The installation of a RideWrap protection kit can be intimidating to start. With many pieces in each protection kit, it’s possible to incorrectly install one or two. To help with any apprehension, below are the Dos and Don’ts of bike protection installation.
The Don’ts
Here are some common mistakes that occur when installing RideWrap frame protection. If you can avoid the following bad habits and mishaps, your frame, fork, and complete installation process will look better and be more relaxing.
Don’t Drink Too Much Beer During the Installation
Even though the prospect of wrapping your bike can be daunting, you can have one or two drinks to calm the nerves. The experience can become a relaxing evening activity. However, if those one or two glasses of wine or cans of beer turn north of 4,5, or 6 drinks, the install can go sideways. Your attention to detail can diminish, and pieces may no longer line up with blurred vision and decreased motor function.
Don’t Race the Install
It’s no secret bike protection installation process takes a little bit of time. Knowing this, don’t start your RideWrap installation an hour before a dentist appointment or before you need to pick the kids up from school. Give yourself a couple of hours, take your time and enjoy the process of getting your stead protected. The extra time will allow you to do your best wrap job possible.
Don’t use Isopropyl alcohol in the installation solution.
The use of isopropyl alcohol in the installation solution can create extra problems when squeegeeing out air bubbles and liquid. The isopropyl can prevent the bike frame protection from adhering to the frame creating unwanted air bubbles and solution pockets. The solution pockets can become difficult to squeegee out when in the middle of the pieces. The correct install concentrate and water ratio can be hard to find. We have an article and video dedicated to this exact issue.
Don’t overlap bike protection pieces when they are not fitting.
When pieces aren’t lining up correctly, it’s best to take a step back, take a deep breath and reassess the situation. If a piece is overlapping, something has lined up incorrectly over the past couple of steps. There should be 3mm gaps between each piece, allowing wiggle room if a protection piece does not line up perfectly. It is okay to remove pieces and realign them to get the best-finished product.
The need to replace pieces can happen, and that is okay. If things have gone wrong during installation and pieces are overlapped or peeling, you can order a specific piece through RideWrap’s replacement piece program. This prevents the need to purchase an entire new protection kit.
Don’t wear fuzzy clothing or a sweater with lots of lint
When you install a bike protection kit on a mountain bike, a gravel bike, or a road bike wearing fuzzy clothing could be detrimental to your installation experience. The surface energy of the protection film draws out the lint from your clothes. The lint will attach to the sticky side of your protection kit. The lint will make it hard for the film to adhere to the frame. In addition, don’t put the microfibre towel or squeegee in your pockets as they will also attract lint creating installation issues.
To the same tune, if you have pets in your home, when installing protective film it is best to clean the work area prior to starting your install. All the pet hair similarly to the clothing lint is attracted to the protection film. In addition, your pets should be kept out of the area where you’re wrapping your bike.
The Do’s
Here are a couple of tips from our experts that they recommend as their best practices.
Make sure the spray bottle is clean.
Ensure your installation solution spray bottle is clean. If there are contaminants in the spray bottle, it can alter the ratios of the solution. The alteration of the solution ratios then hinders the bike protection’s ability to adhere to the frame creating air bubbles and other problems.
Use a Bike Stand or a Secure Bike Holding Mechanism
The use of a bike stand is paramount to the success of a bike protection kit installation. If you don’t have a bike stand, you can create a bike holding device with many different household items or your car bike rack. The easiest way to do this is to find something to hook the seat onto to keep the bike upright. This will help keep the bike in one place, ensuring the frame does not move or fall over when you apply a piece. A still bike will help line up the protection pieces with the frame contours. Head RideWrap installer Toren says, “if you don’t have a still bicycle, your installation experience will be significantly more difficult.”
Have your bike frame protection kit installed by a professional
If the task of installing your frame protection is too daunting, and you want everything to be perfect, you can save yourself a lot of time and effort by having a professional install your Tailored Protection™ Kit. You are guaranteed to have it done correctly, the 3mm gaps will be in the right places, and your bike will look slick!
Check our other articles and videos for tips
Our youtube channel has a ton of videos to help with your bike protection installation. From full real-time installations of the Forbidden Dreadnaught kit, to squeegee techniques, and how to videos for different aspects of your installation. It is likely in your best interest to check out our page to see how the pros wrap bikes.
