If you own a set of SRAM Red D1 or E1 generation crank arms, you know they are both beautiful and a significant investment. Over time, road grit, chain drops, and accidental scrapes can leave them looking pretty beat up—something I’ve learned the hard way with my older sets!
To combat this wear and tear and keep your high-end components looking pristine, I decided to develop a simple, effective solution: a custom-cutting profile for transparent adhesive protection film.
The Quick DIY Protection Solution
The process was surprisingly fast and yielded great results. Here’s what I did:
- Design the Profile: I defined a simple profile shape designed to cover the main surfaces of the crank arm.
- Print to Scale: Using my trusty little Epson inkjet printer, I printed the profile to the exact scale required for my crank arms.
- Transfer and Cut: I carefully transferred the printed profile onto a sheet of transparent adhesive film (the kind used for bike frame protection).
- Application: After cutting out the shape, I applied the transparent protector to the crank arm.
The result is a quick, aesthetic, and barely noticeable layer of protection that keeps the carbon safe and sound.
Confirmed Base Length
The profile provided is defined and verified for a base crank arm length of 172.5mm. If you have a different length, you may need to scale the profile slightly, but the core geometry should remain correct.
Download the Cutting File
The cutting profile file is available for download here:
A Note on Gravel Use
For those of you who frequently venture off-road or ride gravel, you might want to consider adding a little more material, especially around the crank arm edges/flanks. Gravel riding exposes the cranks to more direct hits from loose debris. Feel free to use my base design and adapt it for a thicker, more comprehensive wrap!
