Spent an afternoon getting some tape on my carbon frame to protect from rub spots from my new bags. My frame already has some tape from the factory on the down tube, is that enough to protect the frame from those straps? Or should I go all the way around? Seems that the top straps would put more tension than those tiny straps. This is the only spot on my whole rig I feel questionable about tape-wise.
(New to bike packing, thanks for any insight)
by SnoShark
8 Comments
Sand plus even the slightest movement is killing for paint. The downtube gets a lot of sand and dust kicked up to it, so that is definitely a high risk area.
One of your straps goes across the the S in Specialized. If that letter scratches or fades, it will be really noticable.
Yes under every strap, otherwise you’ll see damage after the first ride.
Nevermind just damaging the paint wet grit and sand will grind through the thin carbon walls of the tubing faster than you can believe.
Hey, I have the same bike!
I tape up every part where frame and bag touch, every time. I have a buddy with a carbon frame who rode a single day in muddy/dusty conditions and it left serious marks, so I‘m very cautious.
I use package tape for small parts of the bike and it has held up week long trips with no issues.
Best thing I did for my carbon bike is put a full tailored Ridewrap kit on it. Since you have a Specialized, there’s a good chance they make a tailored kit for your bike. PITA to put on, but worth it long term.
When in doubt helicopter tape is your friend. Use it. Paint and carbon (as well as aluminum) are surprisingly easy to abrade – especially when combined with dirt. Straps, cables, bags… are very likely culprits for abrasion as is simply leaning your bike against stuff (when it wants to do everything but stay how you leaned it up against said object) which absolutely happens when your bike is loaded up with a slightly different balance point depending upon what you happen to be carrying at the time and exactly how it’s loaded vs another time – while tired and haggard.
I’ve been using mat tape that’s made for wrestling. You can get it in either 4” or 3” wide. It’s considerably thicker than packing tape and has some stretch to it so that it can form to the shape of the tubes better.
Thanks all! Looks like I’ve got some more taping to do.