarly entrepreneurial company, run by a great team who ride bikes and have a passion for cycling.

Upgrade Bikes started in 1995 with the DMR brand, named after the founders Matt Ryley and Damian Mason. (Check out their famous pedals!)

At Green Oil UK we now produce our products in a larger premises on a bigger scale, and instead of reclaimed wine and Walkers crisp boxes, we use use 100% recycled cardboard, with just the occasional 'reclaimed' box.

Green Oil UK has products in shops nationwide. Environmental sustainability remains core to the company, from our biodegradable buble wrap to our recycled wood display racks.

Green Oil UK is still growing and would like your help.

If your local bike shop does not stock Green Oil yet, please ask them to. Shops regularly stock our products due to customers just like you asking for Green Oil. Bike shops can now easily order through our UK distributor Upgrade Bikes.

For every bike shop that isn't selling Green Oil, petrochemicals and PTFE are being sold and released into the environment, so Green Oil aims to get into 50% of the UK's bike shops by the end of the 2011.

Unlike other petrochemical companies jumping on the green band wagon, our entire range is green, from our biodegradable formulas, to our recycled plastic bottles.

There is more to add to this story, including us launching the first fair trade bike product, and the world's first FSC certified bike product and a feature on the BBC Breakfast news, so look out for our updated page some time in the future...

join the revolution!

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Incase you just wanted our VAT number or something, here is our general info:

VAT registration number: 980 6213 19
Company registration number: 6470586
Company name: Green Oil UK Limited (registered in England and Wales)
Phone number: 020 8313 9074
General email address: Green-Oil@inbox.com

Our address (Feel free to write to us about our products, or just to say hello):
Green Oil House,
12 Rolvenden Gardens,
Bromley,
Kent,
BR1 2TN.

Sponsored Riders

Green Oil UK is proud to sponsor Scott Wilson Kerry Graham and among others, Adam Tarbett.

Kerry Graham came second in the MTB Trans UK Wales cross country race this summer using Green Oil. Kerry rides cross-country.

Kerry Graham, second place winner at the Merida Trans Wales race, using Green Oil chain lube

The event winning, trials riding Scott Wilson manages to climb up the side of rocks using a Green Oil bike. Scott competes successfully in trials events globally, and is the EBTC Elite Champion 2009.

Scott Wilson Green Oil trials rider: