Helicopter Tape
 

I may have inquired about this before but I can't seem to find it.
Wondering about a source and is there a preferred thickness? I want to use it on my wife's touring bike at different wear points.
Thanks!

A Google search under that name turned up tons of hits including this one:


And this one:

https://www.amazon.com/ISC-Helicopte.../dp/B000O6BQMG

So the internet is broken -- again.

Its not the battle field tape that patched together the choppers in Nam..

Well, hopefully the OP's bike isn't an egg beater rattling it's self apart. Andy

Go to Amazon and search, thickness is up to you. I find thin stuff work well. I now am using an old roll of ski/snowboard protection tape and find it a bit thick, but works great. Don't think you can go wrong as all pilots are sensitive, for a reason, to the condition of the leading edge of the wing/blade.

only 3M - don't buy any that doesn't say this - I bought a small piece from an ebay vendor that was just vinyl with no adhesive.

Again thanks for the replies. I did see it through different vendor but was looking for advice as to what thickness from those who have used this product before.
Thanks!

For the OP, here are the 3M part numbers...

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/3...pplication.pdf

You can get the real stuff on Amazon, but 3M is very proud of it. I suspect the real stuff has adhesive that might
give us bike riders a fit, ie good for paint removal, maybe even the top layer of CF. Anything designed to stay
put on helicopter blades at 500-600 mph (blade speed) would have to be. It also seems to be in 3" and up widths
and lengths suitable for a big helicopter blade.

I suspect that anything listed for bikes has a less tenacious adhesive, and may be thinner, even if it has "Helicopter"
attached to its name. See specs on TimothyH ref.

Further study of 3M lit suggests it is "easy to remove" but their definition of easy may differ. (3M 8671HS tape)

The "Real stuff"Circa 1955~75, was Aluminum with an adhesive backing .. Or so I'm told
(I was in the Navy on a Boomer With ICBM's in my Bedroom)

One of my Friends Is an Aircraft Maintenance tech for the USCG . He said there was a lot of admiration in the training school faculty for Those Army and Marine people who got out the Tool Kit and Improvised fixes to get back to the base .




...

I'd suggest 3M Paint Protection Film as an easy and less expensive alternative. It used to be called "Clear Bra". It is supposed to go on with soapy water, squeegee out the air bubbles much like window tint. There was a DIY thread in the Single Speed forum and the guy did it with just plain water because there was so little of the stuff applied.

O'Reilly has rolls of it in several widths. List: Search for 'paint protection film' | O'Reilly Auto Parts. Scroll down.

The helicopter tape is overkill IMO.


-Tim-

Just my opinion here but the 8mil thick tape is the best compromise between protection and ease of use. Any thicker gets to be more difficult to wrap around the small diameters of most bike frames. I'm making a guess that your wife's tourer has maybe smaller dia. steel tubes. If so I found that with 2" wide tape it covers half the dia. of most main tubes and can be used for stays and such without too much cutting. "Helicopter tape" is just polyurethane tape and as mentioned not all are equal. 3M is possibly the best but I have used another popular brand (of which I can't remember the name of course) that has stayed on my frame for over 7 years now with no peeling or yellowing and also make sure you get the outdoor/UV resistant version. Wetting down your frame with a small amount of highly diluted mild soap or alcohol and water helps to make re positioning the tape easy when applying and helps when trying to smooth the bubbles out and drys completely in less than 24hrs.

The OP mentions wear points specifically. If cable rub and other small areas are the only concern then Lizard Skins makes several inexpensive kits.There is another kit similar to the second link but with fewer pieces. I think it was $12 or $13 at the LBS or REI when I got it. The pic below is one of the pieces from the kit. It has a little wax on the edge of the tape but conveys the general idea.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5af1awuzy1...ctor..jpg?dl=1


-Tim-

ebay
$5
free shipping

15x100cm Helicopter Bike Bicycle PVC Frame Clear Protection Tape Protective Film | eBay

This works great. I use the thinner stuff for cable chafe points and the thicker stuff on chainstays. It will also conform around the bottom bracket to protect it from dropped chain damage.

I use the cheap stuff...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00823JBVG/ref=biss_dp_t_asn