Carbon frame protection, what parts are more prone to damage?
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 18
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Carbon frame protection, what parts are more prone to damage?
Hello, I getting a frame protection kit from AMS, I would like to ask what parts of the frame of a gravel bike are more prone to damage or scratches. I am new to gravel.
#2
Sunshine
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,618
Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo
Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10971 Post(s)
Liked 7,498 Times
in
4,194 Posts
Chainstay and underside of downtube.
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: Australia
Posts: 825
Bikes: 2002 Trek 5200 (US POSTAL), 2020 Canyon Aeroad SL
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 314 Post(s)
Liked 683 Times
in
328 Posts
I often hear small rocks (I assume) being flicked up and hitting the underside of the downtube and bottom bracket area. My Checkpoint has a piece of screw-on plastic "armour" in that area to protect the carbon.
Chainstays too from chain slap in some cases.
Anywhere that you might mount a bag (or where the bag contacts the frame) that could rub away at the paintwork is worth protecting also.
Chainstays too from chain slap in some cases.
Anywhere that you might mount a bag (or where the bag contacts the frame) that could rub away at the paintwork is worth protecting also.
#5
Sunshine
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,618
Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo
Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10971 Post(s)
Liked 7,498 Times
in
4,194 Posts
Wrap whatever you want to wrap- there is no functional downside to wrapping an area. The inside of the fork blades and the underside of the fork crown would be the two spots that I could see someone wanting to wrap(basically, the area around where the tire is) because that would be where abrasion occurs when mud and gunk builds up.
At the same time, I just tore down my gravel bike over the winter to fully clean it, regrease, and swap worn components. The carbon fork is unpainted(raw look) and has no scratches or noticeable abrasion after over 4 years of use. The frame has random tiny chips/scratches/scrapes in the paint in that same amount of time. The chips are on the underside of the bottom bracket, underside of the downtube, and back side of the seat tube(rocks fling off of tires). The only frame protection I have is part of an old inner tube wrapped around the driveside chainstay to protect the chainstay from chainslap.
If I were to get a new frame and want to wrap parts of the bike, those are the 4 spots I would cover- BB shell, under downtube, back of seat tube, driveside chainstay. I wouldnt wrap the fork because I dont ride in crappy weather often enough to be concerned with mud build up on the tires. If I rode in mud a lot, I would cover the inner part of the fork for sure.
At the same time, I just tore down my gravel bike over the winter to fully clean it, regrease, and swap worn components. The carbon fork is unpainted(raw look) and has no scratches or noticeable abrasion after over 4 years of use. The frame has random tiny chips/scratches/scrapes in the paint in that same amount of time. The chips are on the underside of the bottom bracket, underside of the downtube, and back side of the seat tube(rocks fling off of tires). The only frame protection I have is part of an old inner tube wrapped around the driveside chainstay to protect the chainstay from chainslap.
If I were to get a new frame and want to wrap parts of the bike, those are the 4 spots I would cover- BB shell, under downtube, back of seat tube, driveside chainstay. I wouldnt wrap the fork because I dont ride in crappy weather often enough to be concerned with mud build up on the tires. If I rode in mud a lot, I would cover the inner part of the fork for sure.
#7
Sunshine
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,618
Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo
Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10971 Post(s)
Liked 7,498 Times
in
4,194 Posts
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Mich
Posts: 7,397
Bikes: RSO E-tire dropper fixie brifter
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Liked 2,981 Times
in
1,921 Posts
bottom bracket due to chain drop or junk kicking up & jamming in between the crank & frame. A chain saver helps but not a 100% solution.
__________________
-Oh Hey!
-Oh Hey!