Canyon Spectral ON- did you add protection to the down tube?

[lovespicyfood]

Hey all,

About 300 miles into my Spectral ON ownership and I'm absolutely digging it. I was pleased with the stock paint protection and see the down tube has a thin film over it. I'm running the small fender on the Fox fork but the bottom of the downtube is so wide and it consistently gets coated with mud/dirt.

I'm a bit afraid that I might flick up a serious rock into the downtube and pit/crack the CF. Any of you have this issue and damage your frame? Anyone put more protection on it?

I bought some Kydex and was thinking of cutting a piece to fit the entire length of the downtube.

 

[Koban]

I ride a Spectral CFR LTD and did not added extra frame protection. It is a bike. Scratches are memories. Mine has already some nice memories When you hit a big rock the frame protection is not protecting against cracks ;-)

 

[steve_sordy]

Hey all,

About 300 miles into my Spectral ON ownership and I'm absolutely digging it. I was pleased with the stock paint protection and see the down tube has a thin film over it. I'm running the small fender on the Fox fork but the bottom of the downtube is so wide and it consistently gets coated with mud/dirt.

I'm a bit afraid that I might flick up a serious rock into the downtube and pit/crack the CF. Any of you have this issue and damage your frame? Anyone put more protection on it?

I bought some Kydex and was thinking of cutting a piece to fit the entire length of the downtube.

I don't have a Spectral, but a Merida; the downtube is almost completely covered with a stiff rubber battery cover, so no further protection is required. But I covered pretty much everywhere else with helicopter tape. In some places I have two layers. If you have any doubts about the protective ability of the existing covering, then add something to it. The tape I use is easy to put on and easy to take off if/when it gets damaged. It is substantially cheaper than an Invisiframe product.

Helicopter Tape Bike Frame Protection Tape Premium Super Clear Glossy | eBay​

Key features: ---Specifically manufactured for protection of painted surfaces such as bike frames.
www.ebay.co.uk

As you can see, it comes in a variety of widths. Right now, I have 75mm and 50mm (when I couldn't get the 75mm), but if I had to choose just one size it would be the 75mm version. It is wide enough to give good coverage without being too unwieldy when applying it.
If you have never applied bike tape (other than small bits) it can be tricky until you get the hang of it. I have a written guide to applying bike tape, formed from the experiences of me and four or so other contributors over the years. If you want a free copy, send me a message with your email address and I'll email you a copy. For messages, click on the envelope at the top of the page.

 

[lovespicyfood]

I ride a Spectral CFR LTD and did not added extra frame protection. It is a bike. Scratches are memories. Mine has already some nice memories When you hit a big rock the frame protection is not protecting against cracks ;-)

Not worried so much about scratches, worried about impacts that could take a chunk out of the CF. Canyon has a thin piece of plastic along the bottom tube but that won't help much. Other bikes, as mentioned above, have a robust protection layer. I don't think any downtube is as large as this one. I have a small fender on the fork that probably helps a bit. I bought a .080" of Kydex to try to cut a piece to mount.

 

[lovespicyfood]

I don't have a Spectral, but a Merida; the downtube is almost completely covered with a stiff rubber battery cover, so no further protection is required. But I covered pretty much everywhere else with helicopter tape. In some places I have two layers. If you have any doubts about the protective ability of the existing covering, then add something to it. The tape I use is easy to put on and easy to take off if/when it gets damaged. It is substantially cheaper than an Invisiframe product.

Helicopter Tape Bike Frame Protection Tape Premium Super Clear Glossy | eBay​

Key features: ---Specifically manufactured for protection of painted surfaces such as bike frames.
www.ebay.co.uk

As you can see, it comes in a variety of widths. Right now, I have 75mm and 50mm (when I couldn't get the 75mm), but if I had to choose just one size it would be the 75mm version. It is wide enough to give good coverage without being too unwieldy when applying it.
If you have never applied bike tape (other than small bits) it can be tricky until you get the hang of it. I have a written guide to applying bike tape, formed from the experiences of me and four or so other contributors over the years. If you want a free copy, send me a message with your email address and I'll email you a copy. For messages, click on the envelope at the top of the page.

Yea, I like helicopter tape, I use it in various widths cut to length. I actually was impressed with how much stock film Canyon put on the bike, they really should update their website to show this as it's a selling point. I actually got a free ride wrap kit (similar to invisiframe) because I ordered it, they had supply issues pushing it back weeks, and when I got the bike I noticed it had a lot more than anticipated. They still sent it and told me to keep it. Tbh, great customer service but I tried to put a piece on and was shocked it was not cut to the frame exactly...plus it was a real bear to apply so I didn't . I don't know why bike manufacturers don't sell this as a value add. They could make money and it would be so much easier to have them apply to a bare frame instead.

 

[weebill]

I also wondered about this I’d be interested how folks found applying helicopte tape? It always curls up at the edges after a while for me

 

[steve_sordy]

I also wondered about this I’d be interested how folks found applying helicopte tape? It always curls up at the edges after a while for me

It is not hard, but like a lot of things there's a knack to it. Wipe the frame down with something like IPA (iso-propyl alcohol) to ensure that anything greasy is removed. I also use a hairdryer to soften the tape and to help it conform to difficult changes in shape.

I try to avoid having my legs rubbing across an edge which tends to stop any curling, but if it does happen you can either just cut if off and stick a larger piece over the top of it, or just peel it off and do it again, but try to get the edge further along out of the rub zone.

I have a two-page guide to applying Helicopter tape. It has been improved by the addition of comments from several other users. Free to anyone that asks. Send me a message via "conversations" with your email address and I'll send it to you.