i was in nyc the other day and i saw all these bikes wrapped up. a whole bunch of mountain bikes had their top tubes wrapped in electrical tape and what looked like cardboard underneath, giving it a rectangular appearance. what's the deal? i haven't seen anything of the sort out here in frisco. what's crackin?

it's to protect the frame and stop theft. usually done by hard core messengers with bad crazies. I think it looks like ****.

I have tape on most of my frame, mostly for the purpose of keeping the crappy paint job from just chipping off all the time from locking up.

Locking up 20+ times a day can be hell on a paint job. And steel without paint rusts too easily. If I had a Aluminum workbike, Id just let the paint get all chipped to hell to add to the 'not-so-desireable' aspect.
Unfortunately, I don't ride anything that's not steel, so it gets wrapped up.

As for the cardboard (or whatever), never heard of that, but definitely sounds like a good idea.

I also tape my bike to avoid chipping, plus I love the way it look's against shipping grey-plus I hate to see Bianchi or Pista all over my frame.Bare-ass frame's are cool. Will probably re-paint frame this winter.

the messengers NEVER use cardboard to protect, only the delivery boys. yes many wrap the top tubes with tape, innertube, etc., but the cArdboard is particularly fascinating. sometimes it is done so well.

-t

That aint true man, the messengers with the cheep bikes by george rebuilt mountain bikes do put cardboard on the tubes. Also some one needs to teach all those delivery bays how to ride,

i stand corrected, but in 12 yrs in this city never seen it, but that dont mean it aint there.

-t

and yes the delivery boys ggotta learn to ride---OFF THE SIDEWALK

at least messengers like to ride and know the type of work they got into. those delivery boys literally cross the border/get off the boat and are immediately given a crappy bike and bags of food to deliver-- in any and all weather. i remember sitting at this thai restaurant this past winter in a terrible freezing sleet/snow storm, and seeing these delivery guys going in and out all nite long. terrible.

from my very very limited experience...

I've noticed that most of the delivery types leave a big chain wound around the top tube. I imagine that first wrapping up the tube with something like cardboard keeps the chain from jingling, sliding around, and in general, being a pain in the ass