UKC

Just bought a immaculate second hand bike and wanting to tape it.

Do you try and tape the full circumference on say somewhere like the chain stay or not? Trying to figure the width of tape needed.

Also any tips for applying would be great.

Thanks in advance.

Lynsey.

In reply to Lynsety:

I'm no pro, but I just stick on the bits I need to stop cable rub or chain slap. I don't wrap it all around or anything. I ride my bike in hideous conditions and it's not peeled of yet.

In reply to Lynsety:

3M Leading Edge tape (otherwise known as Heli Tape) isn't actually very good IMO. I'd recommend 300um 3M Venture Shield instead (150um is also available and for a road bike perfectly okay, but on an MTB going thicker will help protect from gouges as well as scuffing). VS is very flexible, doesn't yellow, and goes round corners. In contrast Leading Edge is hard, tears, and doesn't go round corners.

In reply to Lynsety:
For the chain stay you can't do better than an old inner tube secured with some sturdy zip ties IMO.
For anything else remember a scuffed bike is a loved bike.

In reply to Lynsety:

Drive side chain-stay - tape all round, as chain can flick up as well as down. I've also got a bit on the non-drive side to prevent heal rub, on the off-chance my foot slips.

Wherever the cables might rub, but I tend to buy the pre-cut patches for that, as it looks neater. I've also been known to put bits where accessories might rub, like back of the seat post where a saddle bag can rub.

Also on the inside of the stays where a tyre might rub if the wheel gets a bit out of true - you might not notice at the time, but find a nasty wear mark later...

Some of my bikes have a nice wide strip along the bottom of the down tube and bottom bracket, to prevent chips from flicked stones.

In reply to LastBoyScout:





Would it not have been easier just to leave it covered by the packaging.

In reply to webbo:


:-D Bit tricky to ride them like that, though.

Most of that has come from experience and kicking myself about avoidable damage.

In reply to LastBoyScout:
What sort of riding are you doing not to notice your wheel rubbing on the frame. I can usually notice straight away if the wheel rubs on the brake blocks.

In reply to MikeSP:


Exactly!! It's only really worth it for chain stay and anywhere that you might be attaching stuff; eg bars for lights, computer etc, seat post for seat bag, attachment points on top/down/seat tube if using a frame bag etc.

What's this with heel rub on the non-drive side of the drive chain?!

In reply to webbo:


Hit a pothole rather hard - invisible in the dark under a bridge. No obvious damage at first, but I'd actually caused a micro crack in the rim and over the remaining miles home, one of the spokes started to pull the nipple through the rim, meaning the wheel went out of true enough to catch the inside of the chainstay, didn't notice it catching the brake blocks at the time.