Frame protection for brand new road bike
 

I'm getting a Canyon Ultimate delivered in a few days. What sort of frame protection do road bikers use?

For my mountain /downhill bikes - I've used an old tire tube wrapped around the chainstay. Thick black tape on the downtube, and maybe some stickers to protect against cable rub.

I used MILES WIDE Everclear Bicycle Frame Protector Roll - Glossy, Clear (ECRCV1.0) from Amazon to use under my accessories on an old Raleigh Sport I restored. That is what I would use on a new road bike too.

I understand that setups like the below are pretty much the norm amongst this crowd ;)
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5f6db42e68.jpg

Seriously though, I've heard some use helicopter tape, which if you can find it is pretty expensive. Used sparingly under the down tube and on chainstays. Don't know if the more inexpensive clear tape options could work as well (eg. 3M Clear Repair or the clear Gorilla Duct tape).

A lot of bikes will come with a chain stay protector. If your Canyon doesn't, I've used and been happy with a Lizard Skins protective tape kit in the past, for both the stay and one or two cable rub spots. Downtube protection is more common on gravel/all-road bikes, but isn't often used for bikes that'll live primarily live on pavement.

LOL So that's what the bike would look like if you don't remove all the padding that comes with it in the box!

Bonus points if you still had those black plastic disks that keep the wheels from poking through the box.

I used clear 3M vinyl auto wrap on my track bike to protect the chain stay where I hang my chain when swapping gears.

Electrical tape also works.

Every scratch and ding is a story. If it stays in perfect condition, you won't have anything to tell us.

Most road riders I've seen and riden with don't use any protection products. At least among our group, we've gotten to the point that most of us don't wash bikes anymore; maybe a detailer wipe down every so often.

However to WhyFi's point, it's worth looking at for gravel/CX bikes. I used Lamin-X clear tape to cover the downtube, top tube, fork and seat stays.

Road bikes nothing. I just ride them. Mountain bikes I use custom Invisiframe protection. I don't think they make a custom kit for your frame, but a generic kit would probably work and not look too gross. But honestly I wouldn't bother.

I’ve used the Lizard Skins tape on areas where cables rub the head tube. All of our bikes came with PPF on the chain stays.

https://www.competitivecyclist.com/l...BoCFL8QAvD_BwE

My bike have a VERY thin paint job and it's a satin finish. I knew from day one that i'd never sell it so I just looks at scratches adding character. I do use a black sharpie to touch up some of the marks.

You could get a set of sweet BMX pads.

All my bikes I look at where the housing rubs the frame and put a small strip of electrical tape under it. Stays there just fine and looks good. For road bikes I'll toss a thicker clear plastic sticker on the chainstay, for gravel and cross I wrap it with cloth handlebar tape since its thick, durable, cheap and doesn't weigh much. Track bike I wrap a thick layer of electrical around the top tube where the handlebar hits. Ever stock anything on the underside of the downtube, really only ever noticed that on downhill bikes.

Clear frame protection tape on rear wheel well (where gunk and grit gets tossed, also once picked up a big nail with my rear tire which scracthed the inside, fork bridge, downtube, chainstays and cable rub spots. Gravel bike has the same treatment.

Mybe excessive, but I occasionally do a bit of gravel on my road bike and some of the tertiary roads have pebbles and so on on them which can get flung up now and then. The tape does protect and weighs next to nothing.

Dupont Tedlar.

3M Vivid tape (aka "helicopter tape" for some reason) is awesome. Make sure to apply it wet with wet hands and rub out the bubbles.

Not sure really the same thing. Not that the VVivid stuff can't work. FWIW, VVivid is a separate company that converts and packages 3m paint protection film into rolls and sells on Amazon.

This is technically an example of what is being meant by "helicopter" tape. 3m HELI TAPE

There are lots of options in roll widths, thicknesses and colors etc: https://www.rshughes.com/c/Aerospace...th&fv.1=1%20in

Ridewrap has precut 3M tape. Matt or gloss but not a mix.

I think I'm going to get the Lamin-x Bicycle Frame Tape Guard (Glossy). My bike has a glossy paint job. I sort of recall using this or something similar on my DH bike. It was a bit of work to get on. But with a bit of planning and patience, it'll work.

The $22 I spend today probably won't get recovered when I go to sell it a few years down the line, but I can't help myself.

Lamin-X Glossy