Remember that feeling when you got your brand new carbon fiber mountain bike? The pristine graphics covering pure carbon goodness almost made you not want get it dirty. Almost. Now remember that feeling as you peel through a rock garden or hit the down side of a gravel grind and you listen to the high pitch “ping” as rocks ricochet off your brand new down tube.
Frame guards are nothing new, but they tend to struggle with two problems: weight and pure aesthetics. Spanish company All Mountain Style feel they have addressed both of these concerns with their adhesive, semi-rigid PVC frame guards.
All Mountain Style sent me some of their Honeycomb Frame Guards to test out, and so far I am impressed. The PVC material is light weight and blends perfectly with a couple of my carbon whips- from a Santa Cruz Carbon Tallboy to a newly built up carbon cross bike. Most importantly, the frame guards are easy to cut in order to provide maximum coverage on the frame.
AMS uses a honeycomb structure because it not only looks good, but enables the frame guard to be lighter and thinner without affecting impact and wear resistance. The flexible structure also allows for adaptability to your bike frame curves, even in 2 different directions.
The frame guard adhesive, used in both the automotive and spacecraft industry, is extremely strong yet easy to remove by simply applying heat with a heat gun or hairdryer. You will be happy to know that the adhesive is invisible and won't yellow over time.
The AMS Honeycomb Frame Guards come in a variety of shapes that match the increasingly more complex tube shapes manufacturers are producing in carbon. Of course, the AMS frame guards can be used for other frame materials like aluminum and steel, and can maintain your rigs’ fluoro styling with transparent products as well.
There exist heavier weight products on the market like Lizard Skins and the Shelter product from Cantitoe Road. But these tend to be less aesthetically pleasing and quite bulky looking, though they can protect your frame from much greater impact. Ultimately, it will depend on the type of riding you are doing and your desire to maintain the look of your setup.
If you are in search of a lightweight, easy to apply frame guard that wont mess with the looks of your bike, be sure check out the Honeycomb Frame Guards by All Mountain Style. The frame guards retail for $31 and come in 4 different colors: transparent, black, fluorescent yellow and orange ($45).
One regular package contains 9 different adhesive parts: 1 big part for the down tube, 5 arrow parts for extending the down tube protection, for the chainstay, or for the top tube to protect it from brake lever impact, and finally 3 circles for cable wear protection. You can order your AMS Honeycomb Frame Guards from the company website- they ship worldwide.
–Terry Doyle