Hey guys! I want to share with you an idea. I was browsing some bike galleries yeasterday and I'm shocked how many people still uses a chainstay protector made out of an old tube and some zip ties.
IMHO it looks terrible, weights a ton and offers questionable reliability. If You don't have a dedicated protector for Your frame (or can't afford one) I suggest using a heat-shrink tube and a heat gun (or some other source of heat).
You simply cut a piece of that tube, pull it onto the chainstay and use some heat. You can put some soft material inside (soundproofing), before applying the heat. Heat-shrink tubes comes in different sizes, colors (clear as well) and they are super cheap.
It is super light, stealthy as fuk, lasts forever and reduces the noise as well. You can do it on some single pivot bikes and horst link type bikes (You have to slip the tube onto the CS - it is impossible with a triangulated CS).
I know that there are some heat-shrink tubes with a glue applied on the inner side, so there is a chance that it would work with triangulated swingarms as well (cut it across, wrap it arond the CS tube and then use the glue to make it a one piece again, use the heat). I haven't tried it so I have no idea if that would work, but it's worth a shot.
Here is a photo of mine:
IMHO it looks terrible, weights a ton and offers questionable reliability. If You don't have a dedicated protector for Your frame (or can't afford one) I suggest using a heat-shrink tube and a heat gun (or some other source of heat).
You simply cut a piece of that tube, pull it onto the chainstay and use some heat. You can put some soft material inside (soundproofing), before applying the heat. Heat-shrink tubes comes in different sizes, colors (clear as well) and they are super cheap.
It is super light, stealthy as fuk, lasts forever and reduces the noise as well. You can do it on some single pivot bikes and horst link type bikes (You have to slip the tube onto the CS - it is impossible with a triangulated CS).
I know that there are some heat-shrink tubes with a glue applied on the inner side, so there is a chance that it would work with triangulated swingarms as well (cut it across, wrap it arond the CS tube and then use the glue to make it a one piece again, use the heat). I haven't tried it so I have no idea if that would work, but it's worth a shot.
Here is a photo of mine:
