3M Clear Tape

[Rider15]

I often see people posting pictures of bikes and forks etc that have been wrapped in "3M protective tape" I went to bunnings the other day to try and find some and bought what I thought might be it but while it was semi transparent it wasnt close. I was wondering if people who use it could tell me where they bought it from and what its called?



Cheers.

 

[Kramer]

Try an auto paints specialist. I have used the 3M tape on my bikes - comes in a 50mm by 2.5-3M roll. Usualy used for protecting the leading edge on car bonnet.

 

[EXSSVE]

No name on the roll I have apart from '3m' and 'Made in America'.

I acquired a 100m roll when I was building wind turbine blades, it was used on the leading edge of blades, tough shit..Struggle to pierce it with a knife.

Once again, my post is no help whatsoever... But I may be able to help you out if your struggling to find any.

 

[ozzybmx]

Ebay search "helicopter tape" theres loads on there in many different sizes.

 

[camzh]

From what I understand it is called Helicopter Tape.

As others have mentioned, its good for protecting leading edges of things. like Helicopter Blades...

 

[EXSSVE]

Jebus, that shit is expensive...
Going to cut some 1m x 4" strips to flog on ebay me think's.


Much of a market for it?

 

[Rider15]

Was not expecting it to be called Helicopter Tape! Cheers for the responses guys, I will try some auto paint shops and if I have no success will have a look at ordering some. I found some examples of it on ebay but all the examples I could find in my brief look would have to come from the uk.

Edit - I bit the bullet and have just ordered some off ebay, should arrive next week hopefully. Cheers guys.

 

[EXSSVE]

Was not expecting it to be called Helicopter Tape! Cheers for the responses guys, I will try some auto paint shops and if I have no success will have a look at ordering some. I found some examples of it on ebay but all the examples I could find in my brief look would have to come from the uk.

Just posted some in the 'For Sale' section.

 

[Wiffle]

I bought some from the bay through a guy called Paragon tapes in the UK. Price and quality was excellent, and he has a range of sizes available. Definitely recommended.

 

[Rider15]

I bought some from the bay through a guy called Paragon tapes in the UK. Price and quality was excellent, and he has a range of sizes available. Definitely recommended.

Yeah this is who I bought it off as well, Glad to know that everything worked out! How long did it take for the tape to arrive?

And EXSSVE I saw your FS thread after I had made the purchase!

 

[Wiffle]

Yeah this is who I bought it off as well, Glad to know that everything worked out! How long did it take for the tape to arrive?

Took no more than a week from memory...

 

[coarselanguagw]

I bought from a UK seller called "convertape". Didn't take long to arrive and it is great stuff. Just remember to take a look at a few videos on how to apply the stuff. I had an old windex bottle filled with water. I would then spray a mist onto both the bike frame and the underside of the tape. This makes it easier to make small adjustments when you apply the tape and also makes it easier to push out the bubbles that may form. I used an old surf wax comb to help push out the air bubbles that form. Another tip would be to take a pin or stanley knife and then every 5 square cm poke a very small hole in the tape before you apply it. Then if you do have small air pockets or bubbles forming when you push these pockets of air around you will eventually hit a small hole and the air will get out. It's not always easy to get rid of the air by pushing it out to the edges of the tape. Also make sure that the edges and corners of the tape are well stuck down, you don't want to have any corners that aren't stuck down 100% and this will start to peel up and bring the rest of the tape with it. I rounded off the corners of the tape which really helped.

I have a giant anthem x3. I bought 150mm x 1 metre and it really only covered the down tube, top tube and one of the fork lowers. I also wrapped it around the rear shock.
I applied mine 3 weeks ago and I am happy with the result.

Good luck. The stuff is definitely worth it.

 

[Jeffgre_6163]

If you head to any auto parts store you will find two thicknesses of crystal clear plastic self adhesive film in sheets.
One is about 1mm thick and the other maybe twice that. The thick stuff is marketed for head light protection and absorbs rock impacts quite well while the thinner product is designed for car body protection in high wear areas [door edges, bonnet fronts etc]
I have used the thinner product on all my new bikes for a couple of years, while a bit pricey at $50.00 for a good sized roll it is wider that sticky tape so can be custom cut to any shape and moulded to the bike. unlike roll tape it also has a removable backing film so its very easy to work with.
Being crystal clear it is essentially invisible on the bikes and works bloody well and protecting the under side of down tubes, cable rub sites etc.