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Hey, I should be getting my new Yeti 575 back from the shop next Saturday and I'm planning on buying some heli tape for the downtube etc. My question is what width do I go for 50mm or wider? Cheers Rob
depends what you want to cover...if you want to cover full tube widths you'll obviously need wider. 50mm is only really going to be wide enough for rub strips. Bear in mind that if you get 2m or so of a wider tape you can split some down to do chainstays/seatstays. I tend to decide what the widest thing i want to cover is and buy 2m of that ot do the whole bike on this basis. Cut up strips of paper and a ruler or a cloch dressmakers tape are good options here.
Paragon aren't a bad place to look. I've bought a lot off them.
Wet frame, hairdryer and an chamois substitute that isn't going to fall apart (i like vileda window cloths) is my preferred option for application. Opinions vary on best way to apply. There are plenty of videos. I found wet tape (bucket of warm water with little dish soap or windowcleaner, drop tape in, fish out and apply) was a disaster (for me) Others swear by it.
I'd also suggest doing something you don't care about before doing a bike you want to look purty. It's not that hard but there's plenty of potential for making an arse of your first attempt...