What's it called?
 

I saw a bike that had some sort of rubber strip mat type thing on the underside of the downtube. It looked like it was mounted by adhesive. I fugured it had to be there to protect the paint from wayward rocks and pebbles thrown by the tire? It wasn't very thick, but wasn't real thin like duct tape. It was almost a thin spongey looking thingy. Anyone heard of this?

I've seen front fenders that were mounted on the underside of the downtube (as opposed to front fork). The ones I've seen were about 4 inches wide. Did it look homemade or was it manufactured for that purpose?

I have seen bikes with a thin pad below the downtube intended to protect the frame when the bikes were carried suspended over one of several bars across a flat bed truck carrying 50 bikes on the way to the starting line of a one way organized ride.

I'm not sure. I know what fender you're speaking of, and this is entirely different. This didn't stick out or anything. It was stuck on the underside of the frame - almost like those stock chain stay protectors that come with a new bike. You can barely see it unless you look underneath. I only saw it because the black was such a contrast to the paint color. It didn't look homemade. It was on too perfect. No zip ties, no tape. Like it had an adhesive and was applied on. Look like maybe it was neoprene sort of. Edges were rounded, nice clean looking.

Now is that stuck on the bike? That almost seems like what I saw but this was on a mountain bike and the first thing I thought was that it was to protect from chips and dings.

Interesting concept, though can't say I've seen anything sold exactly like it. Sounds like thin rubber sheet with an adhesive backing to it that someone cut with an exacto knife and some sort of stencil that they created. Humm.... wonder if you could make any real money selling something like that...

http://www.mcmaster.com/ - you can find and purchase all kinds of rubber sheets with adhesive backings to them. As thin as .7mm - a 12"x12" sheet and a stencil make of wood or hard plastic you could make 5 of them for less than $10.00. Hardest part would be making the perfectly symetrical stencil to trace with the knife.

Thanks for the link. I just never saw anything like that and was wondering.

Was it something like Lizard Skins Chainstay guards? I would not be surprised if they made something like that for the downtube, also.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile_morei...030&brand=1250

maybe its padding so that if he just happens to hit a massive jump on his regular commute to work and cases it, ther will be a bit more shock absorbtion....but id say thats being way too prepared.
on that topic...has anyone ever hit a jump with an old road bike...i would not recomended it...kinda hurts

Steve

It's a fender!

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1137796848769

people who put a black rubber pad over the bike to protect the paint finish have obviously given up on life.

No. Carbon downtubes have been wrecked by getting debris thrown up by the front wheel and I mean totally wrecked.

No.....not a fender. Imaginge putting black electrical tape on the underside of your down tube. But it is made of rubber or more like neoprene. It's only on the bottom underside of the tube. So it doesn't affect any bottle cages. You can barely see it. Just the edge.

Maybe someone tagged and released the bike. They're be back for it in a couple of months. :)

Sound like one of these. Ask your LBS for a downtube schynbald.:)

Greave:
Also called schynbald or jamber. Plate defence for the leg from knee to ankle, initially pro*tecting only the front, but later the whole lower leg. Constructed of two plates hinged together and shaped to the contours of the mus*cle. Schynbald and jamber are used in connection with the earlier type.

We've decided it wasn't a fender? I'm still on the fender search. Excelsports has a 'Zefal Croozer Downtube Fender' which attaches to... you guessed it: the underside of the downtube. It would be positioned to catch the worst of the roostertail coming off the front wheel.

http://tinyurl.com/cewop