Q&A with invisiFRAME, the Original Frame Protection Specialists 2

Like many good ideas, invisiFRAME started with one person looking to solve a particular problem. In this case the problem was how to protect a brand new mountain bike frame from wear and tear out on the trail. Lee Regan was working in automotive paint protection at the time, and he had the idea to use scraps from work to protect his new Yeti frame. Word got out among his mates and Lee discovered that many a fellow mountain biker were also in need of frame protection, and it got to the point where he felt ready to make a business out of it. We wanted to learn more about this success story so we popped over a few questions to invisiFRAME:

Tell us about the very beginning and that first “aha” moment when you realized you were onto something in the bicycle frame protection space?
Have you ever spent more on a bike than you could actually afford? I certainly did! InvisiFRAME was born from a genuine need to protect the bike I had just bought that I could not afford! This was combined with my OCD for keeping my belongings in immaculate condition. There was nothing like it on the market at the time. So in my true style, I made it from scraps at work and one by one friends wanted it too. It really grew from there, local shops were asking me to kit out their bikes and next thing I am making my own website and people found me and were buying it. It was when people were coming to the website to buy our kits that I realised I was on to something, this was a product that riders really wanted.

Was anybody else doing anything similar at the time?
All that was available at the time were these very small patch kits or using old inner tubes to protect the frame. No one was creating custom frame protection and the small patches or rolls of heli-tape were really thick and yellow looking, it was so far from what I wanted for my bike. We really were the founders of this style of frame protection, invisiFRAME was the only product on the market and I am proud to say we set a benchmark in protection. Riders deserved something better.

How much of that first frame of yours did you manage to get covered with your home-cut kit? Did it look nice already, or was it a bit of a bodge?
The very first frame is hanging on the office wall, a reminder how far we have come in kit development. Customers often look at it and say “he’s come on a bit”!!

It was certainly basic in terms of its shape but it did keep the main areas covered. Now we take the film to a new level, while keeping very much in mind the end user at home has probably never fitted Paint Protection Film before. Our custom kits are lovingly designed to provide as much coverage as possible, using a technique we have developed with over a decade of experience. That technique was inspired by that very first bike of mine.

So there you were, cutting kits at the kitchen table at night while holding down day jobs - when were you certain (or as certain as can be) that you could turn your project into a really viable business?
I think it was the hours that made the final decision for me to give up my full-time job and have a go. We were certainly not making enough money from it but without the time to push a bit more we would never know, so I took a leap of faith, and I am pleased to say it was the right decision. We have always pushed ourselves to achieve, we have always found life more exciting the more risks we have taken. I was once told “you won’t regret what you did do, only what you didn’t do” – I stand by that today. It has been an incredible journey made possible by all those that believed in what we were doing.

Any particular “growing pain” moments that you fondly remember (or not so fondly!)?
There is always a bit of doubt when you have to invest your own money to give your idea a go. But there is no gain without pain. Running the business from home while both holding down full-time jobs was hard, throwing in the arrival of our first son. The hours were long, but we believed we had a product that riders wanted. Deciding when to let your full-time job go so you can 100% commit is also quite a decision.

One of the biggest heartaches has been some of the new start-up companies who have copied our work to launch their “new business idea”. We don’t rise to any of the false claims some make, we think it's great that more people are developing products and servicing the market but it can be tough seeing people take credit for something we developed over a decade ago in our spare time.

What do the numbers look like for invisiFrame today? Employees, facilities, international distribution etc?
InvisiFRAME has a full-time team of 9 inhouse. We have an extended family of companies that work with us in Marketing, Web Development and Support. We also have our large network of fitters and shops who drive the invisiFRAME brand. We continue to ship kits all over the world, direct to customers and a large network of shops. XPEL has an inhouse Pattern Access Program which has been loaded with our patterns, allowing customers to cut kits in their own premises.

InvisiFRAME is part of the XPEL family which has over 800 employees and a global network, so we have access to a lot of expertise. XPEL make the world’s leading paint protection film. From day one we used their film, it is unrivalled, and so it made sense to form a deeper partnership.

How many frames do you cover today (as in, different models of bikes)?
We have well over 40,000 custom kits with a selection of ‘Universal’ products as well. We are also working on our other products, such as aftercare and custom decals. Custom art kits are high on the list as customisation is something we are asked for a lot. We are also just launching a new Protective Coating product that creates a hydrophobic barrier - it’s awesome stuff and usable on any bike and any hard surface.

At what rate do you add new kits? Is it a daily thing, weekly?
The team continue to create new kits daily adding 10-15 new patterns per week to the collection. As soon as a new kit is designed and signed off as complete they are added to the website. We often get bikes sent directly to us from brands before they are released to the public, this way we have a kit ready to go as soon as the bike launches.

What percentage of the enthusiast MTB market buys frame protection today? Is it an almost standard thing now where most buyers of a mid- to high-end bike will be interested in frame protection, or is there still a lot of room for growth here?
There has been a lot of growth in the market space since we founded the idea of Bike Protection. The emails and feedback from shops indicated that riders expect a level of protection for their new purchase as standard. There are always lovers and haters, but most customers spending the sums that are involved in new high-end bikes today expect protection to be available. People are spending more money than ever on bikes and for under $100 you can protect your frame, keep it pristine and maximise its resale value.

Are the kits relatively easy to apply or is it preferable to hand the bike in to the shop to have it done?
The kits are meticulously designed so that the untrained novice can apply the kit at home. 70% of our sales are kits sent direct to customers homes. We do not design kits where you have to stretch the film to make it conform, we design shapes that fit when floated into place. We recently had Rob Warner in our studio learning to fit a kit - if he can do it, anyone can!

How long does a kit typically last? Will it stay on a frame as it maybe moves on to a new owner, or does it need to be replaced regularly?
It does depend on how often you ride and how hard you treat your bike. The kit should still look in great condition even if you’re riding every multiple times each week for years. The only time you should want to replace a part is if you have damaged the film (that has hopefully saved your frame). Emailing our dedicated customer service team is easy and the replacement parts can be arranged for any bike.

You’ve expanded into various decals as well, is that an equally popular space? We see a lot of custom decal work in our Bike Check section (with the best bikes finding themselves proudly on the home page as Bike of the Day), is that something that more and more riders are getting into as well?
Decals were never in the original business idea, but the demand early on was apparent for customisation. We had also had some bad experiences with printers creating our logo stickers for us that were very poor so we decided to invest and start the offering of colour decals. It is a popular add on for our customers. You can completely change the look of your bike build at an affordable price, especially custom bike builds, where the components are different colours. If a new bike is not an option you can refresh the whole build and make it look new. Decals are made to go on top of the protection kits so they are easily changeable, leaving the PPF in place.

The company is now part of the XPEL group, tell us a little bit more about what that means for invisiFrame?
InvisiFRAME was a busy UK based company at the time of acquisition. XPEL do what we do but in the car world, so it is a perfect fit to help us expand into their global network and offer our products to more people. They are the world leaders in PPF (paint protection film) and are used on everything from $250,000 Lamborghinis to international rallycross team cars.

We already ship our products internationally, but we can now offer customers a pay as you go, Pattern Access Programme so kits can be cut in house in any XPEL garage, saving on shipping where possible and providing a local service. There are many riders who love their cars including beautiful trucks and vans and it gives us the opportunity to showcase our products to other markets. #protecteverything

What does the future hold? Without giving too much away, do you have exciting new projects in the works, something we can all look forward to?
We have lots planned, some we can’t talk about, but more customisation and more aftercare is something you can expect to see very soon. We want to give bike riders the opportunity to protect and care for their bikes with a brand they can trust. In 2023 we launched our athlete program which is a dream come true. We are supporting grassroots riders right up to international race teams like Forbidden Synthesis and Atherton Racing. Not to mention riders like Sam Reynolds, Ethan Nell, Olly Wilkins and Rob Warner repping invisiFRAME around the world. It is an exciting time.

We just want to thank all those riders that trusted us from the very beginning over a decade ago and those that are finding out about us now. We can't do this without the amazing community of riders out there everyday. It’s our ambition to keep making the best products possible, riders deserve that!

You Ride It, We Protect It.

Learn more at www.invisiframe.co.uk.