How To Wrap A Bike Frame

Learning how to wrap a bike frame with vinyl begins, of course, with choosing the right tools. You need the knife, squeegees with buffers on them. You'll also need Knifeless Tape, this is for cutting directly on the surface, safely and, of course, cleaners.
Bike frames naturally have a lot of oil that builds up on them, so put extra focus on cleaning to ensure that the surface as a high surface energy and the wrap film can stick.
Next up is to prep the frame with 3M Knifeless tape. Here it is being placed at the front because the idea is to leave this exposed at the very end to highlight the logo and the color. Now here at the bottom of the bike frame, is where there's going to be an overlap, so the pieces are going to be cut separately so it has good long term hold. Because this is a direct cut on the body Knifeless tape as best.
Now we measure the bike frame. Make sure you have enough material left to right, top to bottom, place the film on a work table that is clean with the lighter side facing up. Once the piece is cut, remove the liner exactly halfway.
And you can either have someone hold the frame for you at this moment or place it on a vice, then flip the panel over the top of the frame. Once it is set at the halfway point. Now pick the frame up and lay it on the table. Using a squeegee with a buffer, lock the material on the top side of the frame. Then for the front section, because this is the curviest, give it a little heat, then form it onto this wide section. One hand holds the material off the surface safely as a material squeegeed into place. Once it is firmly here that it can be fed back in towards the middle part of the frame?
Now, go to the front of the frame where the Knifeless tape is and take it just to that point. Make a relief cut here to access the Knifeless tape, release the line and then remove the excess film low and flat away.
And as you can see with this material from Rvinyl, it has air egress features so bubbles and wrinkles are easily pushed away.
Here at the front, lock the material up to the table coming at the squeegee and make a long squeegee stroke towards the front. Now the material sits in place, so the inside portion is set. And now the materials relax towards the underside of the frame. Because the material is bunching up, make a relief cut so it can relax to the Knifeless Tape, which is then removed safely and cleanly without cutting directly on the frame.
Now, move on to the left side. The material is relaxed just past the middle area, if for here there's an open area, so a relief cut can be made and this will make this section much easier to install. Material is cut flush to the back post, and now everything is on the frame itself.
Areas in the middle can be cut safely away and this will help form the film further onto the inside portion. For this big area, the material is being float cut, which means a freehand pulls the excess film away, while the material is cut roughly a quarter inch past the edge. This then allows the film to be wrapped around with no tension and full coverage.
With the back session to complete, we move on to the large open section where the film is cut away, leaving two to three inches of film on all sides. Then it's formed into place. You see application of. Heat can be added to soften the film and be sure to focus on the deepest corner areas first. These are what's called mouths. If you feed these first, there's less tension. Now here the knife is cutting away the excess film once it's wrapped roughly to the other side of the frame, the blade is running alongside the bike frame, not on it.
And now, with one half of the bike frame wrapped, it's time for the other side. Once it's started correctly, remove the entire liner and install with the exact same protocol.
For the key areas where the hardware is going to go back onto the frame, always be sure to cut these out. If you put the hardware on top of the frame it can cause the material to shift over time and actually come off the surface, so it is always a good idea to cut it flush, clean and symmetrical so it looks super professional. So here at this section, always run the blade alongside the gap, so it goes in nice and clean. Same thing for the top.
With everything cut out and sealed, the final step is to wipe it down with the after care cleaning product from Rvinyl to make the finish pristine.
#Rvinyl #Rwraps #BikeWraps

[@Rvinyl]

What else would you like to see us wrap? Would you take the time to wrap your bike frame or does it look too difficult? Let us know below.

[@sarajamesjulien7397]

I'd love to see you wrap a wheelchair frame!!!

[@Rvinyl]

@@sarajamesjulien7397 ​that's a great idea! Any particular brand you would recommend?

[@JQUICK21]

Is there any vinyl film that can be installed on motorcycle exhaust pipes? The spray paint they sell that is supposedly BLACK is gray when it dries.....I painted my bike gloss black and white like the No Limits Gallardo V-Rod bike from Germany and the pipes are gray and UGLY! Thanks for any suggestions or responses!

[@timmcdermott815]

Full suspension mountain bike frame.

[@mlee6050]

​@@timmcdermott815I would say do the same but can do with both halves of frame at a different time and not as one like this that I bet be easier

[@Alcoholpad]

My toxic trait is thinking I could do this myself 😂

[@Rvinyl]

That's an awesome toxic trait!

[@theymademepickaname1248]

It doesn't seem that difficult. I'm sure it takes practice, but it won't really matter if you make a mistake because it isn't permanent.

[@Alcoholpad]

@@theymademepickaname1248 I think I’m mostly afraid of disassembling my bike and then put back together and it not working the same ever again 😂

[@staceymcdermott4954]

Just learned this mistake myself as well 😂

[@Alcoholpad]

@@staceymcdermott4954 you too ? I attempted it and absolutely failed !

[@laszlobacs9347]

This is an absolute artwork. No way I could do it myself. It appeared to be easy to do however. Awesome presentation.

[@Rvinyl]

Yeah, the guys at the Wrap Institute are pros par excellence!

[@psykonta]

This is exactly what I was looking for. Going to give my MTB an overhaul and will do a partial wrap on the front part of the frame. Thank you so much for the detailed explanations!

[@baltimorejae7397]

This is great. Now I need someone in the Houston area who can put it on for me 😂

[@NessieNomsChu]

Using this to custom wrap my forearm crutches and my wheelchair, thank you :)

[@geu6270]

Nice 1st pass. Thanks for great teaching video. Glad someone else figured this out I did it years ago to a bicycle frame and the vinyl is still almost completely intact. Now I have to relearn how I did it. I even did the logos. Yes, it is definitely artwork. Carbon frame was a great deal because it was so ugly 2 tone yellow. I was going to have it professionally painted and thought about this cause it has worked pretty well on cars for many years. Folks it gets WAY more complex than this when you get into the details (I don't have time to go into). That said, this is a great first pass and all those techniques he uses can be applied to each detail such as 2 diiferent colors or things like not a total wrap, outlining decals, etc....

[@Dr.DiegoDuarte]

That is a pro wrapping job! Also you "narrating voice" the work is oddly relaxing and catchy at the same time, that and the good content made me keep an insane level of attention along the whole video. Congrats!

[@novacolonel5287]

Great presentation, and I admire how professional you are with the comments!

[@Rvinyl]

Thank you! We appreciate your feedback.

[@nerdalert545]

When you said "now it is time to do the other side" I knew this would be too hard for me.

[@Rvinyl]

😂

[@peteremmerzael8852]

Outstanding

[@The_future1991]

Wow nice work from am professional❤

[@aceves.martini.r]

How many meters did you use for the entire frame? Including forks. Thank you👍🏻

[@bluecivic100]

So there will be a seam that sucks so water can get under an lift the wrap?

[@DD_850]

What size vinyl wrap did you use for the complete installation? I see sheets online ranging 2'x5', 4'x5', 6'x5' etc. I like the idea of wrapping each side with a whole sheet for limited seams even though there is quite a bit of waste.

[@sixstanger00]

It's going to depend on the frame size. A rule of thumb when wrapping _anything_ is to always get more material than you think you'll use. Vinyl rolls are always 5' tall, so that is going to cover any standard road or mountain bike frame nose-to-tail. That is, your bike frame isn't going to be _longer_ than 5 feet, unless you're on some sort of one-off novelty frame. So if the roll's width is handling the frame's _length,_ you only need to figure out how much you'll need to cover both sides of the frame vertically. To be on the safe side, I'd assume at least 4 feet, which means you'd need 8 FEET total (or a 5' x 8' roll). Might be good to have a little extra on hand in case you want to do some other trim on the bike, like the handlebars or the stanchions on the fork.

[@peatyxxjxxx1494]

Great video. Would help to use the actual names of the tubes and components of the bike for better instruction. For example, seat tube, top tube, bottom bracket, headset, chain stays.

[@HatRock]

Really clean and incredible job. Adds several grams of weight tho...

[@RobertWallace]

How durable is the vinyl against stone chips and such? Would you need to apply a clear protectant vinyl on the downtube or any other part (for example if the handle bars might touch if turned all the way)?

[@Rvinyl]

For something like a mountain bike it probably is a good idea to add an extra layer of protection such as our Self Healing Protection films available here: www.rvinyl.com/Universal-Paint-Protection-Kits

[@graggogabarchavov]

If I were to wrap it in a carbon fiber vinyl wrap, would the pattern stretch and warp? Thanks for the awesome tutorial.

[@Rvinyl]

No, not noticeably so.

[@gbj6581]

Are you able to remove the vinly wrap in the future. How hard is the removal process. And is there any residue and or paint destruction.

[@Rvinyl]

Yes, you are able to remove the wrap without damage.

[@mlee6050]

Have you got one showing how to mate it to hide join? Also will it last in the wet and not peel off? Lastly I'm looking at chrome vinyl any tips on using? And to keep good should I spray lacquer over it? So know I'm looking at a frame but sadly it just bare or black carbon when I want to avoid black

[@VintageLeftyGuitars]

Do not spray clear ontop of vinyl

[@luisguanzon]

If you were to pay a shop to do this, what is a ball park price for labor? i know that's a tough question to answer, just trying to guage a starting point or have some type of reference when i contact some shops.

[@Rvinyl]

That is a good question. Although we cater to DIY installers, you could expect to pay $500 or more for professional installation.

[@viktortrpeski8303]

@@Rvinyl can easily buy a new frame for that money 😂

[@timmcdermott815]

You couldnt buy a decent frame for that much since 1992😂

[@direxxion]

Hi for the alu frames with weld joints any advice how to do it

[@nicksonsbikeski440]

with a bit of heat, you should be able to get the vinyl to stick to the welds & have it look like it was painted.

[@hydriarief9261]

6:35 you can use knifeless tape , its able to use watersoap ? tq

[@Rvinyl]

Yes, you can use knifeless tape. You may also use a water and soap solution.

[@ThomasFlorimonte]

But what about the inside of the chain stay and chain stays? You didn't wrap those parts. Thanks.

[@j.ballsdeep420]

I think they intentionally left that exposed to show the carbon?

[@ALMV1987]

How do you link both edges of the vinyl???

[@Rvinyl]

Do you mean how do you make a seam?

[@ALMV1987]

@@Rvinyl yes, Between Two pieces

[@jedwinherrera8707]

Can you send me the link from this exact wrap?

[@Rvinyl]

Hi Jedwin, This 3M Wrap is out of stock at present. We offer a number of others on our site however.

[@tlyke7]

@@Rvinyl I noticed 3M and other brands have been out of stock for quite some time. Is there any timeframe for restock?

[@TheStackingNerdH]

My toxic trait is thinking I can do this perfectly in one go.

[@mrcoco3562]

How much cm will need to wrap a bicycle frame

[@Rvinyl]

You would need 472 by 152 cm.

[@mrcoco3562]

Thankz I just order it!! But this is my first time wrapping my bike haha

[@ALMV1987]

@@mrcoco3562 results???? It’s difficult???

[@boris3017]

If you were close to me, i would bring it to you from fractory, for protection film. Too many details, and i wont a single blade scratch on my collectible bike. Only for masters.

[@Lee-py6yt]

Powder coat would be a lot easier.

[@nicksonsbikeski440]

can't powder coat a carbon frame

[@black7987echo]

Oh no, he trapped Sirvelo.

[@jeffmcclain]

watching pros wrap things are like watching artists draw...it looks easy when watching...but what a complete cluster it is when I try to do it.

[@expomm]

I see a lot of waste of material, that would be very expensive, I think sending. For professional paint would be cheaper.

[@Rvinyl]

Interesting. We still think that vinyl wrap film would be cheaper but we'd like to see how you come up with that number.

[@expomm]

Rvinyl well,the vinyl cost approx USD 50 per sq meter (3M), as per my knowledge you need at minimum 4 sq meters, that is USD200 without labor, a paint job for a bike frame cost around USD 180, that is my math

[@expomm]

I meant square meters. Let me know if my math is wrong

[@Rvinyl]

@@expomm Great breakdown. I think you're right about the material cost. The main differences are that wraps require less of a learning curve, they can be removed without causing damage and you can get a look that is impossible with paint (e.g., carbon fiber or brushed aluminum). In the final analysis, if you have the skills and you want a solid color finish then paint is the way to go for a permanent look.

[@expomm]

Rvinyl Agree, there are advantages in having the vynil , which also protects the frame, but for people like me, with zero ability for this hand work, the learning curve will be very steep. Thanks for your honest reply, cheers!

[@alixity758]

Tf did i just watch💀👴🏻

[@ProDMiner]

im thinking about doing the universe on my forks or frame, then like nebulas, and stars all over it.