I recently acquired a lifetime supply (about 12 oz) of a product called plasti dip. (I think I read of someone using similar here on the list) My intention was to prevent further damage to a bicycle that has no bottle braze-ons when I attached clamp-on bottle holders. It's only been a few weeks, but I must say, so far so good.
I painted a thin coating of this plasticized compound on the contact surfaces of the clamp band, let it dry, and installed. There's no slippage, and it appears to be preventing damage to the paint, and I believe is also preventing seepage under the clamp.
What might be best of all is that there's no tacky-looking improvisation of bar tape (or whatever) on the frame, just waiting to ruin the paint when it eventually gets taken off. When the occasion arises, I would not hesitate to do the same thing with clamp on cable guides or cable stops.
To whomever put this idea into my head, I give my thanks.
Cheers,
John Barry
Mechanicsburg, PA, USA
> From: Mark Petry <mark@petry.org>
\r?\n> Subject: [CR] Need help: protecting frame from clamp-on parts?
\r?\n> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
\r?\n> Date: Friday, October 2, 2009, 11:01 AM
\r?\n> Mark Lawrence wrote :
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> > I want to avoid damaging the beautiful paint on my
\r?\n> frame, yet need to add
\r?\n>
\r?\n> > a clamp-on gear shifter. What is the best thing
\r?\n> to wrap on the paint
\r?\n>
\r?\n> > first to protect it from damage? .
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> A noble aspiration - protecting the paint - but my opinion
\r?\n> is, forget it.
\r?\n> I've seen too many occaisions when well-intentioned riders
\r?\n> put tape, rubber,
\r?\n> cloth handlebar tape under the clamp on fittings for gear
\r?\n> levers or the
\r?\n> front derailleur clamp - it's a lot more trouble and it
\r?\n> NEVER works.
\r?\n> Whatever material you use interferes with the clamping
\r?\n> action, and usually
\r?\n> the levers slip and cause a big ol' gouge in the
\r?\n> paint. I guarantee you
\r?\n> that when you peel that "miracle plastic film" off, you'll
\r?\n> take paint with
\r?\n> it.
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Don't.
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Just put a little grease on the inside of the clamp before
\r?\n> installing it,
\r?\n> and tighten them down firmly but not too tight (especially
\r?\n> that front
\r?\n> derailleur clamp) and ride it. This is the way
\r?\n> Faliero and Cino and all
\r?\n> those whose flame we now keep did it - and if it was good
\r?\n> enough for them,
\r?\n> it's good enough for us.
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Mark Petry
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Bainbridge Island, WA