Mountain Biking - Cheap Chainstay options

Just picked up a boatload of needed assessories from Nashbar but forgot a chainstay protector. What options would any of you have? I was thinking a few layers of clear packing tape or maybe some heat shrink tubing spiral cut with clear packing tape over it. Thanks for some suggestions.

I have electrical tape wrapped tightly around my chainstay. Raiyn uses clear plastic tubing from home depot and zip ties. Some poeple use pieces of old tire.

Clear packing tape, you can buy thick protective tape from a ski shop, or cut a section of an old tube and secure it with a few zip ties.

An old tube is cheap + lasts forever.

That old tube idea is a good one, just need to find one or blow one now. Thanks for the good suggestions, they will be used.

Lizard skin thing... only costs like $9, and it looks kinda cool. Also it's not as noisy if the chain hits that, since it's soft.

Boughten protectors, no matter how cheap, are the biggest waste of money I can think of. All options mentioned good. Real heavy duty option is a piece of old tire zip-tied. Thin-but-durable would be milk jug plastic wrapped with electrical or gaffer's tape. Or hockey stick tape. Or old road bike handlebar tape (many colors to choose from - I like the old Schwinn plastic stuff).

I had a strip of road handlebar tape along the top of the chainstay, held in place by electrical tape wrapped all around.

However, i just bought a Lizard Skins protector from Jenson since it was $7 and looked nice..

Tennis raquet grips? Lizard Skin chainstay protector? Old tube wrapped round and secured with zip ties?

Go to the hardware store and pick up a few sheets of 3m clear tape. You will have extra if you need to ever replace it and you can use it to keep your cables from rubbing on the frame.

:beer:

I cut an old tire and ziptie it to the chainstay :)

I have electrical tape wrapped tightly around my chainstay. Raiyn uses clear plastic tubing from home depot and zip ties. Some poeple use pieces of old tire.
Actually I do both
http://img50.exs.cx/img50/638/RaiynHardrockdrivetrainclose.jpg
http://img279.echo.cx/img279/5262/hardrockchainstayclose0ut.jpg
http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/9563/RaiynRockhopper3a.jpg
http://img279.echo.cx/img279/4618/hopperchainstayclosecopy9bh.jpg
Two examples of chainstay guards.
Top: Section of used Specialized Armadillo Road tire with beads removed and attached with zip ties. Used on my commuter bike. Cost $0 I reused some zip ties that had been used by the manufacturer to pack new bikes that I had assembled at the shop.
Bottom: Section of clear water supply hose slit down one side and secured with zip ties. Used on my trail bike. Cost ~ $1.50 for the hose zip ties were obtained in same manner as above.