Flexible heli tape...

Ulysses

I bought some Rhino Hide tape but its super rigid and thick. I tried to warm the bike frame and the tape up but its still so thick that its not sticking on the slightly textured paint finish. I tried using Johnsons Baby Shampoo in warm water with no luck, the tapes just to thick to wrap around tubes.
The foils fitted on the bike by Canyon are quite soft (just like Zagg screen protectors) and stick on really well even on the textured paint.
Is the 3M heli tape softer/more flexible or is there another brand thats worth trying?

Kowalski675

Paragon Tapes on Ebay

http://www.paragontapes.co.uk/

Just done my frame recently - v good product.

97th choice

Just make sure you get stuff suitable for outdoor use, or it goes a fetching shade of yellow

adamfo

I've use 3M on my road bike and it's fine after a year. It's the same story really: cheap unbranded stuff from China is not as good as that formulated by the R+D of large western companies.

Ulysses

Will give paragon a try, my Rhino Hide tape is 0.22mm where as their matte is only 0.15mm which might take to the textured finish on my bike better being a bit more flexible. Will see about a sample of 3M too.

delete_my_account

I bought this the other day.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271292976167? ... 1439.l2649
It's thick but I had no trouble getting it to stick on awkward surfaces by using a hair dryer. It's also £2 quid cheaper than it was when I bought it

Ulysses

I ordered some from Paragon, should be here monday. The other one I have is 360 microns with both the backing tapes on.
Heres a photo of the finish on my frame:

Water beads well on it so wonder if theres a silicon or wax pray been applied at the factory after they fitted their foils...
Will have to get some degreaser from work and try that first next time.

stubs

Anodised surfaces are awkward to tape up. You have to get the frame and the tape really warm I mean next to a radiator warm and a hair dryer on max temp the hotter the tape the better without it being to hot to handle. The surface as well as being uneven is slippery because of the anodising process, it looks like a Canyon frame I did my Nerve XC (now sold) with Heli tape and I ended up using a wallpaper seam roller to get the tape to sit flat in a couple of places. Best degreaser is IPA (Isopropanol alchohol) it evaporates and leaves no residue you can get it off ebay or at the chemist. You can use Meths but be aware some types of meths leave a slight residue.

Ulysses

stubs wrote:

Anodised surfaces are awkward to tape up. You have to get the frame and the tape really warm I mean next to a radiator warm and a hair dryer on max temp the hotter the tape the better without it being to hot to handle. The surface as well as being uneven is slippery because of the anodising process, it looks like a Canyon frame I did my Nerve XC (now sold) with Heli tape and I ended up using a wallpaper seam roller to get the tape to sit flat in a couple of places. Best degreaser is IPA (Isopropanol alchohol) it evaporates and leaves no residue you can get it off ebay or at the chemist. You can use Meths but be aware some types of meths leave a slight residue.

Excellent info thanks! They use a water based degreaser at work in preperation for paint spraying so will try that too, I have meths in the garage but wasnt sure if it would be ok, thought it would leave a film as its tinted purple.

I should ahve twigged it was anodised ... its even in the name (ano black) but I figured it was sprayed lol. Silly me.
The heli tape that came on the bike (rub points & a little bit on the lower down tube) is on there really well. Will try again next week

Kowalski675

stubs wrote:

Anodised surfaces are awkward to tape up.

It's nothing to do with the anodising. A smooth anodised finish will behave just like a painted finish, as far as applying tape's concerned. On anodised finishes like the one pictured the issue is the texture of the shotpeening treatment applied pre-anodising.