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Ride Wrap...worth it?

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Ride Wrap...worth it?
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flag Matt7082
O+
Posted: Aug 30, 2020 at 7:35 Quote
Just bought a Yeti. I know many of you get anew bike just about every year or two, but for me, this was a big purchase and I plan on keeping it for as long as possible. Thinking about putting Ride Wrap on it. Is it worth it? I can’t find a shop to put it on for me, and I’m afraid I won’t have the patience for it myself. How big of a pain in the a** is it to put on, and is it worth the money and effort?
flag gmoss
Posted: Aug 30, 2020 at 10:13 Quote
I have not used that brand but I have used Invisiframe on every new bike I have bought except for the first one, 3 total. It is actually easy if you apply wet and take your time. I think it is worth the investment for the money we spend on these bikes. I have planned on keeping each one, but I have not yet. Haha
flag Branmuffin
O+
Posted: Aug 30, 2020 at 16:09 Quote
Totally worth it IF you care how your paint looks. I would go with an invisiframe kit I believe the material is thicker and possibly better coverage. Haven’t looked at ridewrap recently.

Put it on before your first ride, it’s not hard and it doesn’t have to be perfect. Your bike will look bran new after a full season.

Editing to say it looks like Ridewrap is as thick or thicker than invisiframe. Can’t seem to find exactly what film they use but safe to say either is a good choice.
flag kwapik
Posted: Aug 30, 2020 at 18:44 Quote
Pinkbike did a piece on various frame protection options last year.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-7-films-and-tapes-to-keep-your-bike-shiny-and-new.html

My experience is both Invisiframe and RideWrap are the two best. Custom die cut for each size of each bike with instructions. They also sell individual replacement pieces.
flag Tayrob
FL
Posted: Aug 30, 2020 at 20:52 Quote
I've only been hands on with Ride Wrap, the install can be labor intensive. If you buy the custom cut for your exact frame kit expect to take off the rear triangle and remove brake lines and housing. In my experience it takes a good two to three hours for a solid install. My only words of advice would be don't order the matte finish kit unless your bike is a matte finish, and I would echo the same statement of definitely install it before you ride the bike the first time.
flag Davec85
FL
Posted: Aug 30, 2020 at 23:41 Quote
It seems like a really daunting task, but it's actually quite easy to install, just time consuming. You want a spray bottle filled with water with some Johnson's baby shampoo mixed in. Give the sheets a good soak, as well as the frame. This gives you plenty of time to position the sheets correctly, then just use the squeegee and work from the centre outwards to remove all of the water. This is based on Invisiframe, I have never worked with ride wrap but expect it's the same. As others have said, do it before you ride the bike. It's totally worth it, keeps the bike looking fresh.
flag Trudeez
O+
Posted: Sep 7, 2020 at 23:35 Quote
Matt7082 wrote:
Just bought a Yeti. I know many of you get anew bike just about every year or two, but for me, this was a big purchase and I plan on keeping it for as long as possible. Thinking about putting Ride Wrap on it. Is it worth it? I can’t find a shop to put it on for me, and I’m afraid I won’t have the patience for it myself. How big of a pain in the a** is it to put on, and is it worth the money and effort?

Invisiframe is tougher/more durable. Have done two bikes with ridewrap and two with invisiframe. They’ll definitely save your frame from small rock chips and the occasional off the bike incident, but they’re not that durable when it comes to larger impacts or if your bike goes tumbling down an embankment. They’re definitely a cosmetic covering and will not protect against any kind of impact that would cause a Dent, crack or other structural issue. Nothing like as thick and strong as AMS tape or Helicopter tape, but also much lighter. It’s also worth mentioning, they’re a huuuuuuge pain in the arse to install. Expect to spend a good 3-4 hours wrapping your bike.
flag Supermikhailmtb
Posted: Sep 21, 2020 at 10:26 Quote
Love my ridewrap. Having your bike wrapped makes a huge difference to avoid scuffs, chips, etc. Just had a big crash yesterday and the bike ended up landing on a large rock. Very minor marks on the wrap which rubbed off where as for sure the paint would have been scuffed.
flag Dwarfmarine
O+ FL
Posted: Sep 23, 2020 at 11:14 Quote
I just installed the Full Tailored Ride Wrap kit the other night.
Took a good 3 hours
Easy enough to install if you follow the directions (wet down the sheets) and take your time positioning.
As someone else said, its far easier to install if you disassemble your rear triangle.

There are still a few spots left uncovered but the critical areas are covered.
Mostly around welds etc there are large gaps as the wrap doesn't apply well to the non-smooth weld.

3M Helicopter tape is much better if you want full coverage (use a heat gun) but its also an absolutely shit job to custom trim it to fit. (i did a quick and nasty job on an old bike to protect the top and bottom tubes in 3M and it took me as long or longer to apply to a decent standard but had to be trimmed once applied so i'm sure Ive got some fine scratches form the Exacto knife. The 3M stuff is super thick though, More so than the Ridewrap.

Im happy enough with my Ridewrap so far (haven't ridden with it on yet)
My best advice though, would be to apply the large pieces first (like TT, DT, Chainstays etc)
I did the fiddly little pieces first and found that i didn't really place them correctly so tolerances weren't as good or pretty much overlapping so i ended up having to peel them off and reapply them after positioning the big pieces (mainly around the Seat Tube and BB/DT junction.
flag militantmandy
Posted: Sep 30, 2020 at 4:51 Quote
Looking at the state of my Nomad V4, I really wish I'd ride wrapped / invisiframed it straight away.
flag Dwarfmarine
O+ FL
Posted: Sep 30, 2020 at 9:46 Quote
militantmandy wrote:
Looking at the state of my Nomad V4, I really wish I'd ride wrapped / invisiframed it straight away.

There's two kinds of people..

Some people don't care about their bike looking good, as long as it ride well..
Others want it to look like it rolled off the showroom floor until the day they get rid of it (which usually reflects in their return).

Im the latter... until i get that first scuff/chip/ding.. once you get that first paint chip, its game over.
flag Matt7082
O+
Posted: Sep 30, 2020 at 14:03 Quote
Soooo...I put Ride Wrap on my bike last week. First ride, a rock came off the front wheel and tore the wrap and put a fingernail sized chip in the paint on the side of the down tube in front of the BB. Ughhh...I’m so annoyed. It was good sized rock. I am aware of exactly when it happened. I wish I had kept my Rockguard on. Oh well, it’s just one chip. I’ll have it repaired and keep the rockguard on for added protection. Frankly, I mostly want the Ride Wrap for the rear triangle which is where most of the scuffs occur for me.
flag gmoss
Posted: Sep 30, 2020 at 14:10 Quote
Interesting. I have no experience with Ride Wrap. I believe someone here said it was not as thick as the Invisiframe. I have heard rock dings on my frame, I had a head on with another bike (slow, tire marks across the downtube of the frame, and a few drops on rocks. No tears...yet. Some things are inevitable, but if one is thicker, that would be the route I go, regardless of brand.
flag Supermikhailmtb
Posted: Oct 1, 2020 at 5:06 Quote
Neither Ridewrap nor Invisishield makes your bike bomb proof. It will however protect from more than you'd think and certainly helps with scuffs, etc.

It's cheap insurance and for me, I want my stuff to look as perfect as possible for as long as possible.

To each their own.
flag Matt7082
O+
Posted: Oct 1, 2020 at 10:04 Quote
^^^ Agreed! I didn’t expect it to be bomb proof. I’m just annoyed that it happened on the first ride with the wrap on the bike...lol! I don’t go crazy maintaining my bike, but I’ve had many people comment on my old bike asking if how I Lee it looking new. I like getting that question. And whenever you sell a bike, the first thing out of the prospective buyers mouths is, “any major scratches or dings??”
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