On Jul 28, 10:26 pm, bicycle_disciple <
[email protected]>
wrote:
> On Jul 28, 10:16 pm, [email protected] wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Jul 28, 9:40 pm, bicycle_disciple <[email protected]>
> > wrote:
>
> > > I've been reading reviews on Road Bike Review for the Colnago Master X-
> > > Light. The bike handles, climbs and accelerates like a dream, most
> > > say. However, quite a few also point out the problematic paint of the
> > > frame. Chips and nicks are easily made.
>
> > > For a 2000 dollar frame, you would think that they would put more
> > > thought into paint durability.
>
> > > For a potential purchaser of a frame like this, what precautions can
> > > be taken to ensure minimum damage to the frame, apart from keeping a
> > > watch on it more than your baby offspring 
>
> > > B.D
>
> > you can buy a roll of book-jacket laminate and use that on the tubes;
> > a single layer wraps nicely around, protects against a lot of misc
> > damage and blends in too so your frame still displays it's artistic
> > paint work. when you peel off the laminate after a year you will
> > notice the difference. I've used that method on my bikes including 5
> > years as a bike courier and kept my frames looking years younger than
> > they actually are. put it on like wallpaper, nice even no air bubbles.
> > with a few washes of your bike with a soft cloth you won't even notice
> > it's there.
>
> Very interesting idea for a fix. What do you mean by the last
> statement though? The laminate won't wash off right, leaving me to
> laminate it once again?
>
> Since we're on colnago topic here, one more question.
>
> Given all factors are equal, whats a better bike to choose out of the
> two - Master X-light or CT1. Better in the sense for climbing,
> sprinting, and general performance cost wise.
>
> Thanks- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
no it doesn't wash off, but rain will curl the edges in time so every
year or so you'll want to peel off the laminate and give yourself a
nice fresh clean layer. you won't be able to protect everything on
your bike of course, but you can do the downtube seattube and toptube
very nicely, the stays are a lot trickier because the smaller
diameters and such, but you can protect against errant stones on the
outer parts where chips and scratches will detract from the overall
appearance of the frame. the nice thing is that the laminate is cheap,
$4 or so for a roll and you got your bike covered and some left for
whenever. strip the frame before you start, clean it and wipe it down
so no oil will loosen the laminate glue. the laminate has a paper
backing so you can measure and cut to size and check the fit before
you place it. try to do as large sections as you can, not a bunch of
small strips because that will look ugly, and you do a single wrap
around each tube with no overlap.start at the underside of the tube,
the seam is best on the underside where you won't notice it so much,
and you can make sure it's straight along the centerline or adjust it
easier. do not cut the laminate while it's on the frame because you
will score your paint for sure. when you are checking the fit you will
note where you will have to cut out a small section for your water
bottle bosses-
don't remove more of the laminate backing than you need when you are
putting it on- it will just make it more difficult to work with. you
shouldn't have to worry about the laminate glue; the stuff here is for
books so is made to peel off cleanly without ripping the jacket.
you will learn enough doing it once that the second time you should
find yourself fairly happy with the result.
