Rim tape
- Thread starter Toomba
- Start date
32mm will be perfect. I like Tesa but any will make will be fine
For my 30mm wide rims…I use 30mm wide rim tape. For my 35mm wide rims …I use 35mm wide rim tape.
The bead of the tire slides nicely over the tape.
Use a soft cloth to set the tape into the valley of the rim as you slightly stretch and align the tape. Overlap by 3” on either side of the air valve hole.
Use a heated awl to melt a hole for the air valve.
I overlap on the opposite side to the valve hole. Rebel me.
32 mm issh , but I use 29mm which is fine for my wheels , i useJoe's No Flats tape which is Tesa 4289 66 metres of it for £9.95 Joes No Flats - Yellow Tubeless Rim Tape - 66m x 29mm | eBay UK
I used on WTB st 130's and my Halo Vortex mullet set , all good.
Whatever you do do not use Gorilla Tape! 
I am only posting on this thread in the hope that it will help to avoid someone else succumbing to the advice to use Gorilla tape as rim tape.
Gorilla tape was recommended to me by a mechanic at the Sherwood Pines bike shop. "We use it all the time, wonderful stuff".
It is cheap, easy to put on, works very well first time. And if you get the black tape, it looks like carbon fibre. The problem occurs when you need to remove it. You may find that your tyres have been glued to the rim, and even when you get the tyres off, you still need to remove the old very sticky and claggy Gorilla tape, yet another problem.
The full account of the Gorilla tape removal saga is here:
Removing Gorilla tape residue from wheel rims
But here is a pic to give you an idea. By the way these shots are AFTER two experienced bike mechanics took several hours, spread over two days, to get the tyre off the rim!
I am only posting on this thread in the hope that it will help to avoid someone else succumbing to the advice to use Gorilla tape as rim tape.
Gorilla tape was recommended to me by a mechanic at the Sherwood Pines bike shop. "We use it all the time, wonderful stuff".
It is cheap, easy to put on, works very well first time. And if you get the black tape, it looks like carbon fibre. The problem occurs when you need to remove it. You may find that your tyres have been glued to the rim, and even when you get the tyres off, you still need to remove the old very sticky and claggy Gorilla tape, yet another problem.
The full account of the Gorilla tape removal saga is here:
Removing Gorilla tape residue from wheel rims
But here is a pic to give you an idea. By the way these shots are AFTER two experienced bike mechanics took several hours, spread over two days, to get the tyre off the rim!
Wow! I learn something new everyday. ThanksI overlap on the opposite side to the valve hole. Rebel me.
.After the overlap (critical) I angle cut the ends, or taper cut with a pair of scissors (the kind that you can run with), and I keep a pair of both metric and imperial adjustable wrenches close by(what I was told).
Anyways, a local bike mechanic showed me a technique that might include some yoga moves.
. Probably posted on YouTube.nothing a bit of petrol, set fire and some good scrubbing will not cure , alternatively never use the stuff in the first place as Steve said . keep away from wheelsWhatever you do do not use Gorilla Tape!
I am only posting on this thread in the hope that it will help to avoid someone else succumbing to the advice to use Gorilla tape as rim tape.
Gorilla tape was recommended to me by a mechanic at the Sherwood Pines bike shop. "We use it all the time, wonderful stuff".
It is cheap, easy to put on, works very well first time. And if you get the black tape, it looks like carbon fibre. The problem occurs when you need to remove it. You may find that your tyres have been glued to the rim, and even when you get the tyres off, you still need to remove the old very sticky and claggy Gorilla tape, yet another problem.
The full account of the Gorilla tape removal saga is here:
Removing Gorilla tape residue from wheel rims
But here is a pic to give you an idea. By the way these shots are AFTER two experienced bike mechanics took several hours, spread over two days, to get the tyre off the rim!
View attachment 173005
DUDE, don’t do that in your living room next to a real Xmas tree.nothing a bit of petrol, set fire…
I usually clean the rim with isopropyl alcohol just before I apply the rim tape.
I did that as a matter of course. I'm sure that it made the Gorilla tape stick even harder!!
Last edited:
Bad Mechanic
Member
I like to clean the section I'm about to tape with alcohol and then heat up the section of rim with my heat gun. It makes the tape stick really well.
FYI, I've had great luck with WTB tape.
FYI, I've had great luck with WTB tape.
Montana St Alum
Active member
Generally, it is recommended to use tape a bit wider than the inner width. (Often, the recommendation is 3-5mm) If you have a deep channel, that can take up some extra tape, as it's a curved surface. Also, the point where the tire presses against the tape, it's a slightly better seal, compared to tire against rim material. If you have any kind of gap between the tape and the rim sidewall, that point can be a place where air can slowly leak out. If the rim is hookless, this seems to be a little more of an issue.
I use Muc off tape. For a 30mm internal width rim they recommend 35mm. Then again their tape width options go straight from 30mm to 35mm so no +1-3 mm option!! I also think there may be some variance in just how deep and wide the spoke hole channel is on different rims. All my rims are DT Swiss HX1700 Hybrid.
António13_PT
New Member
Dt Swiss recommends something else, 32 mm
Look at 0:30 :
Their tape is good quality and lasts a long time, so I don't understand why people look for rubbish solutions for something that has already been invented.
Look at 0:30 :
Their tape is good quality and lasts a long time, so I don't understand why people look for rubbish solutions for something that has already been invented.
I don’t know what the best rim tape is, but I won’t use Gorilla tape. I try to use the correct width (30mm tape for a 30mm rim). If I need a double width (ie. 35mm rim) I don’t tape the side of the rim wall. I overlap in the rim valley. The bead of the tire holds the tape securely once it’s inflated. I remove any air bubbles or wrinkles. A cloth protects the tape from accidental cuts from your fingernails.Dt Swiss recommends something else, 32 mm
Look at 0:30 :
Their tape is good quality and lasts a long time, so I don't understand why people look for rubbish solutions for something that has already been invented.
I lightly spray the walls of the tire with a soap/water solution. That makes the tire bead slide a little easier just before the “pop-pop”.
I don’t cut or puncture the air valve hole with scissors or a knife. I melt a hole with a heated awl.
Montana St Alum
Active member
Yeah, duct tape doesn't make much sense. The only thing I'd change about this video is a modification for translucent tape. When you go to punch a hole in it, go in from the hub side - at least to get that initial mark in the tape! If you poke in from the outside, you may miss the valve hole. I saw a Syd and Macky video where she did that and had to retape the wheel.Dt Swiss recommends something else, 32 mm
Look at 0:30 :
Their tape is good quality and lasts a long time, so I don't understand why people look for rubbish solutions for something that has already been invented.
Newmewn does have a solid product/strip to do tubless coversion.
Tube(less) Zubehör | Newmen Components. Easier than tradicional tape.
Tube(less) Zubehör | Newmen Components. Easier than tradicional tape.
Gorilla tape is fine provided you don't try to remove it by ripping it off at a hundred miles an hour. That way it leaves the adhesive behind as you discovered. Learn a little patience, peel it off slowly & it comes away easily. It's still not the right stuff as it's comparatively heavy & over done with adhesive but it comes with the advantage of being cheap & can be easily split along its length to the exact width required. I would happily use it in a bind.
I also use 32mm on 30mm ID wheels, works fine.
E-MAD MALC
Well-known member
I bought a roll of this a couple of years ago from a stationary company we use at work.
It's meant to be the product that "Stan's" uses be honest they look identical.
The amount you get on a roll compared to the cost of repeatable makes Is loads more
www.vikingtapes.co.uk
It's meant to be the product that "Stan's" uses be honest they look identical.
The amount you get on a roll compared to the cost of repeatable makes Is loads more
Tesa 4289 Tubeless Bike Wheel Rim Tape – Viking Tapes
Known primarily as packing tape, Tesa 4289 is also used extensively in the bike world as rim tape and more specifically for tubeless setups. It's thick, yet flexible enough to adhere to the inner contours of a bike rim, and is best applied under tension.For full REACH declaration please click...
www.vikingtapes.co.uk
