Frame protection

[ourclarioncall]

Anybody used any frame protection /helicopter tape stuff on their bike like this?

https://youtu.be/eSBD335djOc

If it could save me having to deal with scratches and rust and sanding etc , then sounds like a good pre-emptive strike

The other strategy was good set of mud guards and long flaps, but the ones in thorn builds don’t seem to have a long enough flap on their larger framed bikes . Seems like the flap is not long enough to block stuff combing from the front wheel to the bottom bracket area (if it indeed does travel this way)

[martinf]

I don't bother. Sanding and repainting scratches every few years is no big deal for me.

An exception would be with a derailleur bike, where the chain can sometimes clatter against the top of the chainstay when using the small chainring - my old mountain bike had a an adhesive plastic guard here.

[PH]

Use a bike and it's going to pick up wear and damage marks, mostly cosmetic as long as you deal with them before they get too bad, as martinf says.  Some even like their bikes to show the wear, people do tend to be less precious about them once they are showing their use, which might be no bad thing.
However, when you put a bike together and get it set up for your use, it's easy to see where some of the wear will take place, cable rub, fittings, lock rub, luggage straps... and it doesn't take much time, effort or cost to do a good job of protecting those areas and saving yourself some future jobs.  I use 3M helicopter tape, take some time with it and it's pretty much invisible.
I don't think any mudguards come with good mud flaps, or ever have.  A few reasons for that, mainly that there's no consensus on what a good flap is, it may vary from bike to bike and/or be dependent on use.  Get it wrong and they also increase the potential to damage the guard itself, so I'm guessing the guard manufacturers would rather you took that risk yourself.  Plus it's an opportunity to demonstrate your own creativity. as a quick goole will show!

[ourclarioncall]

I quite liked the look of these

https://www.amazon.com/Portland-Design-Works-Metal-Fender/dp/B078TTCHMC

[steve216c]

A well used bike is less attractive to thieves than a shiny one. Chips and scratches might protect YOUR bike before someone else make it theirs!

I touch up my bikes on and off with a dab of hammerrite if the metal gets exposed.

And I use 3M reflex tape in small strips over various points of the bike. Additional visibility for car drivers protects you from a bent frame and a broken leg. And the tape can be used to cover minor chips and scratches too.

[martinf]

Seems like the flap is not long enough to block stuff combing from the front wheel to the bottom bracket area (if it indeed does travel this way)

Muck does come off the front wheel to the bottom bracket area.

A long flap can prevent this but is more likely to snag on rocks, twigs, bits of wire or other debris, especially during off-road use. So I reckon mudflap length is a compromise.

If you get a stout twig or some strong wire stuck between wheel and flap, it can block the front wheel and cause a crash. Many of the Thorn forks are (were ?) designed to alleviate this, the mounting points on the mudguard stays are mounted rather high up on the fork, so if something gets stuck the mudguard tends to pivot away from the wheel. There are also special fittings on some mudguard stays that are designed to release the stays if something blocks between mudguard and wheel.

A Chainglider is quite effective at preventing muck thrown up by the front wheel from getting onto the chainring/chain.

 

[Danneaux]

I happily use these on all my bikes...
https://buddyflaps.com/
...mounted to the outside of the mudguard to prevent blockages forming inside.

Best,

Dan.

[JohnR]

The front mudguard on my red Mercury (see 2nd page of the "bible" http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/thorn_mega_brochure.pdf) does an above-average job of keeping muck off the bottom bracket area. The bike details list the mudguards as "SKS / Thorn Chromoplastic Mudguards -700c/27.5" - P55- Black."

[PH]

This page has a diagram of what you're ideally going to achieve:
https://rawmudflap.uk/about-mudflaps/

As Dan demonstrates, there's no agreement on how to fit them, maybe another reason guard manufacturers don't include them. 
The PDW ones also demonstrate the point - If you do a Google image search on them you'll find plenty of photos of them fitted and depending on the bike and wheels, the flaps are not always doing the same job.
As Martin says it's going to be a compromise, the bike I use almost exclusively on road has the longest of my front flaps, the bike I rarely use to ride in a group has no rear, the bike most likely to be used on trails has the flimsiest in the hope they'd rip off before damaging the guard itself.   
They do seem to come and go in fashion, when I started club riding, it'd be frowned upon to turn up on a winter ride without a rear flap almost touching the ground, then a decade later they were hardly ever seen, now they seem to be back with companies like the one linked above and by Dan offering a variety of designs.
Recent converts can be surprised how effective they can be at keeping your feet dry and bike clean, at the end of a wet group ride, it's really obvious!

[martinf]

Concerning mudguards, an extended front mudguard can be useful for avoiding spray on front lamps and reducing spray on front luggage. This usually consits of a modified rear mudguard and an extra pair of stays.

I copied Dan's installation for the two bikes I regularly use with low-loader front panniers. 

Photos of my utility Thorn about halfway down this page:
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=8981.0

[steve216c]

...
Recent converts can be surprised how effective they can be at keeping your feet dry and bike clean, at the end of a wet group ride, it's really obvious!

Agree. I'm not so concerned about my feet but hate the muddy stripe your back receives when rear guard isn't adequately 'flapped'. This seems to throw up more than front displaces over the feet for me.

If you want to see how effective mud flaps are- ride close behind someone on a wet winter street who doesn't have any. Not only can you watch how the water arcs backwards from rear wheel to his/her back, you can also appreciate the spirit of sharing all things bicycle as you pick up the secondary splashes. Don't wear your Sunday best for that experiment.

I was actually pondering alternative materials to recut my own home made shampoo bottle mud flap this very week. Would a silicone cake tin make a good flexible flap?

[PH]

I was actually pondering alternative materials to recut my own home made shampoo bottle mud flap this very week. Would a silicone cake tin make a good flexible flap?

It ought to be non stick!
I've used a variety of materials, but the washing up bottle type has always been a little too stiff for my liking.  I used to use worn out mouse mats in the days when they were needed for every mouse.  Then about ten years ago I picked up a pallet size piece of packing plastic, I gave half of it away and I'll have to buy more bikes to stand a chance of using the other half in this lifetime.
I read somewhere that a truck inner tube is very good, but I don't think I've seen anyone using it.