frame protection..

Lee77uk

New Member
Mar 10, 2023
7
0
Polegate
I've just ordered a 2022 Turbo Levo... would people say frame protection is essential?, the stuff thats available seems pricey for what it is.. is it worth it?, I'm thinking, I'm referring to invisiFRAME... are there any cheaper alternatives?... I see 3m Heli tape might be a cheaper option.

I'm guessing mudguards are important.. seems to be quite a few to choose from, Sicomtb, Mudhugger, Mucky Nutz to name a few..

I'm in the UK, so ideally looking for UK based shops
 

Ricardo75

Member
Sep 18, 2021
24
9
Woking
Weighing up the pros and cons of the cost of a full bespoke frame protection kit from invisiframe and just wondered what people’s thoughts and experiences are of using the more generic options, such as the ‘covered’ kit from ridewrap or the muc off kits..?
 

The Hodge

Mystic Meg
Subscriber
Sep 9, 2020
4,027
8,618
North West Northumberland
OK.. I've never had any form of frame protection on any bike and don't really see the point ..if however I was buying the bike to sell on in a couple of years then maybe I would consider it ..but I've never sold on any bike ..and just hand them down to a family member ( usually my son ) ..I prefer to look at any bumps and scrapes ( as annoying as they might be) as battle scars ..
Mud guards I view as ugly and prefer to get covered in shit 😉😂
So ..No & No 😊
 
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Bndit

Active member
Jul 14, 2022
334
394
Finland
I have dyedbro on my Levo top tube and same on my Status. Levo is black and looked horrible after a year riding in mud and hitting and scratching kneeguards to toptube. I put also downtube protection to the Status but haven`t protected seat/chainstays. And Levo has downtube protection as standard. And I put ridewrap toptube protection to my Roscoe, mainly to protect it when transporting it by car rack. They are expensive but useful.
 

beanzz

Member
Feb 7, 2023
331
276
United Kingdom
With an aluminium bike I don't bother with protection, carbon I will.
I usually just get a flat mudguard (marshguard design) cos I like the look and they help with the fork survival and keeping the worst of the crap out of your eyes
 

beanzz

Member
Feb 7, 2023
331
276
United Kingdom
I quite like ground keepers frame protection because it had some nice designs, but i decided it wasn't worth it cos I ride a fully carbon bike so I just got invisiFRAME, and I'm picking it up today
 

beanzz

Member
Feb 7, 2023
331
276
United Kingdom
I would just go for a bespoke one (even if you go for a less coverage bespoke one) it also depends on your bike and what you intend to use it for and whether you want to sell it
 

Lee77uk

New Member
Mar 10, 2023
7
0
Polegate
Can anyone with the 2022 Specialized Turbo Levo Alloy Electric Mountain Bike - Black/Light Silver colour, tell me if it has more of a matte or gloss finish?... looking at invisiframe it offers both finishes, just wondering which would match best?
 

beanzz

Member
Feb 7, 2023
331
276
United Kingdom
Can anyone with the 2022 Specialized Turbo Levo Alloy Electric Mountain Bike - Black/Light Silver colour, tell me if it has more of a matte or gloss finish?... looking at invisiframe it offers both finishes, just wondering which would match best
I found the Matt invisiFRAME isn't full matt, I just picked up my canyon and it looks fantastic and I like the level of Matt it is . But the Matt option is slightly gloss. But in regards to your question all the levos I've seen are matt
 

RustyIron

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Jun 5, 2021
1,866
2,926
La Habra, California
would people say frame protection is essential?, the stuff thats available seems pricey for what it is.. is it worth it?,

I don't use frame protection on any of my bikes. With that said, my bikes also look like they've been ridden.

A while back after a particularly spectacular crash, I ended up with a very obvious and unsightly scratch on the chainstay. I ended up ordering a sheet of "wrap" off Amazon. I don't know if that's the right word, but it's the thin plastic material used to "wrap" automobiles.

The sheet was under seven bucks, and might be enough to do a whole bike. After watching a Youtube video, I applied it to the chainstay. It's pretty easy to apply, and the "repair" looks like it came from the factory that way.

The wrap certainly won't protect as well as the "real" frame protection. But if you wreck it, you can easily peel it off and replace that section.
 

Jurassic

Active member
Subscriber
Jul 22, 2022
236
244
Helensburgh, Scotland.
As far as frame wrap goes, I just protect the top tube on my bikes as I tend to scratch it with my shoes while stepping on or off that way (which I do sometimes). For mudguards I've found Mudhuggers to be very effective but on my ebike I'm running an RRP bolt on front (depends if your forks are compatible though) and an SKS Mudrocker rear which is a tremendous bit of kit. The Mudrocker gives fantastic coverage and is removable in seconds using velcro straps if it's dry enough not to be required. The new rear Mudhuggers have copied this attachment system but don't give quite as much protection and look worse imho (but they are a British company if that's important to you).
 

Sander23

Active member
Aug 28, 2020
740
457
Belgium
I found no custom bike wrap for mine so i Did my bike with a double layer of ceramic coating that I had from my car.
It protects the paint alot better as the paint was so soft it allmost scratched by looking at it.

Also it give a glossy look and colors looks even better then new.
And a plus is that the mud just falls off don't need alot of water
 

Trickz

E*POWAH Master
Patreon
Sep 2, 2019
265
253
Burton upon Trent
I use mt zefal skin armour xl pack Matt or gloss and maybe a large pack,not complete coverage but offers good protection as it’s thick..not bike shield thick but a lot cheaper.
 

mike425

Member
Jan 9, 2020
61
41
Sheffield
I'd recommend Jake at snakeskin wrapping. He will fully wrap a bike for you with a custom computer cut wrap that is probably not much more than a ride wrap or invisi frame kit
 

BikeBert

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2022
102
650
Croatia
I used thick (200 micron) polyurethane stone guard film from ORAFOL, i.e. "ORAGUARD 280" - link below. Applied it to down tube (over the factory-installed foil), top tube, chainstay, and few key areas.


2023-03-13-22-19-10-216.jpg
 
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Mikes56

Member
Aug 30, 2021
16
4
CA
My wife and I both bought new Levos a few months ago and used Ridewrap on them. I installed it and it came out okay. There’s a couple small bubbles on both bikes, but I like knowing that if we drop the bikes they will be somewhat protected.
If you crash hard, I doubt it will help much.
 

E-MAD MALC

Active member
Subscriber
Nov 16, 2021
406
245
EAST SUSSEX
I don't bother with
Protection if the frame gets damage that I can't stand looking at it
I'll take it in my paint shop and respray the bugger
 

Downhillr

Active member
Jul 2, 2021
304
159
SF Bay, California
I've just ordered a 2022 Turbo Levo... would people say frame protection is essential?, the stuff thats available seems pricey for what it is.. is it worth it?, I'm thinking, I'm referring to invisiFRAME... are there any cheaper alternatives?... I see 3m Heli tape might be a cheaper option.

I'm guessing mudguards are important.. seems to be quite a few to choose from, Sicomtb, Mudhugger, Mucky Nutz to name a few..

I'm in the UK, so ideally looking for UK based shops
Invisiframe does a great job providing kits for full frame coverage, same material used by auto retailers for front end stone protection.
I found Heli tape yellows, Ride Wrap is another bike product but I’m not sure of its thickness… I’ve crash tested mine and resists most scratches that would have marred the paint.
 

RJUK

Active member
Sep 29, 2021
585
303
UK
I used Invisiframe on my current bike and will be applying it to my new bike.

It's just Xpel Ultimate self healing PPF like they use for cars, but pre-cut for whichever bike you buy it for.

I cocked up a few pieces of mine and they sent me some new pieces FOC without any quibble.

It just stops the frame getting scratched up when transporting the bike and using it. The bike fell over into a tree when I was pumping up a tyre on the trail. No damage at all.

If you get any light scratches in the film you can get rid of them by just using a hair drier or leaving the bike in the sun for a bit.

I also have had PPF applied to a few of my cars, so it depends if you care about a scratched frame or not.

Pointless asking others for an opinion. Some just don't care and take pride in having a battered bike, others like to keep theirs in better condition for themselves or to help with resale value (or both).

I also have Invisiframe on my forks and cranks. The crank pieces are especially good as they help mitigate the usual wear that cranks seem to exhibit.

As somebody else mentioned, it's especially useful for carbon frames as carbon isn't very abrasion-resistant.

I had a carbon Cannondale before and one ride in really muddy conditions was enough to start wearing grooves in the chainstays and seatstays due to the abrasive mud on the tyres. The PPF prevents this from happening.
 
Jul 30, 2022
46
12
Levo2022
I have a 2022 turbo levo, and use the dyedbro kit and installed the sicomtb rear mudguard.
Booked a few trips in wales during the summer single track and dh trails,
All the loose rocks stones flying up and hitting the frame at least I have minimised the chips scratches it will get.
I only brought the mudguard and frame protection only because I know I will be pushing the bike on bike climbs and bombing it down again in wales as well as Scotland.
 

Stoffel

Active member
Jun 16, 2021
121
201
Cotswolds UK
My wife has a 2022 Levo Alloy Comp in the Flo Red colour and the paint looks like shit after less than 400 miles. It's never been dropped but her knee pads have worn the paint away on the brace behind the shock and it has a few chips on it. In hindsight we should of fitted frame protection especially seeing as touch up paint is not available. I'll be fitting a Dyed bro kit to cover the damage and to stop it getting worse.

In contrast I have a Whyte E160 with 1200 miles on it, no frame protection and it still looks great and Whyte also sell touch up paint.

As for the price of the protection, it's not a lot to spend on a bike costing £1000's.

We have Mudhuggers fitted to all of our bikes. Just the front tho, don't mind shit going up my back but not in my mouth!
 

Mikehorti

Active member
Subscriber
Apr 29, 2021
80
58
Surrey
I've just ordered a 2022 Turbo Levo... would people say frame protection is essential?, the stuff thats available seems pricey for what it is.. is it worth it?, I'm thinking, I'm referring to invisiFRAME... are there any cheaper alternatives?... I see 3m Heli tape might be a cheaper option.

I'm guessing mudguards are important.. seems to be quite a few to choose from, Sicomtb, Mudhugger, Mucky Nutz to name a few..

I'm in the UK, so ideally looking for UK based shops
You can’t go wrong with Invisiframe. Excellent stuff. Well worth the investment
 

RJUK

Active member
Sep 29, 2021
585
303
UK
Also, my bike is part matte, part gloss. I bought the half and half kit and IMO, the matte film was easier to fit and get a bubble-free finish.
 

Ricardo75

Member
Sep 18, 2021
24
9
Woking
Also, my bike is part matte, part gloss. I bought the half and half kit and IMO, the matte film was easier to fit and get a bubble-free finish.

Do the gloss and matt sections match up well between the invisiframe and your bike? Just got a decoy with a gloss front end but matt around the motor and on the chainstays and seatstays, can’t get an answer out of invisiframe as to how well their kit matches the paint scheme or whether I’d be better off getting all gloss…
 

Downhillr

Active member
Jul 2, 2021
304
159
SF Bay, California
I've just ordered a 2022 Turbo Levo... would people say frame protection is essential?, the stuff thats available seems pricey for what it is.. is it worth it?, I'm thinking, I'm referring to invisiFRAME... are there any cheaper alternatives?... I see 3m Heli tape might be a cheaper option.

I'm guessing mudguards are important.. seems to be quite a few to choose from, Sicomtb, Mudhugger, Mucky Nutz to name a few..

I'm in the UK, so ideally looking for UK based shops
As far a mudguard on fork Fox has short or long mud fenders designed specifically for their 36 & 38 model forks. I use the longer one on my Bullit during the winter mud months... integrates well and works well..
 

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