Mountain bikes are subjected to a constant spray of dust, rocks, gravel and other gritty projectiles. Ride Wrap offers pre-cut, self-healing, clear film that offers nearly full coverage defence to keep your bike’s paintwork scratch and chip-free. The kits are available either as tailored protection which is cut to the specific dimensions and contours of your frame or as generic one size fits most kits.
According to RideWrap, the film was developed in-house specifically for the rigours of protecting bikes. The brand says its three-layer film has a self-healing, hydro/dirt-phobic top coat, TPU durability structure in the middle, and an acrylic adhesive layer.
RideWrap is best applied to new frames, but can also breathe new life into a bike that has some trail time on it, hiding small scratches and paint chips. With this in mind, we organised one for Colin’s much-loved Norco Optic, which is beginning to look a little tired after nearly three years of abuse.
Anyone can do the installation, but Colin enlisted his father-in-law, who is a signwriter and deals with vinyl on a daily basis, to help and provide some tips.
Prepare to be patient, it’s not a quick job, and it’s fiddly AF. Also make sure your workspace is clean, take your time, and do the installation in a very well-lit area. And when RideWrap says to read all the instructions before you start, heed this advice.
It’s a pretty involved process, but Colin’s Optic is looking shiny and almost new — despite a few rogue bubbles.
RideWrap provides everything you need for the job except a spray bottle, and we would definitely recommend having a heat gun or hairdryer on hand to deal with edges that just refuse to stick.
