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Bought some 3M helitape for my carbon On One but just read on here about issues when removing it on their frames. I tend to keep my bikes for a long time so dont want to risk damaging the paint work.
Are there any home made alternatives like using bits of inner tube to protect the lower part of the downtube?
3M 2882 mastic tape is fantastic for this.
I think I've got the number right, if not, it's pretty similar.
Never removed any though so I don't know if you'll have the same problem.
Dont want anything sticky just in case.
If there was some kind of neoprene protector for the lower part of the downtube. Or even a longer mudguard that covers more of the downtube.
Only really want this for winter
Whats the purpose of it if you only want it for winter. Rock strikes happen all year round...a bit of muds not going to hurt it?
I recently tried to remove some I got from Biketart and it's made a right mess of my frame. I ended up leaving most of it on as the bit I did remove was so sticky it left all the glue on the paint which took hours of scraping to remove and has left the paint full.
Whats the purpose of it if you only want it for winter. Rock strikes happen all year round…a bit of muds not going to hurt it?
Mud makes stones stick to tyres and I get more stone chips in winter.
Here is a great solution. Moldable, peels off, custom colours and cost effective
https://gnartec.com/product/draft-gnartec-mtb-frame-protection-kit/
Removing helitape is fine - you just need to warm it up with a hairdryer so the glue becomes less sticky. Remove any excess glue with a wipe down of isopropyl alcohol.
+1 for the hairdryer.
I use a nukeproof dissent rubber pad on downtube. 9 quid from wiggle.
Surely if you buy decent helitape and apply it properly then it won't need removing. I've got helitape on my enduro bike from 2012 and it still looks fine with no peeling or discolouration.
Just found this thread, as I've used the last of my old biketart tape, and their offering seems to be different now.
So, my question to resurrect the thread is: which Heli tape for general protection, rather than bike-specific pre-cut bits?