All Mountain Style Frame Protection

Don’t you just hate it when you discover a nasty scuff on your shiny new frame? Xavi and Carles, two business people and passionate mountain bikers from Barcelona, Spain, felt like a good product for protecting mountain bike frames was missing, and that’s the reason why they created All Mountain Style, a company that makes frame protectors and some other useful bits and bobs. Keeping design and production in Barcelona was another imperative for them, which is particularly interesting (and probably challenging) in this day and age. We took a closer look at their “XL” frame protector kit to see what they have come up with.

All Mountain Style XL Frame Protector Highlights

• High impact and rub resistance honeycomb, 380 microns semi-rigid PVC
• Minimum weight
• Easy to install, allows repositioning while installing
• Automotive-grade materials, won't yellow over time – AMS guaranteed
• 10 parts for a universal protection system: 1 big part for the down tube, 4 arrow parts for extending the down tube protection or top tube, 4 parts for the chainstays, 1 rectangle for cable wear protection or other use
• Colors: choice of ~19 colors and designs at present
• MSRP: 29.90 – 32.90 EUR

Initial Impressions

One might think there isn’t much to frame protection, but there are a few key aspects to consider. The stuff should protect your frame of course, but also be relatively easy to install, be able to conform to various shapes and surfaces, and look good in the process. All Mountain Style has come up with a “honeycomb” PVC material that they claim ticks all the boxes. There are a number of different colors and designs to choose from, ranging from clear to wild. We picked up a few different versions of the “XL” kit to test out the product, note that there are smaller as well as bigger kits available, including specific kits for fork legs and chain stays.

The XL frame protector pack offers 10 patches, including a big downtube patch with up to four extra “arrow” patches that can be used to extend the downtube patch’s coverage or which can be strategically placed in other areas. There are also strips that can be used for the chain and seat stays or along the sides of the top tube, and a generic rectangular patch that can be applied where needed (we used it for the rear of the seat tube with good results).

The “honeycomb” material is sturdy but flexible to the touch, with enough thickness to be able to ward off impacts. It is also quite slippery on the surface, which should help objects slide off as opposed to snag. The cuts are all very precise, and the finish of the graphics is rich and deep. $40 USD may seem like a fair bit of money for what could be compared to a bunch of stickers, but this material is actually fairly high tech and it is also said to resist yellowing over time.

On The Trail

Installing the AMS frame protector patches turned out to be every bit as easy as the company claims. Once you line the patch up properly, start by pressing down in the middle, then work your way out towards the edges. The material is sturdy enough to not flop around, but flexible enough to conform to most any surface on your bike’s frame. The glue is very strong, and with just a bit of care it is easy to avoid trapping any air bubbles to arrive at a result that looks totally clean and quite pro.

The clear version we used all but disappears on the frame, which obviously isn’t the point if you choose one of the more colorful options available. In either case, the product looks and feels good on the frame. It is of course hard to design a universal kit that will suit every frame shape and size out there, but we found that the XL kit provides all the options needed to cover the areas that are the most exposed. If your frame has no downtube protection on it at all from the factory, you might need to splurge for the XXL kit to get it fully covered, but otherwise you should be good to go.

Things That Could Be Improved

As we alluded to previously, the XL kit includes everything you need for basic coverage, but those looking to completely wrap their stays for example will find the product lacking. There are other kits available to complement this one though, so you should be able to come up with a suitable solution to most of your needs. If it’s full frame protection you are after, something like Invisiframe might be a better option, with custom cut decals for every part of the bike. However, if you’re looking to spice up your ride with some fresh and unique looks, AMS certainly has you covered.

Long Term Durability

Once it’s been applied, the AMS honeycomb stuff seems to be in for the long haul. We’ve been running the downtube and chain stay protectors on a couple of bikes for about 1.5 months now, and they’ve seen their fair share of action. The chainstay protectors in particular have had a rough life, but the good news is that they’ve taken the brunt of the punishment without any of it getting through the frame. Replacing one of the protectors after this time left no residue, testament to the quality of the glue used, leaving us free to refresh this particular patch as needed. Crucially, all of the protectors we applied are still properly stuck on, none are showing any signs of peeling from the edges or otherwise acting up.

What’s The Bottom Line?

If you invest in your bike, why not spend just a little bit extra to keep your frame protected? The All Mountain Style Honeycomb frame protector is a quality product that combines a sturdy and reliable material with quality manufacturing techniques and a fit-for-purpose glue. The modular design makes it easy to apply protection where needed, and the multitude of colors and graphics packages available allow you to personalize your ride as well.

More information at: www.allmountainstyle.com.

About The Reviewer

Johan Hjord - Age: 45 // Years Riding MTB: 13 // Weight: 190-pounds (86kg) // Height: 6'0" (1.84m)

Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.

Photos by Johan Hjord