Any tips for applying protective tape to matte frame?

redvision

Evening all,

This weekend i plan on applying protective tape to my Canyon Ultimate CF. I Have bought some matte helicopter tape & a full bike shield pack but the instructions aren't the best tbh. Both say when applying to small areas make sure the frame is dry and use a hairdryer to make the tape more flexible and stick better. BUT at the same time they say for large areas (downtube, top tube etc) apply plenty of moisture to the area & also directly on the tape, I'm assuming this makes it easier to position?

I'm really looking for any tips from those who have used either of the above on a matte frame.
Did you apply moisture to the tape & frame?
Did the moisture effect the adhesion of the tape?
Do you get bubbles like you do on screen protectors? If so how do you get rid of them?
What parts of the frame did you put the tape on?
Are there any tricks to getting the tape perfectly applied?

Thanks for any advice

casatikid

A bit of insulating tape works wonders I find?

Serious Cat

CASATIKID wrote:

A bit of insulating tape works wonders I find?

^ this

BrandonA

I use Bike Shield on my matte S-Works frame and have had no issues.

As it has internal cables I only need one bit at the front of the bike. Not had any issues.

londoncommuter

I put small pieces of matte helicopter tape on a recent build to stop cable rub. After cutting to size, I warmed the tape slightly with a hairdryer and then dunked it in warm water. Seemed to go on fine and pressing on with my thumb removed any bubbles. I did very gently dry it out then with the hairdryer (from a safe distance so not to heat the frame up).

Really wouldn't say I'm an expert though and as the tape is probably different from seller to seller this might not work for you. Whatever you do I don't think it's fatal as apparantly you can remove the tape easily and even with matte frames it's not going to pull chunks of paint off (hopefully).

Good luck.

redvision

Thanks for the replies guys. Appreciate the advice. Going to attempt it tomorrow! Think I will use the matte tape on the chainstays first & see how it goes before moving on to the top tube & down tube.
Will let you know how it goes.

DKay

londoncommuter wrote:

I put small pieces of matte helicopter tape on a recent build to stop cable rub. After cutting to size, I warmed the tape slightly with a hairdryer and then dunked it in warm water. Seemed to go on fine and pressing on with my thumb removed any bubbles. I did very gently dry it out then with the hairdryer (from a safe distance so not to heat the frame up).

Really wouldn't say I'm an expert though and as the tape is probably different from seller to seller this might not work for you. Whatever you do I don't think it's fatal as apparantly you can remove the tape easily and even with matte frames it's not going to pull chunks of paint off (hopefully).

Good luck.

I used the proper 3M helicopter on my chainstay and pretty much followed the same instructions. I used an old credit card to squeeze out any air bubbles and didn't bother using a hairdryer to dry it out after application.

Make sure you're happy with the postioning before it dries out, because when it's dry it tends to leave a mess of glue on whatever surface it's been stuck to and it's a bugger to remove.