Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - kashimax top tube protector - quick questions

Just a quick question about that kashimax top tube protector before I got to bed.

How do you put it on!?
I'm under the impression that its a section of plastic... so it slides on?

and... why is it $40 ? (I guess I understand if its NJS stamped)

yea... I've been bothered by this for a few nights now.
(at least I know what purpose it serves now. hoorah.)
thanks.

$40 cuz it's sexy...

It is split down one side and has a thin piece of metal inside to give it some clamping strength. It's sticky rubber, not hard plastic. Nobody knows why it's $40.

it's $40 because (enough) people will pay $40 for it.

electrical tape: $1

i dont like them things on the top bar,they r ugly,i think if u have enuff bar tape on that should cusion it

i just like the name....Kashimax, has a ring to it.....those bad boys are NJS aprooved are they not?

nope - some of their seats and straps are, but the tube protectors are not.

those things are mind-numbingly ugly. blech.

it's $50 if you buy it from bicycle habitat

This is kind of like wondering why people spend thousands of dollars on diamond rings. At least the kashimax has a functional utility.

$31 BIN on ebay, Brannan. (+ 5 shipping). You're jumping, I know.

$36-50 for the same functional ability as a bandana or electrical tape is the point.

This is kind of like wondering why people spend thousands of dollars on diamond rings. At least the kashimax has a functional utility.

$31 BIN on ebay, Brannan. (+ 5 shipping). You're jumping, I know.


been there seen that. there will come a time i'm sure, but in the meantime my innertube and electrical tape version works just fine

Well worth the money. Why do you think there are so many frames out there with dents in the top tube?

i don't think the question is whether you need something to protect your top tube as much as it is one about whether you should spend a ton of money on that stupid ass kashimax one.

Is it 40 times more protective than a $1 bandana or roll of electrical tape as the price would suggest?
I doubt it.

Also, it's really ugly.

But not as ugly as a bandana.

Don't like 'em? Then don't buy one.

leftover bar tape + electrical tape.

Maybe I'm paranoid but I layered mine thusly:

1st: layer of electrical tape on frame to protect the paint from rubber chemicals
2nd: layer of tube, so really two layers of rubber.
3rd: layer of bar tape.
4th: final layer of electrical tape.

Probably overkill but I don't worry if my bar swings back when I'm carrying it up stairs or otherwise.

I wish it wasn't such a dirty color.

i have a top tube protector and i love it. Works great!

i've said it before, and i'll say it again:

http://www.pine-environmental.com/uploads/1044373748.gif

Dolface, great idea..I gotta go check out some tubing....

I laugh at how some people are calling the Kashimax' outrageously expensive, yet they are kitting their bikes with NJS stuff(which is typically way expensive..moreso than the Kashimax)

Sorry, I like the Kashimax tt protector. The metal makes for better ding-protection than electrical tape and when I lock the bike up I use it to prevent the frame from rubbing on whatever I'm locking up to.

I think they are fine. They do the job really well and a ding in the top tube looks way worse than that little kashimax guy.
Personally I prefer a long top tube pad instead of the Kashimax, since it is a little more versatile.

I just cover my entire top tube to guard against lock-ups as well as the bars hitting.


....and anyways, Kashimax sounds like a Japanese condom for men with "oops" problems.

I would get one but I really cant see spending 40 bucks for something that covers 1". I do plan on ordering either a reload or dank frame pad for my bike (any opinions either way?). I will be locking it up at the school I am student teaching at and am having flashbacks of my precious GT mountain bike being scratched up like crazy on the same bike rack when I was a student there.

leftover bar tape + electrical tape.

+1 and it will match your bars

if you have an italian paint job (or just a crappy one), tape might like the paint a little too much. i like dolface's idea, but when i cut out about an inch of the stuff it would always slide around on the TT.

some people think they're ugly. some people like them. so what if they're $40? people here--i gaurantee--have wasted that much in a few weeks on crap that you think you need but you really just desire.

good for all of you for using tape, wool, condoms, whatever, but please, you think you're all bowing out of capitalism 'cause you've reapproriated electrical tape? again: please...

good for all of you for using tape, wool, condoms, whatever, but please, you think you're all bowing out of capitalism 'cause you've reapproriated electrical tape? again: please...

I don't think you understand quite how much electrical tape I have in this house.

I don't think you understand quite how much electrical tape I have in this house.

*****, i actually need a role. will you send me one? i'll paypal you.

$36-50 for the same functional ability as a bandana or electrical tape is the point.
How do so many people separate function from aesthetics?

Tygon tubing makes a decent top tube protector (see Dolface's contribution above), and you can make it as long as you want. It can cause yellowing of your frame paint under the tubing over time, however, if that matters to you. Handlebar tape doesn't do all that much to protect your top tube, but a layer of plastic tape (to protect the paint finish), then a few layers of latex inner tube or that stretchy rubber that physical therapists use, followed by some colored plastic tape will do OK. You can make it the width you like, within reasonable limits.

The Kashimax is not made to protect your top tube from parking meters or light poles. It protects against your handlebars' hitting the top tube -- period. If you ride with alloy bars, you don't know the danger. If you've ridden with steel Nitto bars, you may have seen just how easy it is to put a dent in your top tube, even with a low-velocity whack through a handlebar tape top tube protector. The Kashimax has some dense but resilient plastic that gives a lot of protection, and the metal spring piece that clips it in place also provides significant protection from a swinging handlebar. Plus, you can pop it off in a second to allow your frame to dry off under it, or to move it if you adjust your bars and they hit in a different place. They sometimes have a weird look on an American monochrome fixie frame, but they actually look pretty nice on a Japanese keirin paint job, especially the new rainbow-flecked ones.

Worth it? It's the best protection going, and it can be moved or removed in an instant. You can make a substitute that may actually serve you better (especially if you want a top tube protector that covers a lot of length for street use), but on the track, it's hard to beat.

How do so many people separate function from aesthetics?

I don't believe I made any mention of aesthetics.

but please, you think you're all bowing out of capitalism 'cause you've reapproriated electrical tape? again: please...

I don't think it has anything to do with "bowing out of capitalism."
It is simply a much cheaper alternative that will yield remarkably similar results.

I don't think it has anything to do with "bowing out of capitalism."
It is simply a much cheaper alternative that will yield remarkably similar results.

i don't care if they will yield exactly the same results. are you trying to show difference in "value" (in this case, "effectiveness) by contrasting their difference in "cost"? if there is no difference in effectiveness but there is a difference in cost, then so what? save your money or spend it elsewhere. or bow out.

*****, i actually need a role. will you send me one? i'll paypal you.

I've lived a paypal-free life. Send me some kind of self-adressed stamped envelope, and I'll send a roll of tape back in it.

I don't believe I made any mention of aesthetics.
No, it didn't. It mentioned function and cost, I was only intending to comment that I consider function and aesthetics to be inseparable. So, I merely disagreed with your implication that electrical tape/bar tape is a functional equivalent to the Kashimax on those grounds.

Lots of people probably disagree with my point of view on this and I didn't mean to single you out - it is just that my comment would not have made much sense outside the context of your post.

Peace.

if there is no difference in effectiveness but there is a difference in cost, then so what?

What do you mean so what?
That's everything.
In most things in the world, when there is a drastic difference in price there usually is also a difference in quality that will warrent that increase in cost.
You spend the extra money to buy Phil Woods over Suzue Jrs. because Phil Woods will last a much longer time with much less maintenance.
But when there is no such marked quality/effectiveness justification, then to me it's just silly and wasteful.
People might like how they look or like that they're NJS, and that's fine.
In fact, it's totally fine if people just want them to want them and don't care about throwing the extra money down.
But, to me, it's a waste and I'd rather spend the money on something that would actually give me something in return that would justify what I spent.
I guess this would be an appropriate place for the phrase "to each his/her own."

+1 for riding risers! no fear of dinging top tube with bars. booya!

the kashimax cost maximum kash

There's also foam rubber tubing- used for keeping pipes insulated.
Those of us lucky enough to have canal street at their disposal- they have it at Canal St. Foam/ Rubber- in all different widths in an 8ft length. for about $5.00- I made a fabric covered foam rubber TT protector the other month.- - comfy

Has anyone used adhesive rim tape as top tube protector?
Might look better than bar tape and might leave less mess behind.

I got a Kashima TT protector, but then I thought..whats gonna keep people from stealing it?
It would be a annoying to keep taking it on and off when locking up.

Just a thought

These things are like bras for cars. They keep your bike looking nice underneath them, but it doesn't matter because all you see is all the **** on top.

There's also foam rubber tubing- used for keeping pipes insulated.
Those of us lucky enough to have canal street at their disposal- they have it at Canal St. Foam/ Rubber- in all different widths in an 8ft length. for about $5.00- I made a fabric covered foam rubber TT protector the other month.- - comfy

+1 for cheap and smart

I came in here to snark but 11.4 has shut me the f up. I'm now convinced that those stupid things have a point.

$36-50 for the same functional ability as a bandana or electrical tape is the point.

electrical tape or a bandanna does not protect from metal bar ends like on my risers. Cork tape will to an extent but it's not dense enough to handle a really hard blow like if I fell.

still, I'm not dropping 40 on a ttp

Has anyone used adhesive rim tape as top tube protector?
Might look better than bar tape and might leave less mess behind.


Yeah, I use cloth tape on my bike with track drops. It looks decent and protects against dings.

My understanding is that the Kashimax will actually protect your top tube when you crash and whip the toptube with your bars at 20+ mph with no front brake to break the impact, while various tapes and paddings will protect against 0mph swinging bar incidents.

My understanding is that the Kashimax will actually protect your top tube when you crash and whip the toptube with your bars at 20+ mph with no front brake to break the impact, while various tapes and paddings will protect against 0mph swinging bar incidents.

+1 Ah hoy, so the kashima is good for high speed crashes.