Frame protection

bikeit65 · June 2012

Want to protect my bike from cable rubbing what would you recommend?

k-dog · June 2012

I've been putting these on all my bikes recently:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/frame-and-ho ... 43647.html

Cheap and very effective - I had the little stickers in the same place before but they looked scruffy pretty quickly. The only downside of these is you have to disconnect the cables to get them on - and then obviously readjust everything afterwards. Doesn't take long for brakes but if you do the gear ones too it takes a few minutes.

Yossie · June 2012

Pipe lagging or bubble wrap will also do the job. Or Hammerite.

Or perhaps the clear pastic stickers that all the shops/online merchants sell. Or insulting tape.

One of the five options may suffice.

bikeit65 · June 2012

I seen[ url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jagwire-Tube- ... 531wt_1133] these [/url]

TheEnglishman · June 2012

http://www.premierpaintguard.co.uk/mountain_bike.html

I had it on a car bonnet and it was brilliant. It does exactly what it says on the tin!

kentphil · June 2012

how about helicopter tape?

rolf_f · June 2012

k-dog wrote:

I've been putting these on all my bikes recently:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/frame-and-ho ... 43647.html

Cheap and very effective - I had the little stickers in the same place before but they looked scruffy pretty quickly. The only downside of these is you have to disconnect the cables to get them on - and then obviously readjust everything afterwards. Doesn't take long for brakes but if you do the gear ones too it takes a few minutes.

You're just swapping hard plastic for soft plastic. The cable is still rubbing over the frame and once it gets a bit dirty it will start rubbing the frame just like the cables themselves. The only thing that will guarantee to stop frame damage is something covering the frame. And the best thing for that is something like helicopter tape. Seems to last pretty much indefinitely and on darker colours is pretty much invisible. Not so invisible on white but it's no more noticeable than the cable cover things.

bikeit65 · June 2012

Are they not made from soft compound silicone material?

crankycrank · June 2012

KentPhil wrote:

how about helicopter tape?

+1. Generic name is polyurethane adhesive tape. Get the UV resistant/outdoor version. Comes in various widths and lengths.

k-dog · June 2012

Rolf F wrote:

k-dog wrote:

I've been putting these on all my bikes recently:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/frame-and-ho ... 43647.html

Cheap and very effective - I had the little stickers in the same place before but they looked scruffy pretty quickly. The only downside of these is you have to disconnect the cables to get them on - and then obviously readjust everything afterwards. Doesn't take long for brakes but if you do the gear ones too it takes a few minutes.

You're just swapping hard plastic for soft plastic. The cable is still rubbing over the frame and once it gets a bit dirty it will start rubbing the frame just like the cables themselves. The only thing that will guarantee to stop frame damage is something covering the frame. And the best thing for that is something like helicopter tape. Seems to last pretty much indefinitely and on darker colours is pretty much invisible. Not so invisible on white but it's no more noticeable than the cable cover things.

I don't think so. They are a soft silicone like material but with the shape and the tackiness they seem to stay in the roughly the same place on the frame - and the cable curve does the bending when you turn the bars. That seems more sensible than the cable sliding on the paintwork.

I had those stick on covers before and they didn't look good after a while - the front of my bike is white and as you say they're certainly not invisible. They have a kind of yellow/brown tinge to them now.

bikeit65 · June 2012

Are the decathlon ones made from the same material as the jagwire ones, as the jagwire ones are opened at one side any chance they could fall off?

k-dog · June 2012

I think the decathlon ones are softer - probably why there's not a slit in them.

Twostage · June 2012

KentPhil wrote:

how about helicopter tape?

+1. I use this. Works perfectly.

g00se · June 2012

Twostage wrote:

KentPhil wrote:

how about helicopter tape?

+1. I use this. Works perfectly.

+1 Get it cheap on ebay. You can also put lengths on the drive side chain stay to protect from chain slap; down the cranks to stop shoes rubbing logos off; around forks and seat stays where temporary mudguards are fitted (crud roadracers etc).

bikeit65 · June 2012

When this helicopter tape is in place can it be removed in the future if need be?

g00se · June 2012

Bikeit65 wrote:

When this helicopter tape is in place can it be removed in the future if need be?

Yes, it comes off really easily. I've only ever had it leave reside once when it had been under pressure from a clamped on mudguard mount, but that rubbed off really easily with a bit of Fenwicks bike wash.

rolf_f · June 2012

k-dog wrote:

I don't think so. They are a soft silicone like material but with the shape and the tackiness they seem to stay in the roughly the same place on the frame - and the cable curve does the bending when you turn the bars. That seems more sensible than the cable sliding on the paintwork.

I had those stick on covers before and they didn't look good after a while - the front of my bike is white and as you say they're certainly not invisible. They have a kind of yellow/brown tinge to them now.

If they roll then that would be better but you will get dust and dirt settling on them and that will get rollered between the cover and the frame. I can't see how they can do anything but reduce the problem rather than eliminate it. (Interesting how decatholon deliberately include an embossed dirt trap in the design!)

As it happens, an alternative to the helicopter tape is fablon which you can get in huger rolls at B&Q for less than a fiver. It isn't as tough as the helicopter tape but it does work and it is harder to see on white frames than the thicker stuff. And it's only a few moments work to replace the tape if it does discolour or mark.

I need the clear sticky stuff anyway - eg for the chainstays.

bikeit65 · June 2012

just been to B&Q cant find fablon tape there, Rolf f can you put up a link of the tape you bought in B&Q please.

P_Tucker · June 2012

Yossie wrote:

Or insulting tape.

rolf_f · June 2012

Bikeit65 wrote:

just been to B&Q cant find fablon tape there, Rolf f can you put up a link of the tape you bought in B&Q please.

Looks like it maybe discontinued there which is a bit annoying - I could only find 'product no longer available' links at B&Q. You could try Wickes etc but what I got is probably much the same as this - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FABLON-STICKY ... 256507e2d6

That's the first one that came up for me so it may not be the best value option.

Monty Dog · June 2012

Woodgrain Fablon if you prefer the retro-Woody look?

jessand · July 2012

WARNING: The fablon I remember was a permanent covering - not meant to be removed. This might be completely different but please check.

bikeit65 · July 2012

I got some heli tape and i am lead to believe that it can be removed at any stage and will not cause any damage, i it tried some on an old frame left it in place for 48 hours and it came off no bother and did not cause any damage to the paintwork, all i have to remove was a little sticky residue which was easily removed with some IPA.

johnmiosh · July 2012

Covertape. 0.3mm helicopter tape.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Helicopter-Bi ... 1932wt_902

Used it for protecting chain stay and prevent cable rub. Only problem is that the bike has a matt carbon frame and the tape is glossy. TBH, not an issue for me.

Yossie · July 2012

jessand wrote:

WARNING: The fablon I remember was a permanent covering - not meant to be removed. This might be completely different but please check.

COUNTER WARNING: It will come off with the judicious use of a hairdryer. Or a chisel. But I would would only really recommend the former option, unless you are a communter then I really don't care as you are a twat.

fludey · July 2012

Roll of 3m heli tape and cut to shape 8)

thegreatdivide · July 2012

I started off with real helicopter tape (got it from an RAF Engineer) and it did the job, but I’ve now graduated up to the Jagwire cable things. They’re soft enough to protect the frame and they dampen any cable vibration noise. They also look pretty cool too. Deffo worth a shot.

Helicopter tape needs to be cut to shape, heated (hairdryer or stick it on the radiator) and then smoothed over the frame to eliminate bubbles. Removal is a piece of pi$$ and doesn’t lift paint (unless you stick it over a damaged section). It tends to look a bit yellow over white frames and it will get dirty so a new bit every month might be required.

Frame protection

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