3M helicopter tape

[Les Lammers]

This was developed for the leading edge of copter blades to prevent abrasion from desert sand. It's a TOUGH clear adhesive tape available in different widths.You can find it on the auction site. I have it on the 'top tube' of my Cheviot and also use it as a chainstay protector. Excellent paint protection.

[Peter White]

Also good for discreetly routing electrical wiring along frame tubes, though for the life of me I don't know why anyone would need electrical wiring on a bicycle.

On Fri, Apr 7, 2017 at 5:38 AM, Les Lammers <llamm...@comcast.net> wrote:

This was developed for the leading edge of copter blades to prevent abrasion from desert sand. It's a TOUGH clear adhesive tape available in different widths.You can find it on the auction site. I have it on the 'top tube' of my Cheviot and also use it as a chainstay protector. Excellent paint protection.

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Peter White

[Ron Mc]

You can buy pieces on ebay, but make sure it's 3M.  I made the mistake of buying some that was just clear vinyl with no adhesive.  

[George Schick]

This is good to know - I've been looking for something like this for chain slap protection.  It's gosh awful expensive, though, so it's good to know that you can buy it in strips, too.  Entering the product name into a Google search and then pulling up all of the images I see lots of photos of bikes and bike shops using this, as well, so it's evidently one of those best-kept little secrets.  In the event that it would ever need to be replaced, though, how difficult is it to loosen the adhesive? 

[Les Lammers]

It comes off easily. There are 1" and 2" strips on ebay.

[Steve Palincsar]

And what, if anything does it do to the paint underneath?

[Les Lammers]

It does nothing to the paint. The same material is sold as Invisabra for automotive use.

[Steve Palincsar]

Thanks.

[Ron Mc]

Chase with denatured alcohol after you remove it. Residual film will stick dirt

[Tim]

I have it on the Hilsen. It's almost invisible. It doesn't hurt the paint.

[Marc40a]

I just covered the triangle of my bikepacking bike's frame last week to mitigate rub from baggage. I bought a large sheet from the online retailer named after a South American river and used a paper cutter to cut it to size. The key for application is to spray the frame with water, spray the sticky side of the tape with water and slap it on. You can then slide it around to position it. Squeegee out the bubbles as best you can and let the tape dry over night. I had already prepped my frame by washing it and wiping it clean with a little thinner to make sure that I had a clean surface to work with before the application.

[drew]

Would this be thick enough in 1 or more layers to prevent top tube dings from flopping handlebars?

[John Hawrylak]

Can anyone provide a rough estimate of the cost???

John Hawrylak

Woodstown NJ

On Friday, April 7, 2017 at 10:24:02 AM UTC-4, George Schick wrote:

[Steve Palincsar]

$1.65 per foot plus $2.85 shipping for 1" wide tape at http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-1-HELICOPTER-TAPE-Clear-14MIL-Extra-Tough-Frame-Protection-8681-1-65-ft/182237433934?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D40130%26meid%3Dd6fe721da3d94547b8f5fe6501b9d006%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D400921749096

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[Jack K]

Marc40a,

Thanks for the heads-up on the water application technique. Super helpful! I've had a roll of this in my bike toolbox for a decade+ and have used it to great success in small applications, like spots on sides of the head-tube where bar-end shifter housing rubs, but larger areas always ended up oriented wrong or with a wrinkle that wouldn't come out. Can't wait to give the water technique a try!

Cheers,

-Jack

[George Schick]

In addition to the info posted above, there's this directly from the 3M website: http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/638116O/3mtm-wind-protection-tape-application-instructions.pdf

Some aspects of it may be TMI, but others might fit perfectly with the application of the tape on a bike surface.  Hope this is useful.

[Nick Payne]

Go into most motorcycle shops and you can purchase sheets of it about 12"x18". They use it for protection of paint on motorbike fuel tanks etc. I bought a couple of sheets of it many years ago and cut my own protective dots and strips from it.

[Ash A]

I was considering this tape to protect the frame from front derailleur clamp.  

Or is there a better way to pad the FD clamp?

[Bill in Roswell GA]

It is indeed great stuff. Removes easily with no residue. Protects chainstays particularly well. 

There is one caveat I discovered. I had a piece on the top tube of a celeste pearl Bianchi to protect the paint where the bar ends may hit (1998 Reparto Corsa bike was in a factory box until 2007, never saw sun til then). After 8 years or so, I removed the clear tape to give the bike a thorough cleaning. Much to my dismay, the clear helicopter tape is also a sunscreen. The celeste paint that was under the tape was noticeably more vibrant compared to the surrounding paint (which otherwise looks really good). I wasn't going to strip the clear coat just to blend the paint with compound, so I'll live with it. 

Something to keep in mind if you're spot-covering some areas on the frame. Otherwise, I wouldn't hesitate to use again. 

Cheers,

Bill in Roswell, GA

[Les Lammers]

A piece of cotton handlebar tape works well.

[jeffrey kane]

I tried it for the front derailleur clamp once -- didn't work for me. The cable pulling action caused the clamp to slip - whether that was on the clamp / tape interface or the adhesive / frame interface (or both) I'm not totally sure but either way, it was a no go. I'd never considered cloth HB tape idea for that, though (but I'd probably not like looking at it). 

The 3M Heli tape is great stuff for bikes -- I cut little pieces to wrap around my bottom bracket shells to keep the occasional chain drop form scratching them -- and I double it in patches around where maybe chain suck will happen. I use it as a chain slap protector, etc ... 

On Friday, April 14, 2017 at 2:56:35 PM UTC-4, Ash A wrote:

[George Schick]

Unfortunately, when you deal with people via eBay you never know what to expect.  I recently placed an order back on April 8th for a couple of feet of 1" tape at the URL posted in the message below, received an e-mail saying the order had been placed, received another e-mail saying it had shipped w/ an expected delivery date of April 15th and nothing has happened.  Meanwhile, I placed another eBay order for a completely unrelated product, went through the same e-mail notification cycle, and it arrived on time, just as expected.

When I use the USPS tracking number supplied by the seller it says something about a shipping label having been created and awaiting receipt of the product.  USPS tracking is notoriously unreliable so I'm suspicious of the accuracy of their message, so I tried to contact the seller from his eBay main page advertisement, clicking on the "contact" and it takes me to an error message.  Therefore, I don't even have a way to get a hold of this guy to find out what's going on.  Anyone else run into this kind of problem and, if so, what steps did you take?

[Reed Kennedy]

George, 

I just had an identical experience with the same seller, trying to buy the same item. I eventually made a claim through eBay and my money was refunded today with no explanation. You can see my negative feedback here:

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=holo_haleakala&&_trksid=p2047675.l2560&rt=nc&iid=182237433934&sspagename=VIP%3Afeedback&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller

Felt terrible leaving it, as they had a perfect record until now. All I wanted was a quick note saying they'd run out and when to expect it. Or even just a "sorry"! Sheesh, what a waste of time.

What's doubly sad, I can't find anywhere else on eBay to buy helicopter tape in 1" widths without expensive international shipping. ::grumble::

Reed

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[Eric Floden]

Seems odd and uncharacteristic, maybe illness or other serious life event?

Eric Floden

Vancouver BC

[George Schick]

Could be some serious illness or life event.  But it could also be another thing:  This tape is very expensive.  An entire rolls sells for several hundred dollars.  Sometimes a "casual" retailer who advertises a product like this (i.e., small increments), but happens to be out of an entire roll at the moment will attempt to wait for a "critical mass" of orders before he buys another.  I guess I can't blame them for doing that; even major retailers who sell discounted products will often do the same thing - hence the wonderful term "back ordered."  My only complaint would be not telling that to potential buyers right up front.  I wouldn't mind waiting.  After all, I've done without it for all these years - I just like to know the score right up front.

[Hugh Smitham]

This has been on my short list of need to buy. So where's the best source to buy a roll? Or is it way too expensive to buy as a roll? There seem to be a few eBay sellers but I noticed they're selling strips not rolls. As other's have mentioned there other manufacturer's. I myself consider 3m to be of the highest quality. Also what width have you all found to be the most useful?

~Hugh

[George Schick]

Hugh - if this eBay deal to buy it in strips falls through (which it looks like it might) my next step is to follow Nick's advice and visit a local Harley shop to find it in some 12"x18" sheets.  For your info, BTW, it looks like a roll may cost as much as $250.

[Hugh Smitham]

George,

Yes in the roll I've seen it upwards of $300+ Most likely why it's primarily found on eBay in small quantity. My buddy Mike says this stuff works for him just fine but can't comment on whether the 3m is better?

Then there's this on eBay 4"x 3' and nade by 3M shipped from the UK.

Thinking of going for the ISC version. I trust Mike.

~Hugh

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” ― Albert Einstein

http://velocipeedemusings.com/

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[Hugh Smitham]

This looks like a decent deal.

~Hugh

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” ― Albert Einstein

http://velocipeedemusings.com/

[John Stowe]

I have the ISC version linked by Hugh. Works well for me for frame protection and dynamo wire routing.

-John

[George Schick]

When I logged into my Gmail account this AM I had a message from the eBay seller of the helicopter tape stating the following:

"...My apologies on the delayed shipment, I was out of town on a family emergency. Your package was mailed out today. I included additional 3M tape to your order to help compensate for the delay. Again my apologies for any trouble caused by the late delivery..."

Looks like they might've been reading our blog.  Anyway, looks like full speed ahead for the small strips after all.  Order away, Gents (and ladies)!

[Tim]

Those are insane prices! I bought a roll of 1" tape a couple of years ago and it was nowhere near $250-300. I remember it being pricey but it was certainly $50 or less. I'm thinking somewhere in the $35 range? I don't remember for sure but even though I'm not all that frugal i never would have paid over $50. I'm pretty sure I bought it on Amazon.

[Reed Kennedy]

I just received the same message George did. They say they're shipping me the helicopter tape I ordered, plus extra, even though they've already refunded my payment! 

I'll let y'all know when it arrives. It looks like I can also change the feedback I left with their approval, so once the tape arrives I'll offer to do that and re-pay for it.

Reed

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[Hugh Smitham]

I ordered the ISC racers tape from Amazon 2"x 12' I figured 12 feet is plenty for my needs. I paid $26.95 includes tax free shipping.

~Hugh

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” ― Albert Einstein

http://velocipeedemusings.com/

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[Bill Lindsay]

"full retail" from ULINE has the genuine 3M stuff for $97 for a 1" wide roll that is 36 yards long.  Let's say hypothetically you made 108 1ft strips.  2" wide and 4" wide rolls are alot more, roughly 2x and 4x the price.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Deacon Patrick]

Maybe I'm confused, but isn't this what dirt does on my bike, for free? Mud sprays on, dries, then chips off as the rocks hit it. Might even hold electric wiring, if I had any. Grin.

With abandon,

Patrick

On Friday, April 7, 2017 at 3:38:43 AM UTC-6, Les Lammers wrote:

Excellent paint protection.

[Bob Lovejoy]

Sorry for being incredibly late to this question but are there notes/posts/lessons learned around for routing said electrical wiring, on the off chance that someone might do that?  It seems someone here was trying to route wiring for a rear light and was pretty disappointed in how it came out.  Logic was sound, artistry not so much.

If anyone can point to notes or best practices for such things, it would be appreciated!  Heli tape is on order....

Bob

 

On Friday, April 7, 2017 at 6:29:07 AM UTC-5, Peter White wrote:

Also good for discreetly routing electrical wiring along frame tubes, though for the life of me I don't know why anyone would need electrical wiring on a bicycle.

Peter White

[Tim Gavin]

Bob-

There have been multiple discussions about wiring routing tips and tricks on this forum.  Perhaps search the forum from the google group interface?

For instance, I learned from this forum that Shoe Goo is an excellent mostly-permanent adhesive for attaching wiring to the frame.  I say mostly-permanent, because the wire sticks very well, but the rubbery nature of the Shoe Goo allows you to peel it off and easily pill up the residue for no permanent marking on the frame.

On my first dynamo install (Rivendell Road Standard 650b converted), I tried to just zip the wire to the brake cable along the top tube.  But it sags at times and is still pretty visible.  For my next install, I followed the most common practice and went down the bottom of the down tube, under the BB, and back up.  

To come back up to the tail light, the traditional way seems to use the rolled lip of the metal fender.  

My bike is using SKS plastic fenders (with no lip), so ran the wire along the NDS chainstay and up a rack leg.  

The wiring is out of sight and out of mind, and seems to stick on very well (no major tours yet).

If I were using helicopter tape for a tail light wire install, I'd follow the same under-the-BB routing.  You could use the tape to go up the inside of any fender, regardless of lip.  I would use the water slide technique described by Marc40a earlier, and I would clean the areas very, very well first.

Another tip to consider:  to create some safe slack between the fork and frame connection, wrap the wire around a pencil to create a small coil (think landline phone cord).  Some folks put a removable connection in this area in case they ever need to pull the fork.

--

[Bob Lovejoy]

Tim,

No, that is great info... It seemed I woke up with the question and typed before doing a thorough search.  But your notes help a lot.  I too tried the routing along existing cabling but did not really like the result.  I will experiment with Shoe Goo as well as the tape... 

Big thanks for the notes and tips on this!

Bob

[Tim Gavin]

Glad I could help.  Just passing on what I've learned here. 

My Riv still has its tail light wire along the brake cable run; it's a minor annoyance.  My plan is to change it to under-the-BB and into the rear fender, but not until my current (lipless) VO fenders break.  At that point, I'll install some Honjos (I grabbed a set from the Clymb website when they had them on clearance) and run the wire in the fender lip.  I may try "helicopter" tape at that point, or just use more of the Shoe Goo I already have.

The VO fenders are doing fine, though.  So it will probably be another couple years.  Hope the Shoe Goo won't be dried out by then!

One other tip, if you run the wire under the BB.  You have to leave room for the FD cable.  

I left a loop so the wire passes over.  

But then at a later date I replaced the FD cable and forgot about the dynamo wire (you don't see it from above).  On my next ride, my front shifting was sluggish and my headlight was acting up.  I added the two together and realized I'd run the FD cable right over that cable loop, and now the FD cable was rubbing (sluggish shifting) off the insulation and shorting the dynamo juice back to the frame.

So, don't do that.

Internal dynamo wiring routing is definitely something I'd want on a custom frame.

[Steve Palincsar]

On 04/21/2017 08:53 AM, Tim Gavin wrote:
> Glad I could help. Just passing on what I've learned here.
>
> My Riv still has its tail light wire along the brake cable run; it's a
> minor annoyance. My plan is to change it to under-the-BB and into the
> rear fender, but not until my current (lipless) VO fenders break. At
> that point, I'll install some Honjos (I grabbed a set from the Clymb
> website when they had them on clearance) and run the wire in the
> fender lip. I may try "helicopter" tape at that point, or just use
> more of the Shoe Goo I already have.
>
> The VO fenders are doing fine, though. So it will probably be another
> couple years. Hope the Shoe Goo won't be dried out by then!

If they're properly installed, metal fenders can last a long, long
time. The sets I installed in 2006 and 2008 are doing just fine. If
that tube of Shoe Goo has been opened before, it might be a solid block
by the time you need it.

[Jon Dukeman,central Colorado]

Thanks Hugh

I just placed my order.

Jon

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[Les Lammers]

I got it from e*ay seller valleybikeparts in Bellingham WA. Fast shipping no issues. Not cheap but neither is a re-paint.

[Les Lammers]

A 36 yard roll of 3M 8671HS 8672  2" tape is $152 from Aircraft Spruce.

On Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 12:22:32 AM UTC-4, Hugh Smitham wrote:

George,

Yes in the roll I've seen it upwards of $300+ Most likely why it's primarily found on eBay in small quantity. My buddy Mike says this stuff works for him just fine but can't comment on whether the 3m is better?

Then there's this on eBay 4"x 3' and nade by 3M shipped from the UK.

Thinking of going for the ISC version. I trust Mike.

~Hugh

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” ― Albert Einstein

http://velocipeedemusings.com/

On Wed, Apr 19, 2017 at 9:02 PM, George Schick <bhi...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hugh - if this eBay deal to buy it in strips falls through (which it looks like it might) my next step is to follow Nick's advice and visit a local Harley shop to find it in some 12"x18" sheets.  For your info, BTW, it looks like a roll may cost as much as $250.

On Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at 7:34:04 PM UTC-5, Hugh Smitham wrote:

This has been on my short list of need to buy. So where's the best source to buy a roll? Or is it way too expensive to buy as a roll? There seem to be a few eBay sellers but I noticed they're selling strips not rolls. As other's have mentioned there other manufacturer's. I myself consider 3m to be of the highest quality. Also what width have you all found to be the most useful?

~Hugh

On Friday, April 7, 2017 at 2:38:43 AM UTC-7, Les Lammers wrote:

This was developed for the leading edge of copter blades to prevent abrasion from desert sand. It's a TOUGH clear adhesive tape available in different widths.You can find it on the auction site. I have it on the 'top tube' of my Cheviot and also use it as a chainstay protector. Excellent paint protection.

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[George Schick]

Helicopter tape arrived in the mail today.  More than enough to do six bikes - the eBay retailer must feel embarrassed and wanting to make up for the lost time (in shipping).  Installed the tape on the drive-side chain stay and my Ram feels comfort in having no more chain slap to look forward to.

Thanks to Les, in particular, for bringing this helicopter tape to our attention.  And thanks to several others for their advice and suggestions on how to install it.  I'd only add a few bits from my personal experience today:  I used the recommended water spray method to position the tape into its final position.  All worked well except that the thick, 14mil tape didn't want to bend and stay in place around the fairly sharp bend of the chain stay.  So I got out the heat gun and put it on low setting to blow under the parts of the tape that wouldn't bend around the stay in order to dry it a bit while I smoothed it into place.  It worked well, except that a heat gun even on low was probably overkill - a hair dryer would've probably been better.

Also, before cutting a piece of the tape with an exact-o knife, I cut a template out of heavy paper to get a feel how it would fit, tapering one end of it slightly to accommodate the shape of the chain stay.  Then, I held that over a length of the helio-tape and traced around it with the exact-o knife, rounding both ends so there would be no sharp 90º ends that could hooked and start to peel.  The rest was as the OP and others explained it and now I have an excellent strip of chain stay protection on the Ram without sacrificing the nice color of the frame.

Again, thanks to all.  Oh, BTW, as those who work in painting and refinishing like to say, "preparation is 90º of the job."  Be sure to thoroughly clean all wax off the frame part you want to protect with a slightly diluted citrus solvent like Finish Line, wash the residue off with water, and then clean the surface again with 90º isopropyl alcohol before processing with the installation.

[Reed Kennedy]

Thanks for following up George! Good notes and advice.

I received my helicopter tape from holo_haleakala on eBay yesterday as well. I also ended up with a good size roll. It seems like that seller is back in business and a good way to get high quality tape in a useful size and with reasonable shipping charges. I've revised the feedback I left to be positive.

Here's the link I used to order:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-1-HELICOPTER-TAPE-Clear-14MIL-Extra-Tough-Frame-Protection-8681-1-65-ft-/182237433934

Seems like with a little patience everything worked out in the end.

Best,

Reed

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