Invisiframe Bike Frame Protection Review and Application
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2024
- The Invisiframe is for bike frame protection, made from 3M vinyl. This is my experience applying the Invisiframe to my new Yeti SB6c and my overall thoughts of the product. Happy New Year!
Special thanks to Johannes Nilsen for recommending the Invisiframe to me!
Invisiframe Info:
www.invisiframe...
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/ pittsburghactive
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I have the matte kit on my 16 SB6C.
1- The bike is decently protected from general wear and tear. I have shuttle scars on the downtube and chainstays - but it is only the tape that has damage :)
2- Super easy to clean the shit off your bike with this kit. I just spray the bike down and it looks like I spent quality time cleaning the frame.
3- Installation isn't that bad. I left the small pieces for last as I feel the large pieces are easier to place and squeegie. Practice on the downtube IMO. Make sure you have a bike stand with an articulating head - this will save your sanity during the project.
To everyone crying about $100 kit - the SB6 is damn expensive so the cost to value ratio of the overall bike is really damn good when looking at the big picture. It is not unreasonable to pay $100 to protect your $6k bike.
I like your videos PittsburgActive - you should take a trip to Phoenix and see exactly how many rocks the SB6C eats for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!!
Hey!
Thanks for the quick long term review of the product and the tips for everyone else! I'm glad your particular experience is tied to gravity as this is the bike I'm planning to be using for parks with the overall goal of racing enduro. (Lets see if that really happens, I mention a neck brace to my wife and she had a few things to say.. yikes). Glad to hear that i'll will also help keep the bike look clean. As far as the cost, I hear ya man and agree. I obviously bucked up for it in hopes that it will help preserve from future bumps and bruises.
Thanks for the invite man! I really appreciate that, i'll for sure keep in touch and let you know if I'm ever around there. Let me know you're around here as well!
Hey there. Great vids. I'd like to chime in on the long term durability of Invis. I've installed Invis on 3 bikes, and it's great. Just make sure the installation is done properly and that the edges are pressed down to prevent dirt from getting stuck under the the film edge. As for durability, it's excellent to repel stones and scuffs (even from shoes). I've even looped the bikes a few times, and it's held up well too. My Yeti sb5c is going on 3 years - and it still looks like new - with the exception of a some marks on the vinyl. Hope this helps.
Dino thanks so much man! Really helpful for me and the rest of the folks on this thread and video! So far so great for me too!
I've had Invis on my carbon Spesh Enduro for coming up to 3 years now and it has held up really well with no edge peeling (unlike the helitape I used on my previous bike) and it has protected the frame from all general trail use and still looks great today. As for the price, well frankly it's peanuts compared to the cost of a decent carbon bike and the company has obviously put a lot of effort into making the kits fit so well on each individual frame - that's where the true value of this product is. So for me it's a no-brainer and I'm just about to fit Invis on my wife's new Juliana Roubion - the fitting I'm certainly not looking forward to - it is truly a pain to fit, but definitely worth the effort!
Also worth mentioning that the fork and carbon crank arm protection kits are great too. Effectively protects the whole bike from repeated scuffs and scratches. You can even polish minor scratches out of the Invis tape if you can be bothered.
Peter Harrison hey man thanks for the update on your experience with the invis! Comments like this definitely helps everyone. And I agree! It's totally worth it! Pain in the ass to put too!
Ps. Please tell your wife, she is lucky as congrats on her Julianna! 🙌👊🤘
Such a sweet bike dude. Great job installing the invis. It's very cool that you took the time to get everything just right.
Hollis Prince thanks man! I really appreciate that. I actually got the frame in August and took the time to get it just right. Happy new year!
Fab product. Had my Scott Genius LT 700 tuned plus covered from new in 2016 and it still looks like a new bike in 2021. Unlike paint it doesnt scuff up where muddy shorts rub against the frame so my top tube still looks shiny along its entire length, overall the film is still fully transparent with no yellowing, none of the edges have peeled. and in fact it is still difficult to spot where the edges are unless you get close up and look for them.
Great video! I used the same stuff on my SB5 and it's holding up great. There's definitely a learning curve, which means the last piece looked perfectly straight with no bubbles. lol.
MTB Savant yeah for sure man. Certainly a day project. Thanks for the support bruh!
I contemplated Invis for a good while, but the price was too hard to swallow. I found the All Mountain Style frame protector, and was very impressed! Unlike standard 3M it has a honeycomb structure, which they sell as "impact absorbing". I used it on my down tube and top tube and then in prime cable rub areas, and have yet to have find a chip, crack or wear mark in my paint or carbon frame.
So all in all I found it a great, easy to use and wallet friendly option.
Robbie James yeah I saw that stuff too I didn't really they has some impact protection as well. Do they have chain stay coverage?
I have it on one of my bikes,but it would be nice if they made frame specific guards like InvisiFrame, the 2014 fuel ex is gone from InvisiFrame's site,which is the bike I got. 2 of my bikes has protection from Zefal, but on my fuel ex, the bike-shop applied it over the welds which resulted in air bubbles & it pealing off,but on the top tube, they did it correctly, so it stayed on. I have not any issues with those, but if clamping in a repair stand the Zefal wrinkles..
@PittsburghActive
None of their products are directly labeled for certain parts of the frame, which is one of the reasons I love it! here is how they label their XL Kit "10 parts for a universal protection system: 1 big part for the down tube; 4 arrow parts for extending the down tube protection or top tube, 4 parts for the chainstay; 1 rectangle for cable wear protection or other uses"
There is no exact way to use it, and with 2 XL kits you can very easily cover every critical part of your frame. Plus in my opinion they look really cool!
Johannes Nilsen I am not denying that frame specific guards are awesome. I love having my rig fully protected so I can always sell it down the road. But once you get into "custom" manufacturers the price is going to sky rocket.
Also a tip for molding around welds and tight curves is to use a hairdryer to make it more malleable.
Robbie James hair dryer, nice idea,not thought of that,InvisiFframe is not cheap, But if you got a expensive bike its worth it.
I think I'll do this for my next bike. Hopefully this protects your frame enough to make the effort worth while.
Brian Vaughn only time will tell brother. I hope so too lol!
trail dog Winston will be with you on every ride now!!
boostenmkiv that's true! Love my boy!
Love it!!! I also put invis on my ASRC and it came out very nice... I used a blow dryer for the tougher spots like the top tube. Yes.... I would recommend this product!!!!
Edward Endriga thanks bud! How long have you had it? Any long term comments so far?
Ed, YES! I just did my SB 5.5 last night and the blow dryer is KEY. Yetis have so many radius and curves, it expedites the process substantially.
Well done, props to you for having the patience to do this on your bike.
Heck I only put an All Mountain Style protector on my down tube and I was tapping out!
ian docena lol! Yeah man I was not expecting that struggle. Haha!
There's another company in Australia called Frameskin that does similar kits, saying that I used Invis on my Lapierre spicy team frame. Removing wheels, chain and placing in a bike stand would have made it easier. I applied mine prior to building up the frame which makes it quicker again.
yakbiker75 yeah that's probably the best way to do it, when the frame is naked. I also saw frameskin but it was more expensive, for what looks like the same product.
bro what exactly soap solution did you use? what are the mixture? Do i just need to buy diswashing liquid ?
Is that how matte invis looks like? looks a little bit glossy or may be its just a light reflection. Im also using matte frame
if someday, you decide to remove it, is it still removable ?
That's a f*ckin nice bike, I think it looks better with abit of gloss over the matte paint.
Thanks brother!
Na it’s carbon fibre Matt
Your 3M pre-cut custom made vinyl is actually made of XPEL car protection film.
Hey PittsburghActive, great vid...do you think that stripping it down to the frame is better to install the invis?
David Lee yep absolutely would.
Im getting ready to order to invis for my Nukeproof so had to see some vids on it and came across you!! And a neighbor "Pittsburgher"🤟🏻👊🏻
Thank You for the video & Great job 👍🏻 Do you still ride??? I ride frick park a lot.
Great video. I wish I knew about this Invis when I got my SB6C. Oh well I guess I have to wait for another new bike. LOL. At least this video will give me the confidence on applying Invis on my future new bike. Whenever that maybe. Happy New Year!!!
Thanks man! Happy new year to you as well!
Did you have any minor scratches on the bike before you protected it. If so did it cover them up kinda,
How is the Invis holding up? Have you peeled it off? If so, has any of the original Yeti stickers come off?
Some degreasers leave behind residue... if your bike is new, rubbing alcohol is more than sufficicient.
Also, just spot clean each area as you apply each sticker. Cleaning the whole bike first is unnecessary and not as efficient.
These kits are really nice but you are paying a very high price just to have it pre cut. You can buy the same 3m film for a fraction of the cost you just have to cut it yourself. Also he's not using anywhere near enough liquid, if you spray the frame and the film you can just slide it into place then squeegee a spot on one end to hold it in place and work your way to the other end, remember your squeegeeing out all the liquid so it doesn't matter if you use a lot it just might make a bit more of a mess on the floor.
I have been thinking about getting this as well, but I don't want to shovel out 100 dollars. I really think if they sold it for 50, now then we'd be talking. However, the convenience and pluses may be worth it! Man three hours for you, would probably mean at least four for me lol!
Dude! it is not easy at all. It will definitely try your patience.
You see thats the thing, I feel like I'm gonna spend all that money and do a crap job or mess one of the pieces up. For 100 dollars I think you should be able to buy it and have an employee of a bike shop install it when you pay the 100. But life does not work that way, at least right now!
you won't mess a piece up unless you drop it on the carpet...they are very thick and just make sure to use more soap
Sounds like you have done it as well, how do you like it on your bike?
if your installation only involves just the frame only, then the whole job
is much easier. i did 4 nomad3 and it was surely easier that way
the price they asked is well worth it. pittsburgactive i'm impress. nice bike. i'm planning to pick one up soon from CC
Did they not have a matte option when you bought this invis for your bike? My bike is similar to yours, it has a matte finish to it but I feel that getting the gloss invis will just make it look a bit cleaner and eye catching. Not sure which one to get, gloss or matte??
ArsenalAwayDays hey man, what you see on the video is actually the matte finish. If you have a flat black carbon bike, I guess it would all depend on how glossy you want it. If you want it just a bit "egg she'll" get the matte. If you want it really glossy, go with the glossy. Let me know what you end up with and how you like it!
Thanks for getting back to me, I think I'll go with the matte invis then. Great video mate!
ArsenalAwayDays thanks man!!!
Excellent video! I noticed that you have Öhlins at the front. What do you like about it (compared to FOX)? Do you have a review about Öhlins?
Jukka Koskinen hey man! I do have the fork! It's beautiful. So far so good but since it's been pretty snowy here, I don't feel like I have pushed this fork and bike to its limits quite yet. I will have a review closer to the summer. I just want to make sure I truly put it through its paces before I make a review about it.
great video! i really like the info thanks!
FYI do you had consider to ad some background to the videos shoot in your basement? maybe your other bike.
israel larrea hey man thanks for the support and feedback. It's a tricky thing when you have a black bike, since you pretty much have to work with a plain or light background to provide contrast. For some reason it's really hard to get detail out of the bike since it sucks up all the light. Thank you for the suggestion 👍
Kudos to you though fot taking the time and effort to do that.
mike Bussart thanks man. Heard it presents against shuttle scars. And it it does the effort was well worth it.
How is the invisframe looking after two years?
Great video! I've been comptemplating putting on Invis on my Hightower. Not sure if I would dig the gloss finish from the decal on Hightower's matt finish either.
Thanks man! Yeah its a bit of bummer that there isn't a way to preserve the flat finish of the frame.
Yeah, that gloss would piss me off lol!!!
My matt finish, gives me goose bumps and makes me want to ride it!
PittsburghActive i see invis has a glossy and a flat version of their protector kit did you buy flat?
did this to my HD4 today. is it normal to have some decals left over? My downtube did not have the right cuts and I could not locate alot of the decals on my frame and wouldnt fit. was this an issue for you? For 110$ I would expect for ALL decals to fit right,etc. I wish they had more decals for inside chainstay and behild bottom seat tube pivot area, thats kind of a critical area. thanks
m00nchildblues hey man. I would contact invis and and take pics of the frame and the original sheet. My sheet fit perfect just like on the vid. Every piece has a place. They may have sent you the wrong sheet. Human error type of stuff. Which is why pics of the sheet will help you
PittsburghActive spoke to folks who I bought from and they said a lot of sheets came out with description,sizing and cut out issues.i had to do only 3 cutouts,etc. I figured it out with less than a dozen small bubbles.other than that it's looking great. Lol
m00nchildblues ahh. Yeah I figured there was a manufacturing error. But to your point, you already put the work in and it looks great lol!
I have the RideWrap kit and they design the kits to have a 3mm gap between each piece so trimming won't be necessary. Awesome kit if you're looking for this
Very timely! Just got my Invis kit for my Bronson tonight. Not looking forward to the install...I'm guessing there might be a bit of cursing involved. lol
James McFall haha! Let me know how you do yeah it was not easy.
Bahh! Mark me down for a fail. Thought it was going well then noticed soap bubbles I thought were resting on top were actually trapped underneath. Attempts to lift and reapply only stretched the piece. Decided not to attempt the rest of it.
Anyone need a Bronson kit with a missing right seat stay? lol
James McFall when you try to peel it try to get the soap water in twrween the inivis and the frame. It should loosen. Keep on going it wil get easier. Also set up a bowl of water and soap and dunk the layer before you apply. This makes sure it's super soapy so it takes a bit longer to dry up. Just make sure you pay attention to the "sticky" side.
So how did it hold up over time?
How hard or easy is it to remove? That is if you decide you can't live with that little bit of gloss finish
Trailjunkie I think... you just take a hair dryer to it. But what is done will not be undone. Lol! Way too much work. And from what it sounds like from the other guys comments there's been good protection.
Lol, looks like you sweated more installing that than an actual ride
How is it ?? Just bought a Yeti Sb6 and wondering if it's worthwhile or should look for something else? I do lots of shuttles and race enduro.
+secretmeerkat hey man! The invis is ok. Now that it's park season I've found out that I need more protection in key areas. I'll be launching a vid actually in the next few weeks on an update to this. I would hold off until you see that vid. Is it worth it? I think so for normal use. But for shuttles and DH parks, you need more.
PittsburghActive hey any follow up on this? I assume you mean the invis doesn't protect against crashes or scrapping against rocks? I don't really plan to take my bike to the park much and it coming with downtube and chainstay protectors already. So do you think invis is not worth the extra time and effort...im not concerned about the costs.
Another thing about RideWrap, they have a shuttle pad kit available for this concern
Have you seen the invis matte option on any other bikes instead of the flat black frames?
Hey!!!! very informative tutorial. Invis website only have version 1 with external routing. Is your the same version? I really want to know coz i want to get one. Either way will do but preferred internal routing if available.
Thanks!!
Sasuke Sky Uchiya hey brother. Yeah mine is the internal version from invis. If I remember correctly they call it version 2 internal. Maybe they are out of stock? Try emailing them to find out.
Thanks!!
Looks like a pain, but I might just order the same for my sb6c. I think it actually makes your bike look pretty cool, Not too shiny and not too flat.
Sackett™ there are a few people that have commented that it has been good for them. Think it's one of those things, if you've got a nice frame it's worth the extra love to put into it. Happy New Years by the way!
PittsburghActive Happy New Year to you as well!
Just wondering if you have an update as to how the invisframe is holding up now that you've had it for quite awhile? I'm awaiting the arrival of my Hightower and was considering putting this on before the start of the season.
I'm in Canada so there is no installer here either and this doesn't look like fun putting it on! If the protection is good and it's going to last I will go ahead and try it out. Thanks!
You probably won't find this useful now, two years later but...
RideWrap is located in Whistler and they have installers. I went with them since Invis didn't offer my kit at the time. There is no difference between frame kits with the exception of logos.
So? Is it a good protection after all?
They say to use "baby shampoo" for the application process... are there alternatives?
You could've used windex to make it slide and then use a blow dryer to warm it up and start sticking.
I would suggest the following:
1. Use a bike stand to apply it
2. Use two people for better fitting.
3. Use heat lamp and/or hair dryer
These things make a HUGE difference, took 3 hrs for two of us to apply the complete frame for a TREK FUEL 9.8 2018. Looks GREAT
1) you are right.
2) I don't have many friends ;-)
3) I didn't think about that
Lol! seriously though, all points you said would've def helped the install for sure.
yesterday I installed INVISIFRAME on a second bike, a TREK Slash 9.8, and these 3 points are key. The heat lamp really helps to position the piece first and then squeegee out the remaining bubbles. It is important to place the pice on the extremities first and once in place, continue on to the edges.
Great buy, definitely recommend INVISIFRAME. I am actually buying the cranks and fork protection for our two bikes, FUEL 29er and SLASH 9.8
What does the heat do? Make it stick better? Or shape it better? Ty!
It kinda feels like pointless thing to do. It will not protect your bike from hard scratches or crash. I don't think people really understand that expensive bikes are like cars loose 1/2 of its value within first year and then about 10% every year. 5 years old Yeti with original MSRP 6k in perfect condition in best case scenario worth 1500 and that price more depends on components and frame integrity then on cosmetic condition.
MORE WINSTON!!!!!!
Good video thanks for sharing!! I contacted Invis, unfortunately they don't have a custom cut for my TREK MARLIN 7 mountain bike, they offered me the generic one instead.. was it like that also for you?
can u do a 6 months on review?
How it's works after 5 months?:)
Tales Brutales great so far! It makes cleaning the flat black way easier too!
I just installed stickers on my capra cf :) test soon
Tales Brutales nice dude! Let me know how you like the Capra!
Where can I buy the invis?
+Dennis Dacanay in the invis website my man
Just doing this to my bike today. Thank you so much for the tips, this is no small, quick en-devour. FYI for anyone with a Matte frame or Matte fork...the FrameSkin stuff is a truer match to that without the "satiny" finish that Invis does. (My bike is Gloss but my Fox Fork isn't). Both are the bee's knees and when I pinged FrameSkin, they matched the price...noting that their prices are in AUD not USD.
I hope you had an easier time than I did. How did it turn out?
PittsburghActive it was pretty good. My frame is gloss and everything is pretty invisible. I have some left over bubbles in places. The top tube and seat tube pieces had to be cut to fit a bit which was annoying to do. Nice that it's all done. The Frameskin stuff is entirely 12mil thick which I like a lot for thickness. I have some extra stuff to cover a few missed spot like the inside of the stays. I'll use some mastic tape in other high wear areas and cover my fork as well with another frameskin.
Steve Vinyard glad it worked out for you man. Did it take you long?
PittsburghActive ha yes. 4hrs
Steve Vinyard lol
There is a matte kit you can buy
Why is it so important to protect you MTB, first of, it is a MTB, used to mud/forrest and other tuff trails, this will get the bike scrached over time, there are no stopping it.
doing downhill is a hard exercise for a bike and it can brake or fail on many parts.
I dont mind that an item that is bought be be used hard will end up with battle scars.
it is like buying a showel and then you dont want to use it because the "paint will be stripped of the blade over time.. !
protecting the frame.. well, I dont think the frame will fail before all the components on the MTB anyway..
But this is just my opinion !
So you buy a brand new Mountainbike and better scratch it so it looks bad earlyer then just protect it (without a real reason why you shouldn't)? And a shovel is meant to go into the dirt, etc but a mtb is not meant to get crashed (scratches, paint off, etc.). On a shovel nobody looks at that, but I personally want my bike to look good instead of scratches which makes it look bad.
But with all the plastic we produce and waist, do we really need this crap?
Omar Alagna like many many many many plastic things in life, probably not.
it can be used for my road bike
check out the invis website, you'll be able to see which bikes they have covered.
Its a mountain bike its gonna get scratched up im sorry but thats how it is. I also spent a lot of $$$ on my carbon stump jumper so I understand but its gonna happen.
mike Bussart hey man believe me I get it. My 5010 has mini gashes on the frame, the handle bars and carbon wheels. Think that's kind of why I wanted to do this, if I can protect my investment when I know it's a only a matter of when it's going to be gashed up I'm going to do that. Plus I've shuttled rentals before and depending on how it's loaded, I can tell you I've experienced some nasty shuttle scars.
It's around £150 including fitting when you buy the bike new in the uk . I'd definitely pay as patience isn't my virtue & would never forgive my self if frustration got the better of me & I took a hammer to my brand new bike without even riding it ! 😂😂😂
Richard Dreyer oh man believe me, I looked on the invis website for fitters but the closest shop that was listed was 3k miles away, lol!
Yes a hammer to a frame would be the exact opposite of what the application of the invis would be be for 😂 lol! Yeah man it was not as easy as I thought.
You can't call a bulldog Winston. It's against the law.
it went from matte to eggshell! lol
tman55575 lol! Yep it unfortunately did!
5:10 that's a chain stay.