ancker

I recently bought some of this to protect my car roof from a roof rack and had the idea that putting some on the leading edge of my downtube to protect it from debris coming off of the front wheel might be a good idea. There appears to be something similar on the drive side chain stay of my bike as well.

This idea was highlighted after I rode over some (fresher looking up close than afar) asphalt that caked itself to the downtube. I used a grease remover to get it off and worried how that would affect the paint and carbon. I'd be much happier if I was applying chemicals to a removable strip of 3M tape than directly to the painted surface.

Has anyone ever done something like this? If you have, did it damage your paint or anything when you removed it?

merlinextraligh

Got plastic covers on your sofa?

banerjek

You realize that any permanent covering for anything may as well be considered to be the surface that's supposedly being protected? Normal wear and tear inevitably looks better than that kind of stuff. BTW, I ride year 'round in every kind of slop. Damage to the DT is a total nonissue.

M_FactorX19

seriously!

coldehammer

I understand what you're getting at. This is the same material you can use on the front end of cars to protect the paint's finish, etc. I've thought about doing this as well for the downtube and chainstay but am waiting until you try it to tell us the results (specifically on the removal part).

Before you reply, please understand this 3M material is an adhesive clearcoat that protects the original paint and finish. If you chip your frame you can never replace the paint, if you chip the adhesive 3M, you can always replace it for a lesser cost and also retain the nostalgia of your frame's appearance.

Sienna19

I had some left over from doing my motorcycle. It is "permanently" installed on the front of the downtube, tops of chainstays, and a small patch on each side of headtube where cable housings would rub. Looks nice. The 3M stuff removes without issue, if necessary. I like nice paint.

banerjek

What's the point of having nice paint if it's always covered? Also, the amount of damage you're preventing is negligible.

ancker

This not an aesthetics question.

I don't care how it looks or if it gets dirty, its more about damaging the frame while cleaning. If I have to use a chemical to remove tar from the downtube I don't want to find out later I've stripped off the clear coat/paint, damaged the carbon, or voided a warranty. I expect the bike to get dirty and have normal wear and tear.

There is a second benefit that if something nasty gets on the tape that isn't easily removed, I could just apply a new piece. This benefit isn't the primary concern, however.

abstractform20

to the people that responded negatively: who cares? some people like x some like y.

Steve90068

I use it on all my painted bikes. its invisible, gives nice protection why the hell not?

banerjek

You worry too much. The frame and paint are pretty resilient.

FWIW, my favorite stuff for cleaning is White Lightning. Very effective and I've been using it for years with no bad side effects.

sced

This. I recently bought a fancy bike that came without a protector for the chain stay so I made one out of clear contact paper. It works great.

urbanknight

That's my take on the car bra.

pgjackson

I was thinking of doing this on my top tube where my bike carrier rubs it. I take my bike to work 3-4 times a week on the back of my car. Starting to get some rubbing. Was thinking a little strip at the front and back of the tube would prevent further chafing.

DScott

Felix says, "Do it!"

merlinextraligh

ftfy

merlinextraligh

that said, I have plastic film on my right chain stay where's there is a reasonable chance of the chain cuttining into the CF, and pathces of film where cables hit the frame around the headtube.

Both seem, to me, a reasonable precaution against wear an tear eating through the clear coat.

Beyond that I don't really see a need.

Ultimately it comes down to how anal retentive you are.

Jed19

Why not find a thicker kind of tape/film and put it on your bike carrier where it contacts your bike instead. That way, you don't affect the aesthetics of your bike negatively.

Just a thought.

GDA

I do something very similar using colored electrical tape. Very small (less than one inch) sections applied on the frame where the cables might/do rub. I also wrap my seatpost over the sections where my seatbag grabs the tube with velcro and also a couple strips to protect from a chain drop.

Simple, easy to refresh twice a season in a matter of minutes and will keep significant marring of the paint for when I want to sell/upgrade/swap someone for another part.

pgjackson

You do realize that the 3M film is completely clear, right? In fact you probably already have it on your bike's chainstay. It doesn't matter what I put on the carrier, it's still going to rub the frame.

Jed19

Then if you intend to go that route, you should look up Helicopter Tape (clear and outdoor grade). A little expensive, but will do the job at hand in a classy way.

tagaproject6

This is why there is a market for these kinds of things.

dalava

Post of the day

Looigi

I used pieces of this stuff on the trunk and rear bumper of my BMW to protect the paint where a trunk mount bike rack rested. Worked great for that. On the bike, I'll use small squares of it on the frame on the head tube where the cables rub. Down tube? Nah...

achoo

If you really want to do it, do it right:

Helicopter tape.