Isen workshop: adventures in batch production (or not...)

You have to be a bit circumspect with this stuff because it can remove lacquer and paint should you try and take it off or adjust it.

Also needs skills and patience to apply it. Applied badly it looks awful.

There are a few products available - some are better than others. How skilled the person who applies the protection also plays a big part.

Some of my customers choose to have protection films applied to their bikes, and have been happy with the results, some have been very unimpressed.

Personally, I wouldn’t ever bother with it on one of my own bikes - I don’t see the point in having a really nice custom finish, and then just covering it sticky back plastic. It just makes the finish look a bit crappy IMHO.

You also have to be super, super careful when removing it on a custom finish, as the adhesive is so strong it can rip the paint off with it - I’ve seen this happen more than a few times. You also need to make sure the paint is fully cured before applying any protective film, otherwise it will prevent the solvents in the paint from evaporating properly - it can take anywhere from a week up to a month after painting for the 2k clear coat to be 100% cured depending on the products used.

The pre cut invisiframe kits that are manufactured for specific frames do look ok when applied well, but they are only really available for factory MTB frames really (which is understandable as these types of bike are much more likely to get a beating) - pretty much all road bikes will need to have the wrap cut by hand from a roll of stock protective film, and looks pretty shit in most instances - don’t get me wrong, it can be done well, but will most likely take almost as much time as the paint job itself to do a really clean application.

I think Cyclewrap is probably the only guy who puts the effort into making sure the film is cut accurately for a tidy looking wrap on one off projects.

TL;DR - paint chips, it’s just a fact of life. Trying to stop it from happening can have more negative aspects than positive depending on your point of view. The only way to ensure paint stays in pristine condition is by never actually riding your bike.