Review: VHS Slapper Tape – Soft pockets of air absorb the impact of your chain
The VHS Slapper is a 3M backed, malleable silicone rubber strip with a row of air bubbles that mounts to your chainstay to cushion and silence the noise from the chain slapping against the frame.
Throughout the last 30 years, I’ve seen many chainstay protector sleeves, wraps and ghetto devices designed to eliminate that horrid sound of the chain clanging against the chainstay but I’ve never seen anything quite as effective as this VHS Slapper tape. It’s come to the market at a time when the industry is (thankfully) firmly playing in the 1x drivetrain space with larger cassettes and longer chains – which yield more chain slap than before. The strip is big – 350mm long and 70mm wide – which is big enough to cover just about any size chainstay I’ve ever seen – and then some. The bubbles are 10mm high and pretty soft and the guys at Velocity Hucking Systems in New Zealand have paid special attention to the compound to enhance the efficacy and durability of it all.
INSTALLATION | The VHS tape installs on alloy, carbon or steel frames and can be applied to just about any mountain bike. Installation is fairly simple. Start with a good cleaning of the entire area – I’d recommend using isopropyl alcohol to do the job. Once clean, lay the tape over the chainstay and plot out your trimming carefully – it’s made big so you can trim to fit. Once trimmed, peel the 3M backing tape, position it as required and with an even and firm pressure, stick it onto the frame. It’s a fairly simple process but take your time with it, use a ruler to line things up and it’s far easier with the wheel off.
IMPRESSIONS | I fitted the slapper tape onto a 120mm Cross-country and a 160mm Trail bike and the difference is incredible – the ride is so much quieter. I wouldn’t say VHS Slapper Tape is necessarily a performance upgrade that’ll make you faster – but it absolutely improves the ride experience by silencing almost all the sounds coming from the drivetrain area when coasting on technical terrain. I’ve ridden the tape for about four weeks now and there doesn’t seem to be any durability issue.
TAKEOUT | I’ve always been pretty particular about bike setup and making the bike as quiet as possible is part of that process. I’m pretty blown away by just how effective this VHS tape is. It’s a great product. Find it in these stores. It’s a great upgrade for XC, Trail, eBikes and any gravity-orientated steed.
| IMAGES: Gary Perkin |
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