Fitting Frameskin to my 3 year old bike was a sobering experience. Firstly it highlighted that electrical tape and contact was useless in protecting my frame, and secondly why hadn’t I heard about this product before. It seemed that every part of the bike that was to be covered by FrameSkin was scuffed, marked and chipped from years of unprotected riding. If only I’d known…

Now I’m not one of those suckers who gets the optional paint protection when buying a $20,000 car, however like many of us riders my bikes are a different story and they are my pride and joy. A mountain bike doesn’t look new

for long as out on the trails you’ll encounter sticks, stones (and perhaps break some of your bones), that’ll all be flicking up and scratching your frame. Frameskin is a film designed to take the impact of the sticks and stones (sorry it can’t help your bones) and protects your paintwork or anodised finish. It’ll also work on the brake lines rubbing on the head tube and your shoes scuffing on your crank arms.
 
Frameskin is a clear thick film that sticks to your frame by heat and its natural properties. It’s not permanent though and can be removed by reheating if you have the need. FrameSkin supply kits for several popular makes of bikes and if your's isn’t covered you can always order a blank roll and cut the shapes out yourself. If your bike isn’t listed I suggest ordering the roll rather than trying to make a kit fit as I found there are several differences between an Anthem and Anthem Ltd! [Editor... generic kits for mtb and road bikes are also available in cases where your bike isn't listed.]

The task of fitting the Frameskin to your bike can take awhile, but it’s worth taking the time to line it up right and avoid getting an unsightly air bubble underneath. The manual suggests you can sit back with some beers however take my advice and save these for later as you’ll need your concentration to get the installation right.

Next up I grabbed my wife’s hair dryer and avoiding her strange looks had the product bonded to the frame in a matter of minutes.

Unrolling the sheet revealed pre-cut sections within the main sheet. Although a separate handout is supplied showing which piece goes where, I found matching the pieces to the frame could have been easier if pictures were supplied rather than just a description of the location.  Peel the section from the sheet, dip it in hot water and slide it onto the frame. Next up I grabbed my wife’s hair dryer and avoiding her strange looks had the product bonded to the frame in a matter of minutes.

I’m cautious about adding weight to my bike however a quick kitchen scale test (again attracting strange looks from my wife) showed that less than 100 grams was used.
 
Frameskin is a great product that ideally should be applied to the bike straight off the showroom floor. However, retro fitting to an old bike still has merits as it will stop further scuff marks and in my case actually brought some shine back to the frame.

A quick search revealed Frameskin have some competition, however this product is Aussie made and is still holding fast with no signs of the edges lifting after almost 2 months on the bike. It’s certainly given me something to add to the list when buying my next new ride, and unlike some of the other bits and pieces this one is easy to sell to my wife as “It protects my investment”!

Frameskin kits start at $50.00 and you can check out the FrameSkin website at www.frameskin.com

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