Exogard Intelligent Bike Protection

Exogard's Intelligent Bike Protection gives you a pack of clear sectional pieces to make sure your frame and fork shun the day-to-day abuse from the terrain below. For the money you get plenty of parts in the pack, and it's relatively easy to fit, although there is little to separate it from other products on the market.

That first chip or scratch on a new frame or fork is irritating, and that is what the Exogard is designed to protect you from. It comes in a range of kits to suit road bikes, mountain bikes and e-bikes of various sizes.

> Buy this online here

I've been testing the road kit, which contains a plethora of stickers to cover your frame.

For a small/medium frame (51-55cm) you get:

• Top tube: 460 x 60mm
• Down tube: 460 x 60mm
• Seat tube: 320 x 40mm
• Fork x2: 325 x 40mm (tapered)
• Chainstay x2: 250 x 30mm (tapered)
• Seatstay x2: 500 x 25mm (oval)
• Cable rub patches x4: 35 x 20mm
• Spare x1: 250 x 40mm
• Spare x2: 100 x 50mm

It's applied in the same way as most films are: you use the 'fluid applicator', which is basically a bottle you fill with water to spray on the frame, and a microblade to smooth the film out, removing air bubbles as you go.

Spraying the frame with water first allows you to move the film around until you are happy with the position. It's easy to fit on the whole, and with anything like this the more time you spend on it, the better the results.

> How to get your bike properly clean & lubed

I fitted the kit to my gravel bike as that is likely to see more damage than my road bike.

All of the pieces gave good coverage over the length of the tubes, and once in position and left for 24 hours to dry they haven't moved an inch, or even a millimetre, with no sign of any of the corners lifting.

The main issues I get on the gravel bike is rubbing from the various frame bags that I'm using, but since the film has been fitted they are showing no signs of wear and tear.

> Can’t get a new bike? Here’s how to make your old bike new again

Exogard says that the film has self-healing properties, which it does to a degree – create an indent in it with your fingernail and it soon reforms, as long as the penetration doesn't go all the way through the material. This will keep the film looking fresh and new over its five-year guaranteed lifespan, but it's not anything I haven't seen on different films I've used over the years.

Priced at £35, the Exogard is a fair bit cheaper than the similar Ride Wrap kit that costs £55. It's not something we have tested, though, so I can't compare it performance-wise.

Bike Shield's Premium Basic Kit has slightly fewer pieces but still covers the main tubes and is priced at £39.99.

Matt tested Effetto Mariposa's Shelter Off-Road protection tape last for our sister site, off-road.cc; that costs around £20, but beware if you have fluoro paint…

If you are happy to trim your own sections of tape, there are many rolls of helicopter tapes available online for a lot less.

Conclusion

There's nothing new here when it comes to the technology, but Exogard works well enough, and compared with other systems on the market it's decent value for money.

Verdict

Plenty of coverage for your frame at a competitive price, but you can go much cheaper if you are happy to trim it yourself