Frame protection - yay or nay

[RobertWhitehead]

I am faced with a bit of a conundrum, I currently have a "new old stock" Giant XTC frame think it is a 2014 or so (size M for those keen to buy it once I am done 😁). Anyhow, sales pitch done, this frame has never been built and currently does not have a scratch or major defect on it. Now my thinking: wrap it and use it to increase the life of the paint job but, will this add value or will it just be a nice to have? I won't be looking to use this as a sales pitch or a value add, I am merely thinking that if I gave it more thought when I built my bike 3 years ago it may have been a nice touch.

Then my next question: do I just use stuff like the 3M tape or would you go to a wrapping company? 

[Grease_Monkey]

I'm happy with my wrap (Armour Ride). But it was very expensive. I can't imagine forking out 3k for a wrap on an older frame. On my new frame which was a bit of an investment, I could justify it because it wasn't a huge % of the cost of the frame....

All the home 3M jobs I've seen look terrible IMO. I'd rather have nothing on my bike than that. Unless you have an insane amount of patience and a steady hand.

Edited February 16, 2022 by Grease_Monkey
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[Dappere]

Wrap it, I have wrapped most of my Mtbs through Armour Ride. For the my mtbs I go with the full custom wrap and road bike I generally go with the essentials wrap. 

It does make a difference. Comparing my wrapped Mtb with my mates unwrapped mtb, bought a week apart. The difference is night and day. Mates bike was full of general trail usage scratches, where my paint job still looked fresh. Can't speak of 3M, but I know Armour Rides wrap also offers UV protection. Helps with resell.