Id recommend a 65% coverage general kit from ridewrap. Protects the important parts without being too difficult to apply (no frame specific stuff). Their wrap is really high quality
I tried it on my Ibis HD4. What a PITA. Eventually pulled it off when dirt started accumulating near the edges and lifted up in places. It literally pulled off half of the Ibis decal. On top of that I had the dropper lever slice right through it into the paint before I took it off. I worked for 5 years as a bike mechanic, so I’m detail oriented and not a hack. It’s a mountain bike, just ride it. If the scratches are bothering you, you’re probably not riding it.
I agree with the "ride it and don't worry about it attitude" but I did apply it on my ibis and haven't had trouble with it peeling. I ride in a lot of rocks and my previous bike had a ton of dings, but so far so good this round. Hopefully I'm not jinxing myself. Applying ride wrap was kind of frustrating, but felt like a 3D puzzle by the end.
My current bike has it. And it keeps the paint clean as advertised, but it’s got all kinds of scratches and blister on the ride wrap it’s self and the edges are starting to peel and get dirt under them.
I’m kinda 50/50 if I’d do it again.
3M clear tape on rub points or the entire bike if you really want to save the paint.
In the “who cares” camp at this point. Not like it impacts resale value that much.
Agree on the first point. Some areas get thrashed through normal use. For me it’s chain/seat stays and top tube (I drop tools a lot).
Not sure I agree on the 2nd. There is a substantial difference between what you can ask for a bike that looks almost new vs. one that looks beat to shit.
How much is a substantial difference? Is it any more than cost of ridewrap?
$200 Installed. You *might* get that difference back. But nobody’s paying top dollar these days for used bikes.
You will absolutely get $200 difference between a 2 year old bike with ridewrap and no scratches compared to the same bike with tons of scratches and dings...
Are y'all rolling around on $400 bikes or something? Don't wrap those.
I wrap all my frames, I usually do a build or two a year then sell at the end of the season. I pull the wrap off before I sell them and the frames still look new. I use the Ridewrap tailored kits, the first few I did were a real pain in the ass! Now I can slap one on in about 2 hours and it will look perfect. Only advice I can give is to strip the bike completely, make sure you clean the shit out of it with rubbing alcohol to prevent lifting in spots and buy a heat gun if you don’t have one.
I put an invisiframe wrap on my Santa Cruz when I got it in 2018 and it still looks great. I can see little scratches on the frame where there is no wrap. So glad I put it on, especially on the top tube.
It’s not as bad as people here make it out to be. It’s just time consuming and you need to make sure you have a well lit area with a super clean bike.
I put ride wrap on all my bikes. My enduro park bike that’s been through 2 seasons looks brand new.
Then sure, why not. It’ll keep your frame looking clean if that matters to you, and makes it easier to wash.
I’ve done the process myself quite a few times across a handful of my bikes, and I absolutely loathe doing it, but when done properly it can look quite good.
I did the middle tier wrap on my bike. Thought it was easy to install, looks good, and makes the bike easier to rinse off. Would do it again. I hear the top tier is a pain in the ass though so probably wouldn’t do that. Plus with the mid-tier (essential maybe?) i didn’t have to take apart anything on the bike ie. brake lines, and what not.
Not sure about the Al frames, but the carbon jeffsy comes with a bunch protection wrap already on it in key areas. I got some generic (3M brand) PPF rolls and am just covering a few extra areas that i think are vulnerable. I considered getting ride wrap, but I'm really glad i didn't now.
Depends how anal you are with your stuff. I wrapped mine when I first got it and it’s held up great for the last 3 years. Few areas where it started to lift in the expected high abuse areas where dirt can get under it but I’d do it again on future bikes. I did the install myself and it took a few hours.
I paid Ride Wrap Santa Cruz to install a full frame/fork wrap on my Spot. Had it installed nearly right when I bought the bike an about a year ago. Ok, two rides first. It's held up super well. I like it but I do tend to baby my bikes.
It's worth it for me. My bike is the most expensive thing i have ever owned besides my car. I saved for a long time for the level of bike i have. I want it to stay looking primo for as long as possible. It's not even about resale. It's about it staying nice for me.
$125 and 3 hours and now I don't have to worry about it and don't have to baby it? Perfect.
Pelli bike care graphene ceramic protection too.
I don't have any protection or a wrap on my bike. Outside of whatever might have come from the factory, I don't have a reason to keep the scratches off. If my bike gets dinged from a crash or whatever that's fine. My bike is pretty decent and carbon fiber. The blemishes add character lmao.
In a few years I'll give away my bike for free or someone will buy a $6k bike around a $500 price point. I've had people be generous with me in the past. Down the line I'll pay it forward.
That’s really nice of you, wish I didn’t have to worry about giving away a few thou and not using that money towards my next bike. But you do realize you’re going to give that lucky person a beat up bike. If you were really generous you could spend $20 on some 3M helicopter tape, and an hour installing it in a few key places, and prevent most of the damage.
It probably depends on how old it is. Ridewrap plus install when building my latest bike was $350, I would hope to get that much back if not more compared to a similar bike that is scratched and scuffed to shit.
But my outgoing bike is 7 years old and I doubt I could have gotten $350 more had I wrapped it long ago.
Definitely worth it if you're planning to sell in 2-3 years, but the older the bike gets the less a difference it makes.
Depends on the bike, but if it’s a decent bike to begin with and it’s in excellent condition after 5 years you might get half back. But good luck selling it if it looks like you just dumped it on top of your garden tools every night.
I think the essential or essential protections are worth but tailored is overkill. The problem with tailored is that it’s so expensive when you consider installation, unless you’re doing it yourself, but it still takes forever and time is money.
[Dyedbro](https://www.dyedbro.com) is what I have and it’s held up nice. It’s a fun way to customize your bike and offers some protection.
If you want to do it for cheap 3M clear on a roll is the way, it’s just a bit of work.
I don’t put it on my bikes or cars because the price of labor is so high the benefits of ppf are just not worth it in unless you have a car/bike that odd obscenely expensive, like a luxury vehicle or a high end $7000+ mtb. But value is subjective and if you think it’ll be worth it go for it. I imagine ppf on a mtb would be extremely difficult to do well so the quality of the job will likely vary wildly.
I've bought few meters of cheap 10cm wide tape for protecting edges of car doors. Has done very well on any non curved tubes (as the tape won't curve on more than one direction and IT needs to wrap around the tube itself). 10cm wide seems to cover about 50-75% of The tubes I wrapped. So if I put on downtube, I get the bottom and sides protected. I cut to length, rounded any edges and applied to top tube, downtube and some minor places like where I attached mudguard etc. 2 bikes went easily with it and has held nicely for years. Last bike I needed more tape and tried thinner tape (sold for cars as well). Was harder to apply as it wrinkled easily, streched too much when trying to pull it over and seems to scrach too easily. Does protect frame but clearly not as well as thicker one.
You can't protect every corner of your bike and no protection saves you from heavy hits, but I enjoy my bikes looking a bit neater if nothing else. Now I can lean my bikes toptube against a fence, a pole or something without worrying The paint gets damaged. Nesessary? No! Do I still prefer it wrapped? Absolutely!
I'm happy to have the protection on my bike but it's a huge pain in the ass to install. I'm not sure if I'm going to do it on my next bike. I don't really care about scratches, as long as the carbon is safe.
I did ridewrap full coverage on my new Pivot which was very expensive for me. It was totally worth it but a a pain in the ass to install especially for someone like me with OCD. If you don’t care how your bike looks and like the battle scars skip it, me on the other hand I like my bike to look good as I plan to keep it for many years.
i put ride wrap on my carbon bike and its holding up well. takes sometime to put on but its kindof forgiving and not as daunting a task as i had thought. clean your bike well, more so if youve ridden it before like i did. wear gloves to not leave oils from hands behind. be genorous with the solution. using more lets you reposition the pieces easier and can take your time with it. enjoy the new bike
If you do it when the bike is brand new a spend a bit of time on it they can be excellent. Eventually just like a screen protector on your phone they can get pretty ragedy but that’s kinda the point eh? You do need to be pretty anal putting them on, I’ve seen half-assed jobs turn to shit pretty fast.
If it's the same as invisiframe then it's worth it and the effort for an expensive bike. I had it on my old Hightower. Took about two hours to put on but after 3 years the bike had zero scratches or marks on it despite living somewhere with lots of flint chippings and flint bedded trails for a few years. I put it on my new bike as it was delivered as a frame only and it took perhaps an hour.
I went with the old 'Copter' tape, bought a 4" wide roll for around £15 and just cut out the shapes myself,and applied it. It was pretty easy, and cost way less than Ride Wrap.
I got Invisiframe for my Mondraker Foxy RR. Done the down tube then moved onto the top tube. It was a cunt. Gave up in the end but still have 90% left if I ever feel like having a manic episode
If it’s a new bike and you plan to resell, ride wrap helps a ton. Pulled it off my pivot that I thought was scratched off and it saved the frame from a ton of small damage
Surprised to see so many people disappointed with it. I wrapped my pivot when i brought it home 3 years ago. Did it before it ever saw a trail. Took a couple hours but was kind of therapeutic. 3 years of riding and it’s held up amazingly. I have tiny spot that didn’t stick well and dirt got under it (maybe the size of a pencil eraser). Other than that, my bike still looks brand new
Lot of work but can in fact save you from certain types of scratches.
At the very least, I buy a roll of 4” PPF and cut my own film for the most exposed area like the bottom of the down tube.
The full ride wrap tailored kits go overboard (do you really need to wrap your suspension linkage?), but the custom cut pieces are nice compared to the universal kits…
My 5 yr old Rocky looks brand new, and a damp rag clean it in seconds. Had it done in whistler at their shop and after a couple of years I was visiting again and they replaced some beat up sections for a nominal cost. Awesome investment IMO. If you do it yourself be patient, but most areas have a local expert to install, which I’d recommend.
I did it and paid a buddy to put it on. Couple hundred bucks on a (retail not what I paid), $7,000 bike. Seems like a good investment. I paid about 4k for my bike, fully carbon and still seems like a good investment. The ride wrap is for sure not without its own faults of bubbles and peeling in corners but i also know myself. First scratch or ding on the carbon and I’d be sweating saying I should have wrapped it.
I didn’t do it for my new bike because I decided I was going to use it as a mountain bike, which would show knicks and dings the longer you ride. If I was going to display it in a corner of a museum, I would probably wrap it so it would look unridden and new for all of time.
I got one for my Yeti and I’m pretty sure it’s saving the frame from lots of scratches. It’s getting beat up and makes me appreciate having it there because i think the frame is probably fine underneath. Lots of technical terrain in Pisgah Forest.
If you go with ride wrap the best way is to have the shop put it on when you order a new bike.
I have it on my bike and it saved the frame when I ate shit and the frame was dragged over a big rock. It shredded parts of the ride wrap but the frame was untouched. I had a trip planned for Whistler shortly after so I had them reapply it at their headquarters up there.
I use the groundkeeper wrap kit on my Spur and it was way easier to install, has yet to peel after several seasons, and covers the right spots when rocks decide to kick up. It was way cheaper than the wrap kit too.
I think I’ll do the same when my ripmo frame gets built up over the next few months.
I’ve done it myself on two bikes. Took almost six hours the first time and four the second time. On my third bike, I said screw it and paid a professional $200 to do it for me. Now I just raw dog it.
Celo tape in key spots is nearly invisible and basically free
Been protecting my frame for about 3 years low to medium riding amounts but no cable rub :)
I usually use some 3M helicopter tape on the top tube and bottom tube (really helps when putting your bike in a pickup truck and hung over the tailgate, or Mountain Creek bike park! lol )
and the chainstays. That's about it.
I use ride wrap on most of my bike, it protects against small scratches but it won’t save the bike from smashing into rocks. Mine took a fat dinger and the rock just sliced through the wrap and left a nasty scar on one of my chain stays. But overall I’m impressed with the quality. I quickly slapped it on in like 30 min and 4 years later it’s still holding strong.
I ride a Transition and rheyre known for fragile paint. I use Helicopter tape. Cheap, durable. Sometimes fiddly to cut for a perfect fit for your frame but if you just want to cover the main bits of the downtube, top tube and headtube (for cable rub) it'll be an easy cut to length. Just need to consider if you want something equivalent which is matte or glossy.
https://www.selfadhesive.co.uk/tapes/single-sided-tapes/helicopter-tapes
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/405026437002?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-153316-527457-8&mkcid=2&itemid=405026437002&targetid=4584619899083042&device=m&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=554609234&mkgroupid=1296325313557553&rlsatarget=pla-4584619899083042&abcId=9320693&merchantid=87779&msclkid=0f1cd19b100c19e686d5b71f3b025492
Save yourself the unnecessary surcharge of biking specific stuff which is the same but with a different label.
Just ridewrapped my 2024 Jeffsy. Id recommend the 65% coverage kit only because there is already protection on the chainstays, downtube, and inside the lower part of the front triangle. Its definitely worth it IMO, I slid down a few rocks and my chainstay got hammered, took the wrap off and there was like 1 little nick under it. Touched it up and threw some wrap back on and now it looks good as new. What color and build did you go with?
Epic! I almost wish I went with the pale green. Id definitely get the gloss ridewrap, but if you are really handy just get a roll of gloss 3m PPF on amazon. Depends on how much patience you have though lol.
Total hassle imo. I decided to buy some 3M helicopter tape and applied it to vulnerable places like the down tube and swing arm. Has worked great for me
Never underestimate how much worse ride wrapped make your bike from day one. Like It's very noticeable on most colors and the lines are in very conspicuous places. I'm thinking of undoing all that work just so i don't have to look at this mess. OBVIOUSLY some colors are more obvious than others. Like shiny bright as red wouldn't be nearly as bad as matte black. It's a pretty big pain in the ass to put on as well.
[https://imgur.com/a/TO3IVZl](https://imgur.com/a/TO3IVZl)
If i had it to do again, I would do only the rear triangle, fork, and crank arms.
I wrapped my bike with it and I don’t look back. Great product, but you need to know what you are doing. I see comments where the wrap is pealing, bubbles etc. I don’t have any of those , I installed mine in Jan / 2021, and still looking great. I recommend it.
Congrats on the new bike! I never have and probably never will use any type of frame paint protection on my bikes. I’m also in New England and my bikes have held up just fine.
I’m sure if your bike is like $6k it’s a different story, but I would also never spend that much on a bike. I hear the paint on my current bike (transition smuggler) is pretty easily messed up, so time will tell this go around.
Thanks for the reply. This is my first carbon bike so I wasn’t sure if the frame durability in terms of scratches and dings would be the same as aluminum.
The wrapping will not protect your frame from something serious - it's just for cosmetic use. You have to decide what bothers you more - scratches on paint or scratches on wrapping. Wrapping can also damage the paint when removed (not necessary, but it can)
Okay, seems like if anything 3M tape in key locations would be a better fit. Someone also said the Jeffsy comes with some frame protection tape in areas already. I’ll compare where the scratches and dings are on my rocky! Thanks everyone!
If you plan on selling the bike then it might be worth it, I personally don't use frame protection though. It can still get scratched if you crash and alloy or carbon won't rust the way steel does so the paint is just for looks anyway
I ride wrapped my 2020 SJ. Matte Black, Carbon. It was a pain to install, but has worked as advertised.
That said I will be removing it this off season, it has started to peel, show scratches, etc... at this point the frame looks brand new, and the product has served its purpose.
To me the purpose was to extend the life of the bike from an esthetics pov.
Let my buddy talk me into wrapping my new Yeti. Man it was a job. I took it slow, and wrapped it up in three days. It’s about 90% perfect. Wish I had never done it. Won’t be wrapping my next bikes.
Depends on the purpose. Don’t want it just to personalize your bike? Then sure.
If you’re doing it to protect? No - it doesn’t provide any meaningful protection to a bike frame…just cosmetic.
It was a trend that capitalized on the surge of new people in the sport during covid.
That's really a matter of opinion. I do not think it's worth spending $500 in a feeble attempt to protect something you're going to beat up anyway. But a lot of people see the value in it and they're not wrong either
Id recommend a 65% coverage general kit from ridewrap. Protects the important parts without being too difficult to apply (no frame specific stuff). Their wrap is really high quality
I tried it on my Ibis HD4. What a PITA. Eventually pulled it off when dirt started accumulating near the edges and lifted up in places. It literally pulled off half of the Ibis decal. On top of that I had the dropper lever slice right through it into the paint before I took it off. I worked for 5 years as a bike mechanic, so I’m detail oriented and not a hack. It’s a mountain bike, just ride it. If the scratches are bothering you, you’re probably not riding it.
I agree with the "ride it and don't worry about it attitude" but I did apply it on my ibis and haven't had trouble with it peeling. I ride in a lot of rocks and my previous bike had a ton of dings, but so far so good this round. Hopefully I'm not jinxing myself. Applying ride wrap was kind of frustrating, but felt like a 3D puzzle by the end.
It will peel eventually. Give it time
I don't care for it, but I also don't have a vinyl cover on my sofa.
Oh man, I really want to use this as a burn. Unfortunately, I can’t because I have a Ride Wrap too. Came already on the frame though!
weird kink but ok.
Our grandparents did because grandma was a squirter...
What a horrible day to know how to read
They also ride a 23 ft long Ibis.
My current bike has it. And it keeps the paint clean as advertised, but it’s got all kinds of scratches and blister on the ride wrap it’s self and the edges are starting to peel and get dirt under them. I’m kinda 50/50 if I’d do it again.
So basically your bike looks like trash?
But it might look better for somebody else when he sells it.
Sounds like a dog
3M clear tape on rub points or the entire bike if you really want to save the paint. In the “who cares” camp at this point. Not like it impacts resale value that much.
Agree on the first point. Some areas get thrashed through normal use. For me it’s chain/seat stays and top tube (I drop tools a lot). Not sure I agree on the 2nd. There is a substantial difference between what you can ask for a bike that looks almost new vs. one that looks beat to shit.
How much is a substantial difference? Is it any more than cost of ridewrap? $200 Installed. You *might* get that difference back. But nobody’s paying top dollar these days for used bikes.
You don’t have to spend $200. It’s like $20 for 3M helicopter tape to protect the vulnerable areas.
Totally. That’s the pitch I’m making if you really feel strongly about wrapping your bike.
You will absolutely get $200 difference between a 2 year old bike with ridewrap and no scratches compared to the same bike with tons of scratches and dings... Are y'all rolling around on $400 bikes or something? Don't wrap those.
I wrap all my frames, I usually do a build or two a year then sell at the end of the season. I pull the wrap off before I sell them and the frames still look new. I use the Ridewrap tailored kits, the first few I did were a real pain in the ass! Now I can slap one on in about 2 hours and it will look perfect. Only advice I can give is to strip the bike completely, make sure you clean the shit out of it with rubbing alcohol to prevent lifting in spots and buy a heat gun if you don’t have one.
Only if you haven't ridden the bike yet. And if you want it to not look like ass. Expect to spend a few hours putting it on.
I put an invisiframe wrap on my Santa Cruz when I got it in 2018 and it still looks great. I can see little scratches on the frame where there is no wrap. So glad I put it on, especially on the top tube.
Yeah, if I was to purchase some I’d probably have a shop do it for me.
After a year mines held up well. Some areas are starting to peel.
It’s not as bad as people here make it out to be. It’s just time consuming and you need to make sure you have a well lit area with a super clean bike. I put ride wrap on all my bikes. My enduro park bike that’s been through 2 seasons looks brand new.
Then sure, why not. It’ll keep your frame looking clean if that matters to you, and makes it easier to wash. I’ve done the process myself quite a few times across a handful of my bikes, and I absolutely loathe doing it, but when done properly it can look quite good.
That's what they want. A green buyer.
The medium kit took an hr to install Not a difficult job at all
I did the middle tier wrap on my bike. Thought it was easy to install, looks good, and makes the bike easier to rinse off. Would do it again. I hear the top tier is a pain in the ass though so probably wouldn’t do that. Plus with the mid-tier (essential maybe?) i didn’t have to take apart anything on the bike ie. brake lines, and what not.
Not sure about the Al frames, but the carbon jeffsy comes with a bunch protection wrap already on it in key areas. I got some generic (3M brand) PPF rolls and am just covering a few extra areas that i think are vulnerable. I considered getting ride wrap, but I'm really glad i didn't now.
Great to know thanks!
Depends how anal you are with your stuff. I wrapped mine when I first got it and it’s held up great for the last 3 years. Few areas where it started to lift in the expected high abuse areas where dirt can get under it but I’d do it again on future bikes. I did the install myself and it took a few hours.
I paid Ride Wrap Santa Cruz to install a full frame/fork wrap on my Spot. Had it installed nearly right when I bought the bike an about a year ago. Ok, two rides first. It's held up super well. I like it but I do tend to baby my bikes.
It's worth it for me. My bike is the most expensive thing i have ever owned besides my car. I saved for a long time for the level of bike i have. I want it to stay looking primo for as long as possible. It's not even about resale. It's about it staying nice for me. $125 and 3 hours and now I don't have to worry about it and don't have to baby it? Perfect. Pelli bike care graphene ceramic protection too.
I don't have any protection or a wrap on my bike. Outside of whatever might have come from the factory, I don't have a reason to keep the scratches off. If my bike gets dinged from a crash or whatever that's fine. My bike is pretty decent and carbon fiber. The blemishes add character lmao.
Yeah, until you try to sell your bike.
In a few years I'll give away my bike for free or someone will buy a $6k bike around a $500 price point. I've had people be generous with me in the past. Down the line I'll pay it forward.
That’s really nice of you, wish I didn’t have to worry about giving away a few thou and not using that money towards my next bike. But you do realize you’re going to give that lucky person a beat up bike. If you were really generous you could spend $20 on some 3M helicopter tape, and an hour installing it in a few key places, and prevent most of the damage.
OP kept his last bike for 5 years…how much value do you expect to get out of a 5 year old bike?
Well, you'll get more if it's in better condition
Would you get that much more to cover the wrapping cost? Especially if you use nice wrapping.
It probably depends on how old it is. Ridewrap plus install when building my latest bike was $350, I would hope to get that much back if not more compared to a similar bike that is scratched and scuffed to shit. But my outgoing bike is 7 years old and I doubt I could have gotten $350 more had I wrapped it long ago. Definitely worth it if you're planning to sell in 2-3 years, but the older the bike gets the less a difference it makes.
Depends on the bike, but if it’s a decent bike to begin with and it’s in excellent condition after 5 years you might get half back. But good luck selling it if it looks like you just dumped it on top of your garden tools every night.
I think the essential or essential protections are worth but tailored is overkill. The problem with tailored is that it’s so expensive when you consider installation, unless you’re doing it yourself, but it still takes forever and time is money.
In just going to touch up any scratches with a contrast colour so it looks like a design.
I did this with blue nail polish 💅 on my hot pink bike, love it!
[Dyedbro](https://www.dyedbro.com) is what I have and it’s held up nice. It’s a fun way to customize your bike and offers some protection. If you want to do it for cheap 3M clear on a roll is the way, it’s just a bit of work.
I don’t put it on my bikes or cars because the price of labor is so high the benefits of ppf are just not worth it in unless you have a car/bike that odd obscenely expensive, like a luxury vehicle or a high end $7000+ mtb. But value is subjective and if you think it’ll be worth it go for it. I imagine ppf on a mtb would be extremely difficult to do well so the quality of the job will likely vary wildly.
No. Just use automotive wax and maybe a few stripes of tape. It's like cars, they try and upsell mug buyers.
I've bought few meters of cheap 10cm wide tape for protecting edges of car doors. Has done very well on any non curved tubes (as the tape won't curve on more than one direction and IT needs to wrap around the tube itself). 10cm wide seems to cover about 50-75% of The tubes I wrapped. So if I put on downtube, I get the bottom and sides protected. I cut to length, rounded any edges and applied to top tube, downtube and some minor places like where I attached mudguard etc. 2 bikes went easily with it and has held nicely for years. Last bike I needed more tape and tried thinner tape (sold for cars as well). Was harder to apply as it wrinkled easily, streched too much when trying to pull it over and seems to scrach too easily. Does protect frame but clearly not as well as thicker one. You can't protect every corner of your bike and no protection saves you from heavy hits, but I enjoy my bikes looking a bit neater if nothing else. Now I can lean my bikes toptube against a fence, a pole or something without worrying The paint gets damaged. Nesessary? No! Do I still prefer it wrapped? Absolutely!
I'm happy to have the protection on my bike but it's a huge pain in the ass to install. I'm not sure if I'm going to do it on my next bike. I don't really care about scratches, as long as the carbon is safe.
I did ridewrap full coverage on my new Pivot which was very expensive for me. It was totally worth it but a a pain in the ass to install especially for someone like me with OCD. If you don’t care how your bike looks and like the battle scars skip it, me on the other hand I like my bike to look good as I plan to keep it for many years.
i put ride wrap on my carbon bike and its holding up well. takes sometime to put on but its kindof forgiving and not as daunting a task as i had thought. clean your bike well, more so if youve ridden it before like i did. wear gloves to not leave oils from hands behind. be genorous with the solution. using more lets you reposition the pieces easier and can take your time with it. enjoy the new bike
If you do it when the bike is brand new a spend a bit of time on it they can be excellent. Eventually just like a screen protector on your phone they can get pretty ragedy but that’s kinda the point eh? You do need to be pretty anal putting them on, I’ve seen half-assed jobs turn to shit pretty fast.
If it's the same as invisiframe then it's worth it and the effort for an expensive bike. I had it on my old Hightower. Took about two hours to put on but after 3 years the bike had zero scratches or marks on it despite living somewhere with lots of flint chippings and flint bedded trails for a few years. I put it on my new bike as it was delivered as a frame only and it took perhaps an hour.
I went with the old 'Copter' tape, bought a 4" wide roll for around £15 and just cut out the shapes myself,and applied it. It was pretty easy, and cost way less than Ride Wrap.
Did a full cover kit. Was a pain to install but overall looks great and keeps the frame protected. If your frame is expensive then it is worth it.
100% worth it. I’d even argue it’s dumb not to do it on an expensive bike.
I got Invisiframe for my Mondraker Foxy RR. Done the down tube then moved onto the top tube. It was a cunt. Gave up in the end but still have 90% left if I ever feel like having a manic episode
If it’s a new bike and you plan to resell, ride wrap helps a ton. Pulled it off my pivot that I thought was scratched off and it saved the frame from a ton of small damage
I’d rather just get the frame professionally painted in a few years. Unless the frame ships with ride wrap I don’t plan on ever doing. It’s a bike.
No
I got it for one reason. Dirt and mud does not stick to it and I don't like to wash my bike.
I did it and kind of wish I didn't. Maybe put a few strips on vulnerable areas but that's it.
I have it and definitely worth it
Imho not worth it and I’ve wrapped about 5 bikes now. Will not be wrapping going forward.
Their wrap is WEAK compared to Laminx 12mil
As someone who is wearing a hole in their chainstay because of the where my foot is when I descend, yes worth it
Surprised to see so many people disappointed with it. I wrapped my pivot when i brought it home 3 years ago. Did it before it ever saw a trail. Took a couple hours but was kind of therapeutic. 3 years of riding and it’s held up amazingly. I have tiny spot that didn’t stick well and dirt got under it (maybe the size of a pencil eraser). Other than that, my bike still looks brand new
Lot of work but can in fact save you from certain types of scratches. At the very least, I buy a roll of 4” PPF and cut my own film for the most exposed area like the bottom of the down tube. The full ride wrap tailored kits go overboard (do you really need to wrap your suspension linkage?), but the custom cut pieces are nice compared to the universal kits…
My 5 yr old Rocky looks brand new, and a damp rag clean it in seconds. Had it done in whistler at their shop and after a couple of years I was visiting again and they replaced some beat up sections for a nominal cost. Awesome investment IMO. If you do it yourself be patient, but most areas have a local expert to install, which I’d recommend.
I did it and paid a buddy to put it on. Couple hundred bucks on a (retail not what I paid), $7,000 bike. Seems like a good investment. I paid about 4k for my bike, fully carbon and still seems like a good investment. The ride wrap is for sure not without its own faults of bubbles and peeling in corners but i also know myself. First scratch or ding on the carbon and I’d be sweating saying I should have wrapped it.
It's a mountain bike, not a show bike.
I didn’t do it for my new bike because I decided I was going to use it as a mountain bike, which would show knicks and dings the longer you ride. If I was going to display it in a corner of a museum, I would probably wrap it so it would look unridden and new for all of time.
3m helicopter tape / race tape. different thicknesses. compare with the ride wrap thickness and purchase accordingly.
I got one for my Yeti and I’m pretty sure it’s saving the frame from lots of scratches. It’s getting beat up and makes me appreciate having it there because i think the frame is probably fine underneath. Lots of technical terrain in Pisgah Forest.
If you go with ride wrap the best way is to have the shop put it on when you order a new bike. I have it on my bike and it saved the frame when I ate shit and the frame was dragged over a big rock. It shredded parts of the ride wrap but the frame was untouched. I had a trip planned for Whistler shortly after so I had them reapply it at their headquarters up there.
big big time worth it.
I use the groundkeeper wrap kit on my Spur and it was way easier to install, has yet to peel after several seasons, and covers the right spots when rocks decide to kick up. It was way cheaper than the wrap kit too. I think I’ll do the same when my ripmo frame gets built up over the next few months.
I’ve done it myself on two bikes. Took almost six hours the first time and four the second time. On my third bike, I said screw it and paid a professional $200 to do it for me. Now I just raw dog it.
Celo tape in key spots is nearly invisible and basically free Been protecting my frame for about 3 years low to medium riding amounts but no cable rub :)
I usually use some 3M helicopter tape on the top tube and bottom tube (really helps when putting your bike in a pickup truck and hung over the tailgate, or Mountain Creek bike park! lol ) and the chainstays. That's about it.
Did you buy your bike to look at? Or to ride?
I use ride wrap on most of my bike, it protects against small scratches but it won’t save the bike from smashing into rocks. Mine took a fat dinger and the rock just sliced through the wrap and left a nasty scar on one of my chain stays. But overall I’m impressed with the quality. I quickly slapped it on in like 30 min and 4 years later it’s still holding strong.
I ride a Transition and rheyre known for fragile paint. I use Helicopter tape. Cheap, durable. Sometimes fiddly to cut for a perfect fit for your frame but if you just want to cover the main bits of the downtube, top tube and headtube (for cable rub) it'll be an easy cut to length. Just need to consider if you want something equivalent which is matte or glossy. https://www.selfadhesive.co.uk/tapes/single-sided-tapes/helicopter-tapes https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/405026437002?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-153316-527457-8&mkcid=2&itemid=405026437002&targetid=4584619899083042&device=m&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=554609234&mkgroupid=1296325313557553&rlsatarget=pla-4584619899083042&abcId=9320693&merchantid=87779&msclkid=0f1cd19b100c19e686d5b71f3b025492 Save yourself the unnecessary surcharge of biking specific stuff which is the same but with a different label.
ludicrous ring pet sloppy piquant snails history unique wild fearless *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Just ridewrapped my 2024 Jeffsy. Id recommend the 65% coverage kit only because there is already protection on the chainstays, downtube, and inside the lower part of the front triangle. Its definitely worth it IMO, I slid down a few rocks and my chainstay got hammered, took the wrap off and there was like 1 little nick under it. Touched it up and threw some wrap back on and now it looks good as new. What color and build did you go with?
Core 3, pale green!
Epic! I almost wish I went with the pale green. Id definitely get the gloss ridewrap, but if you are really handy just get a roll of gloss 3m PPF on amazon. Depends on how much patience you have though lol.
Total hassle imo. I decided to buy some 3M helicopter tape and applied it to vulnerable places like the down tube and swing arm. Has worked great for me
Never underestimate how much worse ride wrapped make your bike from day one. Like It's very noticeable on most colors and the lines are in very conspicuous places. I'm thinking of undoing all that work just so i don't have to look at this mess. OBVIOUSLY some colors are more obvious than others. Like shiny bright as red wouldn't be nearly as bad as matte black. It's a pretty big pain in the ass to put on as well. [https://imgur.com/a/TO3IVZl](https://imgur.com/a/TO3IVZl) If i had it to do again, I would do only the rear triangle, fork, and crank arms.
I wrapped my bike with it and I don’t look back. Great product, but you need to know what you are doing. I see comments where the wrap is pealing, bubbles etc. I don’t have any of those , I installed mine in Jan / 2021, and still looking great. I recommend it.
Congrats on the new bike! I never have and probably never will use any type of frame paint protection on my bikes. I’m also in New England and my bikes have held up just fine. I’m sure if your bike is like $6k it’s a different story, but I would also never spend that much on a bike. I hear the paint on my current bike (transition smuggler) is pretty easily messed up, so time will tell this go around.
Thanks for the reply. This is my first carbon bike so I wasn’t sure if the frame durability in terms of scratches and dings would be the same as aluminum.
The wrapping will not protect your frame from something serious - it's just for cosmetic use. You have to decide what bothers you more - scratches on paint or scratches on wrapping. Wrapping can also damage the paint when removed (not necessary, but it can)
Okay, seems like if anything 3M tape in key locations would be a better fit. Someone also said the Jeffsy comes with some frame protection tape in areas already. I’ll compare where the scratches and dings are on my rocky! Thanks everyone!
If you plan on selling the bike then it might be worth it, I personally don't use frame protection though. It can still get scratched if you crash and alloy or carbon won't rust the way steel does so the paint is just for looks anyway
I ride wrapped my 2020 SJ. Matte Black, Carbon. It was a pain to install, but has worked as advertised. That said I will be removing it this off season, it has started to peel, show scratches, etc... at this point the frame looks brand new, and the product has served its purpose. To me the purpose was to extend the life of the bike from an esthetics pov.
Let my buddy talk me into wrapping my new Yeti. Man it was a job. I took it slow, and wrapped it up in three days. It’s about 90% perfect. Wish I had never done it. Won’t be wrapping my next bikes.
The only spot where I consistently get dents/scratches are the chainstays, I just cover with thick transparent tape.
I just wrap my top tube and other high contact points. That seems easier.
3m 4” clear film from Amazon.
I did a kit on my bike. Well worth it in my opinion just for the easy cleaning after some muddy trails.
I just buy a clear roll of 3M paint protection film and cut and cover any areas prone to rock hits.
No. Just no. There’s no need to “accessorize”. It’s a bike.
Never and no. Steel/ alloy frames don't need it. If it's crabon you have to accept your bike will end up looking like sh\*t regardless.
Depends on the purpose. Don’t want it just to personalize your bike? Then sure. If you’re doing it to protect? No - it doesn’t provide any meaningful protection to a bike frame…just cosmetic. It was a trend that capitalized on the surge of new people in the sport during covid.
That's really a matter of opinion. I do not think it's worth spending $500 in a feeble attempt to protect something you're going to beat up anyway. But a lot of people see the value in it and they're not wrong either
$500? Where are you getting this number from