Author Topic: Best rim tape?  (Read 3101 times)

Best rim tape?
« on: 26 September, 2019, 06:54:45 pm »
Can people recommend some decently thin, preferably smooth (plastic), rim tape?   For my clincher (tubeless ready) wheels, used with tubes. 

Currently using Velox but I think it may be causing, or exacerbating, tyre fitting issues - ie difficulty in getting the tyre beading to drop fully into the rims without soaping the tyre and inflating to max - sometimes without sucess... and repeat.   Possibly the velox is marginally too thick / rough /wide.

Also what do people do if the ideal width of rim tape is inbetween available sizes?
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Kim

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Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #1 on: 26 September, 2019, 07:53:49 pm »
Apparently Kapton tape works for that sort of thing.  It's thin and non-stretchy, though not particularly compliant.  I had a go with some when fighting with the Pro Ones, since I happened to have a roll of it to hand, and it worked for long enough to establish that it didn't help.  No idea about the long-term durability.

Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #2 on: 26 September, 2019, 08:21:28 pm »
If you are going to run tubes, and you want an easy life, it is probably best to avoid tubeless rims.  They often just make for an overly tight fit.

With your current rims I'd suggest that trying DT tubeless rim tapes would be a sensible idea. These tapes are thin and fairly slippy, so ought to improve matters for you.

cheers

Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #3 on: 27 September, 2019, 08:26:14 am »
Thanks both.

Kapton product seems interesting.  DTSwiss tape - ££!  ;)  Then again apparently a roll is for 'multiple wheels'.

TBF I had Pasela seating issues with previous non-tubeless ready Shimano wheels (with shimano 'tape').  So will be interesting to try a thin tape to see the difference on current wheels, which are a double whammy of seating issues & Paselas v.tight on.  I have also now got a BBB Easy Tyre Fitting Tool (BTL-78) to try
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #4 on: 27 September, 2019, 08:37:44 am »
I had the same thoughts and issues with velox.  I got some lifeline tape which seemed very good

fuaran

  • rothair gasta
Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #5 on: 27 September, 2019, 09:42:50 am »
I like the Schwalbe fabric rim tape. It is a kind of woven material, like Velox, but not as thick. And a bit smoother, more plasticy.
Can buy a 50m roll of it, should be good for a few wheels.

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #6 on: 27 September, 2019, 09:46:04 am »
When I used to roll on clincher wheels I just had this elasticated loop style which certainly makes spoke fettling a lot easier, since it's easily popped off the rim with an allen key. Not sure where you can get a good choice of widths though.

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FifeingEejit

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Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #7 on: 27 September, 2019, 10:28:21 am »
Tubeless rim tape works with tubes, just use it.

One less thing to ditch when/if you do switch over

Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #8 on: 27 September, 2019, 11:03:59 am »
Schwalbe High Pressure rim tape, it's thinner than Velox tape, but strong, and the material doesn't soak up water like Velox tape, ended up using the 18mm width version of this for the Mavic Open Pro clinchers I put on my Mercian, after Grant at Mercian assured me it was good stuff.
Old enough to know better, but young enough to do it anyway

Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #9 on: 27 September, 2019, 12:12:04 pm »
tubeless rim tapes are generally both thin and very flexible, so something like this would be best to use.

IME hard plastic tapes work OK on many non-tubeless rims (which often have smoothly contoured rim wells) but don't always work well on tubeless rims. The reason is that the tubeless rims have an extra lip on the shoulder (to retain the tyre bead) and many hard plastic tapes don't readily conform to this shape. This can make fitting the tyre incredibly difficult when the rim tape is new. After it the tyre has been in place for a while, the tape may conform better and allow the tyre to be fitted more easily.

Its worth noting that it is possible that some tubed tyres will be a particularly bad fit on some tubeless rims; not only might the diameter be very tight, but if the tyre bead is slightly wider than normal, it won't settle behind the extra lip on the tubeless rim properly, i.e. this will make fitting the tyre much like trying to fit it to an oversized rim.

cheers

Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #10 on: 27 September, 2019, 04:52:15 pm »
Tesa 4289 is the best rim tape IMHO. Although it is marketed as tubeless tape, we use it with tubes as  well. The tape is very thin so I usually wrap 2 layers. No need to use soap, the tape is slippery enough.

Regarding rim width, all you want from  a rim tape is to cover the spoke holes. As long as the tube cannot be pushed into the holes, I do not worry if the tape is narrower than the rim.


Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #11 on: 27 September, 2019, 07:58:20 pm »
out of interest have you compared Tesa tape with alternatives? Just wondering how it stacks up for stickiness, strength, thickness, slipperiness.

Regarding tapes that are narrower than the rim bed; a tape on a double-walled rim that is narrow (such that it isn't 'trapped' by the tyre beads)) will often be OK to start with, but over time may slowly get dragged into the rim holes, such that the edge of a double eyelet  (or the edge of the rim drilling) can puncture the tube. 

In some cases the tape only moves far enough to expose the sharp edge when the tyre is inflated, which means that if the outgoing tubes are not inspected carefully, the source of repeated punctures may remain a mystery.

cheers

Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #12 on: 27 September, 2019, 08:47:42 pm »
out of interest have you compared Tesa tape with alternatives? Just wondering how it stacks up for stickiness, strength, thickness, slipperiness.

Regarding tapes that are narrower than the rim bed; a tape on a double-walled rim that is narrow (such that it isn't 'trapped' by the tyre beads)) will often be OK to start with, but over time may slowly get dragged into the rim holes, such that the edge of a double eyelet  (or the edge of the rim drilling) can puncture the tube. 

In some cases the tape only moves far enough to expose the sharp edge when the tyre is inflated, which means that if the outgoing tubes are not inspected carefully, the source of repeated punctures may remain a mystery.

cheers

The Tesa that is often used is similar to Stan’s tubeless tape. I prefer a 3M tape (8992 iirc) that is more like the Effeto Mariposa tape. It needs to be wide enough to reach the rim walls for tubeless use, and it seems fine if it just turns up the wall slightly.

Works perfectly well with tubes too. It’s nice and thin and goes on well. Two wraps is usually plenty for tubeless road use and I’ve even managed with one occasionally.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #13 on: 27 September, 2019, 09:12:42 pm »
Spesh Rim Strip, if the width suits.  It won't crack or split.
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Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #14 on: 27 September, 2019, 09:47:10 pm »
out of interest have you compared Tesa tape with alternatives? Just wondering how it stacks up for stickiness, strength, thickness, slipperiness.



stickiness of the Tesa tape is excellent, at least in my experience! The tape is propably not the strongest, but is very thin, so it has a good strength / thickness ratio.

Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #15 on: 03 October, 2019, 02:28:02 pm »
Thanks all.  Probably going to try the Tesa tape 21mm.   How do people make a neat valve hole in the tape?  Make a small hole & just push valve through is my guess...  :)

edit.
Had a look at the spesh tape (red 700C) - strangely no width stated (?)
https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/rim-strip/p/132452?color=245677-132452
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Kim

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Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #16 on: 03 October, 2019, 02:32:28 pm »
Regarding tapes that are narrower than the rim bed; a tape on a double-walled rim that is narrow (such that it isn't 'trapped' by the tyre beads)) will often be OK to start with, but over time may slowly get dragged into the rim holes, such that the edge of a double eyelet  (or the edge of the rim drilling) can puncture the tube.

A particular hazard when the tyre/rim combination is one that requires ham-fisted monkey force and harsh language...

Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #17 on: 05 October, 2019, 06:49:56 pm »
Teva tape (£12 for 66 metres roll) came, and now installed.  I was tempted to do a single round, but thought since the rear wheel is asymmetric - with spoke holes angled and larger, I'd go for a double wrap.  I still needed to work the tyre slightly at lower pressure to get it to seat nicely - but only in one area & didn't need any soapy water.  The 21mm width nicely fitted across the internal width of the rim, which was needed as the narrower thicker velox, which had a tendency to slip, had to cover the asymmetric positioned spoke holes, but also seemed to impede seating of the tyre...

edit.  also improved my tyre fitting technique, so managed to fit both Pasela PT pretty easily using hands only.
edit2.  probably still carry a tiny container of soapy water, and a toothbrush head, this winter, just in case...

Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Blodwyn Pig

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Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #18 on: 05 October, 2019, 06:53:37 pm »
I've always used 3 winds of electrical  insulating tape, then punch hole thro for the valve,  never ever let me down.

Kim

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Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #19 on: 05 October, 2019, 08:30:19 pm »
I've always used 3 winds of electrical  insulating tape, then punch hole thro for the valve,  never ever let me down.

Does it not stretch over time?  Obviously it's an ideal emergency bodge, the rolls being small, easily obtained and useful for other things, but I worry about the longevity.  And the inevitable sticky mess[1].


[1] How is something so sticky so bad at staying stuck to things?

LittleWheelsandBig

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Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #20 on: 05 October, 2019, 08:48:36 pm »
Insulation tape also distorts excessively at higher temperatures, such as may happen with rim brakes and a long, steep descent. Blowing out the front tube into the rim is not fun!
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Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #21 on: 05 October, 2019, 10:31:53 pm »
insulation tape is usually PVC, which softens when hot, creeps over time, and does various other undesirable things. The adhesive used on such tapes isn't usually terribly strong either.  The final kick in the soft parts is that it goes brittle over time and then cracks, leaving sharp edges that will lacerate tubes (ask me how I know...).

I used such tape for years, as an extra layer over the top of the (dreadful, but there were not that many choices at the time) yellow plastic Michelin rim tapes (remember them..?). It worked Ok for quite a few years but I then learned the hard way that once the tape has  gone  brittle it doesn't play well with tight-fitting tyres. This all caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth, and (almost) a very long walk.

So insulation tape might work for a while, but is usually a very far from perfect solution.

cheers

Kim

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Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #22 on: 05 October, 2019, 10:34:27 pm »
So insulation tape might work for a while, but is usually a very far from perfect solution.

This pretty much sums up its performance when used for insulation, too.

Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #23 on: 06 October, 2019, 02:55:24 pm »
I've always used 3 winds of electrical  insulating tape, then punch hole thro for the valve,  never ever let me down.

Does it not stretch over time?  Obviously it's an ideal emergency bodge

Duct tape (or duck tape as it's called in some parts of this world) is probably a better emergency bodge as it won't stretch like insulation tape. Obviously, carrying a roll of duct tape in a tool pouch is not as convenient as a roll of insulation tape!

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: Best rim tape?
« Reply #24 on: 06 October, 2019, 03:21:18 pm »
I've always used 3 winds of electrical  insulating tape, then punch hole thro for the valve,  never ever let me down.

Does it not stretch over time?  Obviously it's an ideal emergency bodge

Duct tape (or duck tape as it's called in some parts of this world) is probably a better emergency bodge as it won't stretch like insulation tape. Obviously, carrying a roll of duct tape in a tool pouch is not as convenient as a roll of insulation tape!
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