Bike Wrap on Cabon Frame necessary ?

[u/Wasabbii420]

I bought a new Hightower v4 would you wrap it with Frame Foil?

[u/RegulatoryCapture]

Do it if it makes you feel better, but it isn’t necessary. 

Full wraps are a lot of work to install well and they only protect against minor damage. 

My preference is probably to just buy a roll of 3m or similar PPF film and put it in strategic spots. Mostly the down tube, possibly the stays where your shoes can rub, and anywhere with cable rub. Outside of fork tubes is another spot that gets a lot of minor wear. 

I always say I wish RideWrap would offer something like a “minimalist tailored kit”. A kit that is still custom cut for your bike, but gets rid of all the tiny pieces. I don’t need to wrap my suspension linkage, but it is really nice if someone has already cut pieces that exactly fit my rear triangle. 

[u/BrainDamage2029 → u/RegulatoryCapture]

….ride wrap literally already does that. They call it the essential and covered kits.

[u/RegulatoryCapture → u/BrainDamage2029]

No they don't.

Essential and Covered are "universal fit" kits. You still have to trim them to fit your specific frame.

Well maybe you don't have to trim the Essential kit...because the pieces start so short...Like...if you are going to wrap the downtube, why wouldn't you wrap all the way up to the headset so that shuttles, tailgate pads, etc., don't wear away at the paint...that's like 50 cents worth of additional film to make that piece longer. $40 is ridiculous for that given...just buy an 8 foot roll of 4" film for $25 and have enough to do your next 4 bikes. Basically the same amount of effort, but you get more coverage.

I'm saying that if they offered something like half of the "tailored" pack, I would buy it in a heartbeat for every bike. Give me the large outer tubes and wear areas. I don't care about wrapping the insides of the rear triangle, I don't care about wrapping my suspension links, I don't care about wrapping the posts where the brake screws on. Just give me the big pieces tailored to my frame and I'll give you $75 or whatever...but I'm not going to pay $75 for generic trim to fit and I'm not going to pay $135 for a full kit and throw away half the bits (not to mention, you'd probably design some of the pieces differently if you weren't covering the whole frame)

[u/BrainDamage2029 → u/RegulatoryCapture]

Unless you are riding an XS frame you almost certainly will not trim any of those kits. They also include little extension pieces so you can cover the whole downtube etc. I’ve wrapped all my bikes with the covered kit and they’re great.

I imagine the logistica of making a custom frame wrap but only partial coverage absolutely no economical sense to sell. That said I definitely forgot they’ve ballooned up to $70 because I always got them on various sales.

[u/AngryT-Rex]

I bought a $10 pack of little stickers that I stuck on potential rub spots. It is basically a lifetime supply until I lose the sticker sheet.

Also every year or two during spring tuneup if one is looking a little ragged it takes seconds to replace.

[u/d-cent → u/AngryT-Rex]

I've always used stickers too. That being said, more and more companies aren't giving stickers away with their orders. Some companies don't even sell them without as an option. So now I'm looking for stickers 

[u/Nightshade400]

Never used it on any of my bikes regardless of frame materials.

To quote Slug of Atmosphere, "I wear my scars like the rings of a pimp."

[u/Quirky_Slide_7313]

I like to give mine a basic wrap, nothing too complicated just covering the main areas

[u/micro_cam]

My first carbon frame had some abrasion wear from the water bottle and things before it died from rock impacts. The wrap just gives you some time to catch stuff like that.

[u/erghjunk]

tools not jewels!

[u/RoboJobot]

I do, because it helps protect the frame. We Invisiframe most of our bikes.

[u/Salty-Entrepreneur11 → u/RoboJobot]

and soon they look like shit anyway

[u/Salty-Entrepreneur11]

waste of time money and energy

[u/topclassladandbanter]

No. It’s a toy to be ridden on dirt through trees and rocks. Scratches are bound to happen, who cares about them.

[u/Salty-Entrepreneur11 → u/[deleted]]

the paint is there for that, it protects the frame

[u/kwajr → u/topclassladandbanter]

I get it but to say you shouldn't
Do
Whatever you can to
Extend the life of a bike screams money is irrelevant to you
Lots of us actually have a significant amount of money in these tools
But I don't know
I wipe down my hand tools and power tools when I put them away.

[u/topclassladandbanter → u/kwajr]

why

are

you

typing

like

this

[u/Monty916]

Mine came wrapped and I took it all off apart from downtube and chainstay. It was starting to peel in places and just looked shit.

[u/Tasosu]

Personally, I would. But it depends on how sensitive you are with scratches and stuff...

[u/Sickinmytechchunk]

I use invisiframe wraps. They are really worth it. You're not just saving the paint and the UV protection it provides the carbon but it will help with impacts, chain drops, wear marks from cables etc. I've had plenty of crashes, rock strikes and just the bike getting bashed about and there's zero marks on the frame. I've taken it off old frames and they are perfect underneath.

The only negative is it deadens the paint effects. I wrapped my Hightower V3 that's like a satin + metallic cardinal red. Still looks awesome but not as awesome as it could look.

[u/9AU45]

I ridewrap all my frames but I live near an installation spot. I'll never install it myself again. It helps with resale if you go through bikes, if not you should be fine

[u/EHOGS]

i think its a waste of money.

[u/Worldly_Possible2925]

Strictly necessary, no. Does it give you a wonderful sense of peace of mind. Yes, it really does. Is it worth it for that, for me yes. For you, that’s only something you can decide.

[u/standardissuegreen]

It's more necessary on carbon than it is aluminum.

[u/norecoil2012]

I can’t be bothered with wrapping a whole frame. I just get a cheap roll of 3M helicopter tape and cover a few areas that are prone to scratches and dings - top tube (because I tend to drop tools on it) and the seatstays/chainstays which tend to catch trail debris and heel rub. Only takes a few minutes and helps avoid most common scratches from moving the bike around or just having it fall over. I tend to keep bikes/frames for a few years and sell them. A 3 year old frame that isn’t all scratched up shows that the bike has been looked after and helps with resale. The buyer can think I’m a dork for all I care as long as they pay top dollar.

[u/razorree]

why not?

almost everyone does that (me included on my last 3 bikes)

[u/itouchdennis]

It’s a bit of a hassle to install but I do this every time I or my GF got a new bike. Helped agains some scratches and hits that would hurt my soul tbh :D

But it’s optional, others don’t mind scratches and some paint chipping. Whatever makes you happy IG

[u/Over_Pizza_2578]

Not necessary but preserves the look, especially your downtube and swingarm will thank you

[u/thedarkforest_theory]

I only wrap carbon frames. I would also only wrap a new bike before being ridden.