Helicopter Tape

Alcon

Retro Newbie
Does anybody use this to protect their lovely vintage paint jobs? I recently bought a Peugeot Perthus Pro in really nice condition and want to preserve the paint job as much as possible.

Helicopter tape looks the way to go but I'm wondering if it's as good as it says it is. I'd be worried that it'd be a nightmare to remove, would pull off decals and leave me with a sticky bicycle.

Interested to see if anybody has some experience with it.

Cheers!
 
I have some that chain reaction use'd to sell and its not been very good it still eventually lifts even if its heated to the curve and surface is alcohol rubbed beforehand. But that doesnt mean to say its all bad.
 
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I use a fair bit of it .Good on tandem top tubes to prevent scuffing If you get the optical clear stuff you can hardly see it.Removed the odd bit using heat with no problem but never used it over decals.If your decals are not overcoated then you could well remove them with the tape.Does not do too well on small tubes like chainstays as tends to try and flatten out. Warm it first to increase the tack and make it more pliable.
 
Re:

Cheers for the replies. Interesting what you guys are saying about the tape eventually wanting to flatten out. Maybe it's not the way to go. I'd like to find something that will let me put in some good mileage on the bike while easing my nerves about chipping or scratching the paint.

The other option I was considering was a rub on coating like Ecocoat so that might be the next avenue I go down.

Appreciate the help :D
 
The decent stuff (3M) in a sufficiently thin version is actually pretty good, flexible and easy to remove with a bit of heat.
The thicker and cheaper you go. The crapper it is!

Still. If your stickers aren't lacquered in. Don't do it!
 
What’s wrong with a couple coats of lacquer? Tape must look pretty ugly on any frame TBH. & a frame of value I certainly wouldn’t want to put tape... if it that valuable get it lacquered professionally
 
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I agree about the lacquer - it would definitely do what I want but at a high cost. If it was something like a Raleigh SBDU that was super rare and likely to go up in value I might go for a clear coat. It's a lovely bike but not particularly expensive or collectable which is what got me thinking about the tape or even a rub on ceramic coating like the Ecocoat.
 
Properly applied high quality tape is (almost) invisible and doesn't yellow over time.
The only time you're likely to see it is on a very high gloss light coloured frame. Or something with a very matt finish.
 
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