Invisiframe - have a go, or let a real man/woman do it?

I give mine to the wife 🙂

It's not 'hard' as such... fiddly though and quite simply takes time and patience. Depends how much you value 3-4 hours of your life.

Not invisiframe, but I stuck some helitape stuff to my Camino & it was pretty easy to do without bubbles and a messy finish.

I cut custom pieces, made sure to warm them to make them more flexible (and also warm the frame) with a hairdryer beforehand and used a water sprayer with a tiny bit of shampoo (like a drop or two) to make a slippy solution that meant the position could be adjusted when on the bike.
Once happy with the position, I used a squeegee & the hairdryer to remove the water & ensure it all stuck well.

Best thing to do is accept it's going to take time, go slowly & methodically and it shouldn't be too hard.
Having said all that, if you know you are the sort of person who doesn't have the 'knack' for that sort of task, then just get someone else to fit it.

Invidiframe is like sex. It needs to be much wetter than you first think and you need to be patient and allow plenty of time if you want to do a proper job. It's not worth rushing it.

cut custom pieces, made sure to warm them to make them more flexible (and also warm the frame) with a hairdryer beforehand and used a water sprayer with a tiny bit of shampoo (like a drop or two) to make a slippy solution that meant the position could be adjusted when on the bike.

Am curious how this works, the adhesive obviously isn't affected by the solution so once it dries out the adhesive cures on the frame?

I have zero artsy-crafty skills so every application of any sort of frame/component tape has resulted in bubbles and thumbprints, which I can tolerate on any bike going off-road but couldn't bear to sully my shiny new road bike with.

I'd consider myself upper-intermediate level in terms of home bike servicing skills / experience and it took me around 4 hours to do a full coverage Ride Wrap kit. I watched as many instructional videos as possible before I started so I knew what I was getting in to. A couple of the early pieces I had to take off and start again but after the first hour I got into a rhythm. It was quite therapeutic.

I did my Levo the other day. Thought I'd done a half decent job in the bright light conditions I did it in.

Stuck the bike away and had a look two days later and there are air bubbles on most large pieces. Looks ok from a distance but in hindsight I wish I'd paid someone to do it now.

@weeksy nails it really. It's not hard per se, it's just fiddley. advice I have is

1. if you do it outdoors, pick a warm not too breezy day

2. the squeezy and the sprayer are your friends, don't be afraid to use plenty of water/solution

3. start with smaller pieces inside the frame (chain stays, seat stays etc) to get a feel for how it goes on. conversely;

4. Take your time with the larger pieces that can be seen.

5. don't panic about air bubbles; you can squeeze out all but the most tricky ones, and those you can prick with a pin or v sharp exacto.

My advice, don’t get back from the pub ‘well lubricated’ crack open a bottle of wine, and then decide to do it.

It’s not ‘hard’ as such… fiddly though and quite simply takes time and patience. Depends how much you value 3-4 hours of your life.

This. Did on a frame only, pretty pleased with the outcome. Would not be fun on a complete bike with cables.

Job did get worse as the number of beers totted up.

Did it myself. Took about 4 hours, pretty happy with the job I did, there are some bits that I would be able to do better next time, but I’ve seen people who’ve had it fitted “professionally” with worse outcomes.

I wouldn’t do it outdoors.

Make sure your frame is spotless before hand.

Use lots of spray, and then use the squeegee to get it to stick.

Follow the instructions and watch the videos, paying attention to the squeegeeing technique.

Don’t worry if it’s not sticking, keep squeegeeing and it will.

Don’t be afraid to take a piece off and start again, as long as it’s not cured on, and you use lots of spray it’s fine.

Take your time.

Air bubbles come out better if you use more spray.

I think it’s been worth it, it’s definitely protected my bike.

Invidiframe is like sex. It needs to be much wetter than you first think and you need to be patient and allow plenty of time if you want to do a proper job. It’s not worth rushing it.

Yep, it's not that hard but to do a proper job your looking at half a day, at least. You'll need a clean, quiet space with no distractions. Johnson's baby shampoo is what you need for lubing up yourself and the film. Oh and use a towel for squeegeeing out the edge, this not only makes them stick better but also removes the moisture.

Ah yeah, forgot about the towel trick. A non-piling cloth is what’s needed I think.

Yep, it’s not that hard but to do a proper job your looking at half a day, at least. You’ll need a clean, quiet space with no distractions.

You were doing so well continuing Onza's analogy

ohnson’s baby shampoo is what you need for lubing up yourself and the film.

Stretching it a bit thin here...

Oh and use a towel for squeegeeing out the edge, this not only makes them stick better but also removes the moisture.

but you lost me here, unless I've been doing sex wrong all this time?

It was easier than I thought and I was happy with how it turned out. Actually amazed how good it looked initially, but later on could see some small imperfections, nothing big though. Just needs good light and time set aside for the task.

Paying someone is going to be more than the cost of the invisiframe if you want it done right - definitely not a generic bike shop job. You would need someone with plenty of wrapping experience under the belt.

I give mine to the wife 🙂

I'm with @weeksy on this one. Although I'm still required to point out which bit is the chainstay, promise it won't take as long as last time and provide useful QC such as 'is that a bubble' 🙂

Defo agree on getting the frame absolutely spotless (we use IPA) and to do it inside if possible. Also if you leave it to 'cure' over a couple of days at room temp, some of the air bubbles disappear.

Only ever done frames and forks but it's easy enough. Patience is key and working all the air bubbles/pockets of water out takes time. A fully built bike would definitely be more difficult I reckon.

I'm having a good laugh imagining the response if I asked my wife to Invisiframe my new bike:

"Aye, I'll Invisiframe your balls if you like. You'll have Invisiballs."

I’m with @weeksy on this one

Didn't know you knew my wife 🙂

I wouldn’t do it outdoors.

I found the light outside much easier than indoors. Although I did have to be pretty vigilant about dust and dirt TBF.

Make sure your frame is spotless before hand.

Yes, and try to do it as a frame only.

Do it yourself. It’s doddle,  Google/YouTube how to do it.  Take your time and go steady.

what NickC said is spot on

Done a couple of Invisiframe kits on my Rocket Max. I found it quite therapeutic, but it's not a job to be done at midnight in a cold garage, or with children/dogs/ferrets running around your feet. Clean out a nice, big well-lit space inside with a tile floor, strip as much off the frame as you can, get it in a work stand and give it a quick rub over with some alcohol.
First time took about 3-4 hours, 2nd time was less.

Use a teeny bit of baby shampoo in water in a squirty bottle, apply liberally to everything, then take your time placing and squeegying. The more soap, the longer it will take to adhere, so you can adjust as required. Initially I used too much and it became irritating trying to squeege with the panels sliding about.

Some bits just won't want to stick, like over difficult welds or something, so use less water and then heat up with a hair dryer and rub over the bits that lift/bubble.

When you're done, leave the frame somewhere warm overnight so the panels can properly adhere.

Do NOT under any circumstances mix up the spray bottle of IPA you have for cleaning the frame down, with the spray bottle you used for your slip solution.  It makes for a tense few minutes as you realise it has the opposite effect of what’s supposed to happen and rather than 10 cruisy minutes you needed, you have approximately 10 seconds to get it placed before it sets like sh*t to a freshly primed blanket.

I Invisiframed my Levo straight out the box. It did not take 4 hours! Probably less than 2. Matt finish.

Mine is not 100% perfect, but I am very happy with it an I was impressed how easy it was. Clean the frame fully. Work methodically, and use plenty of spray.

I'd mine with the bike in a workstand in the garage in May. Inside, during relatively warm weather. Outside in the cold would be more difficult.

I've fitted three lots now.  First was a plain sheet that I templated to the bike with A3 paper.  Took a good few hours and I worked out you need to cut from the correct side to not get a rough edge.  I think I used the same template method for my wife's bike.  (both didn't have a precut kit available)

I then bought a precut kit for my hardtail, it was much easier to apply and only took a few hours despite the bike being built up.  The only bit I didn't fit was the under BB section as I'd have needed to take all the cables off.

As above though, don't skim on the prep.  Clean bike, car tar remover to clean, a squeezy spray bottle with baby shampoo, and some bits you might need to keep squeegying/hold down for a few minutes for the film to take to the curve.  That's definitely worth remembering if you template the bike, if the paper won't sit fairly flat without ripples, then the film is going to be the same except and will need squeegying until it conforms.

Nice tip about the towel to dry the edges, might help them stick when they are being fiddly, as well as perhaps a separate bottle with less or no soap to spray the bits that need help sticking.

Its a kitchen/conservatory job though, a dusty garage will make it much harder.  Good lighting is also a benefit.