Riding gravel -protecting paint

[SpokeValley]

Originally Posted by Vientomas

3M "airplane tape" (like clear bra) underside of down tube, back of seat tube, top of driveside chainstay. I don't cover any of the fork. Snow seems to finally be melting! Have a great ride.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...iveLeading.php

This is a great solution. Lots of different lengths available, and it lasts a long time.https://www.amazon.com/Scotchgard-Cl...rotective+film

Install tip: Make sure your hands are clean...fingerprints will show on dark paint.

[alembical]

Another tip is to not apply the tape in a cold garage. The tape is thicker and stiffer than you might think and a little bit of heat increases the flexibility of the tape

[kevinvc]

What width would people recommend for the clear tape?

[jruhlen1980]

I don't worry about it personally but I won't begrudge anyone their bike choices.

How about twine, or cloth bar tape? I've seen that used quite a bit on chainstays. Cheap and easy to replace for something that's going to get torn up.

[benb]

That clear tape is good stuff. I have had several frames that were built at a shop instead of a factory where they pre-applied that tape to the frame. Usually to prevent cables from rubbing paint or on the chain stay to prevent chain damage to the stay.

[cachagua]

Compact dirt awesomeness... a bit wet today as we have record precipitation and flooding of the rivers etc but... riding is great. It took 4 hours to do a measly 60 miles.

I'll bet that was a blast! I have only had good times riding around Spokane... have to come visit some more. Don't give yourself a hard time for 60 miles in 4 hours, that doesn't seem like such a bad average.

One other place (just to keep to the topic) where I'm going to put tape is inside the chainstays, right where the tire passes by. Clearance is tighter there than anywhere else, and it's practically guaranteed enough mud could stick to the tire to rub the paint off and expose the steel to rusting.

On the other hand, the next ride's mud would scrub the rust off, right? No prob!

[stephenmarklay]

One thing I learned in the past is that if you have decals that are not under the clear coat do not tape over them. They may stick and pull up the decal.

[Jad]

Originally Posted by kevinvc

What width would people recommend for the clear tape?

It just depends on the frame (i.e.-wider tape for wider tubes). I think the tape starts at 1" wide and goes up from there. I got a roll of 1", which means you get coverage on most spots just fine. And if you need more coverage, you can double up width-wise.

[MattTuck]

There are a number of liquid vinyl car wraps that might work on a bike. If you were riding a lot of gravel, it might make sense. I hate the sound of a rock bouncing up and impacting the frame.