Carbon Abrasion Protection

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Mitch243

Likes Bikes and Dirt
So far the only weakness I've found with a carbon bike is the lack of a powdercoat (or natural abrasion resistance of raw alloy).

The epoxy clearcoat seems to be really susceptible to abrasion damage compared to a hard, bonded powdercoat. So far the worst hit spot is the underside of the headtube (DH bike) - shuttling in a ute just tears it to shreds. My rack has two layers of independent rubber thats supposed to allow some compliance and minimise rash, but no avail.
Some deep gouges are forming after a mere two rides, and I had some 3M stuff on the downtube.

Has anyone got any better solutions for protective padding that will be durable? I've thought of cutting some acrylic to shape, but if someone has a neater/easier solution I'd love to hear it.
 
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gregp

Likes Dirt
On my matte carbon down tube I mounted a strip of this:

http://www.clarkrubber.com.au/strip-neoprene.html (50mm wide, 1.5mm thick, length is up to you)

with 2 side by side strips of this:

http://www.officeworks.com.au/retai...Tape-and-Dispensers/Heavy-Duty-Tape/3M0417144 (use the "clear" version, not the grey "outdoor" version).

It's been on the bike for nearly a year, bike has been washed tens of times, no sign of peeling. Very happy with it. Before mounting, clean the rubber with isopropyl alcohol so it sticks better.


An alternative could be this, but I haven't used it and it's not cheap. But the underlying technology sounds interesting:

http://www.jensonusa.com/Chainstay-Protectors/Shelter-5-Meter-Shop-Roll
 
donny70

donny70

Likes Dirt
I used strips made by pace. They're leather but look like carbon. Use them the whole way from the headtube to the bottom bracket. Got them from chain reaction cycles.
 
teK--

teK--

Eats Squid
Are the bikes being strapped down? Otherwise all the bouncing and sliding around is going to make it worse regardless of what layers you use.
 
Gripo

Gripo

Eats Squid
I cringe anytime I see expensive bikes just hung over the back of utes or the standard fork/gooseneck style bicycle racks.

A crankholder style rack is the only safe option.
 
M

Mitch243

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I really like the idea of leather Donny, thanks for the suggestion.
GregP - thats basically what I used today. Got shagged from a single days worth of shuttles on a 4x4 road. Still much better than crapping out the downtube.



Gripper said:
I cringe anytime I see expensive bikes just hung over the back of utes or the standard fork/gooseneck style bicycle racks.

A crankholder style rack is the only safe option.
Click to expand...
Not exactly helpful. I've never had any problem with damage on alloy bikes. Evidently powdercoats are much harder and more durable than the epoxy. Across the back is the only convenient way to lug 5 bikes around without a trailer, besides which crank holders destroy your cranks - admittedly better than the downtube of a $3500 frame, but still not optimal compared to a wheel lock system. I'd rather just pad the downtube to be honest. The bike in question is a V10c and is usually shuttled alongside an Evil Undead. Both bikes are designed to withstand tailgate shuttle wear and tear. The downtube thickness of the v10 is insane. The Undead comes with specifically moulded plastic protection - I'm a little disappointed the Santa Cruz only comes with some shitty moulded chainstay crap and a thin factory pad on the bb to protect from rock strikes. Evil does it a hundred times better.

teK-- said:
Are the bikes being strapped down? Otherwise all the bouncing and sliding around is going to make it worse regardless of what layers you use.
Click to expand...
Yeah bikes are all very well strapped down.
 
Staunch

Staunch

Eats Squid
Gripper said:
I cringe anytime I see expensive bikes just hung over the back of utes or the standard fork/gooseneck style bicycle racks.

A crankholder style rack is the only safe option.
Click to expand...
Why? Done right it's easy and safe with no damage occurring to the bikes.

Personally I have the stock V10c rubbery guard on the bottom of the downtube and then the rest of the downtube, toptube and chain/seatstays covered in 3M Helicopter tape. They use it to cover helicopter blades and other aircraft bits and pieces so it's tough as. All mine is still fine after applying it almost 2 years ago and I've had my bike bounce through stuff like shale after crashing and the tape protected it fine.

On the topic of hanging bikes out of utes, you could also look into buying a Dakine pad for the tailgate. Apparently they have velcro straps to secure each bike in place to minimize sliding/bouncing and since they're designed for bikes, I assume they'd be a better alternative that what you're currently using if you're still having problems.
 
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