I keep getting failures. The tape lifts slightly, allows air into the body of the rim and I get the tell tale leak around the outside of the valve stem.

I tried Notubes original at 25mm but it’s difficult to get it to stick to the well area because it’s quite stiff tape. I tried Tesa tape at 19mm and it seemed to work ok then I got the dreaded leak. I’ve inspected under the tyre and I’ve damaged the tape slightly with tyre levers just near to a spoke hole.

Any revised methods of tubeless taping? Better tape? More tape wraps? I used to use ghetto (20″ BMX) rim strips but I had trouble getting the bead to seat properly. I’ve had several tyre blowoffs as I’ve used higher pressure to get the bead to seat.

I use this tape on all my rims now, two wraps does the job.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-Roll-Of-STRONG-CROSSWEAVE-REINFORCED-TAPE-25mm-x-50M-/380729384694?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item58a53d5ef6

I use 21mm stan’s tape and it works just fine.

What tyres are you using?

I’ve just gone through this hassle at the weekend with my Hope Enduro rims. Had difficulties getting stans yellow tape to make a good seal. I’ve never had this problem before.

Eventually tore the tape out and put three laps of black electric tape on. Working so far…

I use 21mm stan’s tape and it works just fine.

+1

You need to make sure the rims are clean and really smooth it down.

I’m going to try Gorilla Clear Repair Tape. The inside of my rim has got damp and it leaks out through the spoke holes back under the tape. If it was a brand new rim I’d be ok. I suppose putting my wheel in the airing cupboard for a while would help.

Interesting effect: When putting a tube in my tyre due to the leak, I inadvertently invented something similar to ‘Schwalbe Pro-Core’! The bead seal was so good, the inner tube was compressing the trapped air in the tyre. It wasn’t until the next morning, after the ‘tyre air’ had leaked out that I discovered a partially inflated inner tube inside.

Pulling the Stans tape really tight helps. It should be having to “stretch” out of the well.

Stans tape works fine in mine. Stretch it out as much as possible and air pressure will seal it down properly in use. Are you using too narrow a tape? It should completely fill the rim so the tyre bead is sealing against it.

I’ve also used electrical tape, it’s fine if you use a few layers at MTB pressures (doesn’t work on a road bike though).

Also, DON’T USE TYRE LEVERS. The well in Stans rims is perfectly slack enough to get any tyre on if you start opposite the valve and work around (start at the valve and you’ve no chance). Tyre levers damage the rim strip and nick the rubber on the bead leaving loads of small holes that the sealant has to seal. The few time’s I’ve had to use them on tubeless setups (Maxxis dual ply DH tyres being the tightest things on the planet due to the shear thickness of the bead barely fitting in the well) they’ve then taken days of constant topping up to seal.

scotroutes – Member

Pulling the Stans tape really tight helps. It should be having to “stretch” out of the well.

Yup, this. If you try and sort of lay it on and push the tape into teh well, that doesn’t work, you want to really pull the tape almost perpendiclar so that it forces itself into the well, if that makes sense.

Roval blue tape is a bit easier to do this part with… But I’m not sure it’s as sticky. I didn’t have great results with gorilla tape but I’ve never tried again, maybe second time’s the charm

1. Make sure the rim is super clean
2. Key it lightly with scotchbrite or similar.
3. Stretch the tape on hard, really give it some welly.
4. Put a tyre and tube on over night at the highest pressure the tyre can take, 60psi or more. This presses the tape right down.

I have wheels with 5 years plus riding on them that were set up that way and have never failed (tyres have, obviously, but never the tape).