Bike ordered. Have I gone soft?

[phutureproof]

It's done. After several weeks of dithering, and several years of dissing them with my mates, I've settled on a Whyte e150RS.

My title asks "Have I gone soft?".

I have asked the bike shop to apply Invisiframe. I've never bothered with that sort of thing before. (OK, I lie. I sometimes put screen protectors on my phones.) But protective film on a MTB?? Is that just sad? A bike is to be (ab)used, surely?

But I always have this dilemma going on in my head: I want to be able to just use the bike without worrying about grazing it. I don't want to have to prance about, delicately balancing it against a wall or fence so it doesn't slip and scuff itself somewhere. I want to be able to chuck it in the back of my car and not worry about something rubbing against it and causing a little scratch on my way to the next ride.

But I know I'm going to faff about and be overly cautious just like I have done with my lovely raw lacquered Brompton bike.

So I am getting it 'invisiframed'!

But while my 2011 Orange Crush is a bit bruised and battered, it's great. I can just use it without worrying. If it falls over, so what.

I think I've gone soft...or it could be that I have never spent so much money on a flippin' bike before!

How long will it be before my Whyte turns into another Orange Crush and I can just relax and use it?

 

[Jackware]

It's natural to want to protect your new investment but you know it's going to get scuffed and scratched. Just don't get too anal soft and destroy the motor/wiring by jet washing every crevice on the bike when you get home.

 

[Tubby G]

I’ve just read this thread and by pure coincidence have literally just come from the Invisiframe website checking out the cost of a kit for a carbon framed Orbea Rise I have on order

I’ve also never wrapped a bike before, never worried about it, don’t mind the odd scratch or chip, but seeing how many people on this forum do wrap their frames has got me wondering whether I should be doing it on the new bike when it arrives. £85 for the kit and no doubt I’d pay an LBS to fit it as I have no patience at all with sticky wrappy things. Is it worth it? I have no idea, never done it before

 

[Hobo Mikey]

My bike cost more than most of my cars and I never invisframed them. ?

 

[phutureproof]

I think my other issue with wrapping frames (which I am committed to now having ordered the product and instructed the bike shop!) is that you never actually see your own bike in all it's glory. Its always covered in a plastic film that will presumably start to look crap after a few rides.

At least it means if I ever sell it the new buyer will see it in its new condition, even though I never have ;-)

 

[Tubby G]

I think my other issue with wrapping frames (which I am committed to now having ordered the product and instructed the bike shop!) is that you never actually see your own bike in all it's glory. Its always covered in a plastic film that will presumably start to look crap after a few rides.

At least it means if I ever sell it the new buyer will see it in its new condition, even though I never have ;-)

yes I think you’ve just persuaded me not to invisiframe mine ?

 

[Gary]

How the hell can anyone dis Ebikes if they ride an Orange? ?

 

[EME]

@phutureproof I’d invisiframe it.

I’m a total beginner so no idea. This does however mean that I get more crap and shoite- hits than most. I did not do from new but wish I had. I’d say it’s 95% as good as it was 10 months and 4K km ago.

Up to you though.

I can’t afford that much nail varnish.

Ps. Since 2010 I’ve been protection wrapping my cars too. Saved loads of money with repaints etc.

 

[The Hodge]

Each to their own ..Ive never wrapped my bikes ..and see the odd scratch as a battle scar ..
I just wanted to congratulate you on your choice of bike ..you will love it !

 

[Gyre]

I figure the most important function of any bike is that it motivates you to ride any time you see it. If having a bike that looks pristine helps with that, don't second guess the cost of protecting it.

 

[jbrown15]

Nothing wrong with wanted to protect an expensive toy. Personally I don't bother with wrapping aluminum bikes, I always wrap carbon frames though. I just find the paint seems to chip and scratch easier on the carbon frame bikes I've owned and the aluminum painted frames seem to hold up allot better to abuse for some reason.

 

[Nicho]

the aluminum painted frames seem to hold up allot better to abuse for some reason.

You have never had a Giant then.

 

[NotAveJoe]

I'm just assuming your living room looks like this.

 

[Gyre]

I'm just assuming your living room looks like this.

For some of us, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was a documentary!

 

[jbrown15]

You have never had a Giant then.

Very true.....lol
Can't bring myself to ride one.....lol

 

[The EMF]

NOPE……..An excellent choice. More smiles/hr on the climbs than you would ever believe ????

 

[The EMF]

On the invisiframe question I’m a fan. But don’t think for a minute it’ll protect the frame on the bottom bracket from the occasional rock strike ??

 

[RustyIron]

My title asks "Have I gone soft?".

eBike? Fancy protectors? Yes, you've gone soft. Please turn in your Man Card on your way out the door.

Your only possible redemption is to take the new bike, shred the gnar, huck sick jumps, and have a trail bunny on each arm as you guzzle IPA's after the ride.

 

[phutureproof]

Another useful analogy (or is it a simile?) is when we all buy a new shiny iPhone, or (Spit-The-Dog spit!) an Android-thing. The first thing we do is buy a hulking plastic protective case and cover the beautifully and carefully designed object we were in amour of in the first place!

Humans. So silly.

Now...that pint of IPA...

 

[j3ayy]

My invisiframe will be the first thing to be added to my Rail 9 when it arrives. You can hardly tell they are fitted as the vinyl is that thin.

 

[Nicho]

Very true.....lol
Can't bring myself to ride one.....lol

Very good bikes with the Yamaha motor and good value compared to other manufacturers, but the paint chips off if you as much as breath on it too hard.

 

[mtb64]

Yes, you’ve gone soft. Chill. Give it a crash or 2 and a winter, then it’ll start looking like its been used. Then you’ll relax (hopefully).

 

[Gavalar]

It's done. After several weeks of dithering, and several years of dissing them with my mates, I've settled on a Whyte e150RS.

My title asks "Have I gone soft?".

I have asked the bike shop to apply Invisiframe. I've never bothered with that sort of thing before. (OK, I lie. I sometimes put screen protectors on my phones.) But protective film on a MTB?? Is that just sad? A bike is to be (ab)used, surely?

But I always have this dilemma going on in my head: I want to be able to just use the bike without worrying about grazing it. I don't want to have to prance about, delicately balancing it against a wall or fence so it doesn't slip and scuff itself somewhere. I want to be able to chuck it in the back of my car and not worry about something rubbing against it and causing a little scratch on my way to the next ride.

But I know I'm going to faff about and be overly cautious just like I have done with my lovely raw lacquered Brompton bike.

So I am getting it 'invisiframed'!

But while my 2011 Orange Crush is a bit bruised and battered, it's great. I can just use it without worrying. If it falls over, so what.

I think I've gone soft...or it could be that I have never spent so much money on a flippin' bike before!

How long will it be before my Whyte turns into another Orange Crush and I can just relax and use it?

And yet you probably park a mile away from the pavement so as not to scuff your alloys.
it's not about being precious it's more about protecting your investment, the price of any mid to top end bike these days warrants Invisiframe for what it costs, I've used it on every build over the last 9 years, you'd be a mug not to use it or any other similar brand.

 

[Rockstar]

I’ve always covered my bikes with some kind of protection since my first mountain bike in 2000. I don’t get to crazy with scratches and scuffs though. The protection isn’t 100% and if you ride hard and send it you’ll eventually get scratches through the barrier. In 2017 on my first ride on my Santa Cruz 5010 I sent it off a 4 foot rock drop and landed miserably. It scratched right through the invisaframe hahaha

 

[Binhill1]

Yes if scratches etc bother you they probably still will when the invisi gets damaged as well , that put me off doing it.

 

[Manc44]

Invisiframe? I had to look up what that was. Looks like Helitape to me

The only place I put this is on the underside of the down tube. I recently peeled some really cloudy/dirty/pitted tape off 2010 Boardman carbon (that's had 11 years of use) with bright yellow paintwork down the down tube and it was absolutely immaculate looking. I cleaned any adhesive from the old helitape and fitted a new strip of it.

I think it's worth doing on parts where you might have a really bright colour to the paintwork, because it gets dull after years of dirt, washing, dirt, washing, but with helitape put on from the very start, any time you peel the old stuff off to replace it, the paintwork looks like it came from the factory, regardless of how old the frame is.

I suppose it is going soft but it seems this is the world we now live in. Men are wearing moisturizer etc lol.

 

[SiDobsFig]

Sounds like a good idea. I was thinking about it for the Orange 6E but will spend the money on a re-spray in Halifax (UK) ;-) . I don't know if White offer that service? If they had entered the E-bike market when I bought, I would have gone Whyte, as my 901 is so much fun to ride.

Have you test ridden the Whyte?

 

[Ripping g]

I think my other issue with wrapping frames (which I am committed to now having ordered the product and instructed the bike shop!) is that you never actually see your own bike in all it's glory. Its always covered in a plastic film that will presumably start to look crap after a few rides.

At least it means if I ever sell it the new buyer will see it in its new condition, even though I never have ;-)

Full Invisi from new used and abuse for year and half every weekend

 

[lightning]

l love my new Kona Ebike and have looked after it, but haven't stuck any protective tape on it.

After 900 miles (in under three months!) l've not picked up a single mark on the frame.

The only casualty has been the wheels, which seem to constantly get twatted by stones.
However these are easy to touch up with satin black paint and still look perfectly good.

l have put rubber protectors on the ends of the crank arms as they quickly became marked by rock hits.

l also managed to bend a pedal axle hitting a boulder on landing a rock step.

The manufacturer (Burgtec in the U.K.) repaired them free of charge "we've not had a bent axle before"

I paid a lot for the bike and won't get another any time soon, so let am going to look after it, but l am also going to use it and not be worried about the odd scuff or mark.

 

[Gyre]

Invisiframe? I had to look up what that was. Looks like Helitape to me

It's a lot like helitape but thinner and very unobtrusive. When I helitape a bike, it often looks a bit like the proverbial Greek sofa above. Invisiframe is very clean, but I'll double up on the surfaces most exposed in a fall.