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Just had a bit of a faff replacing the poorly applied tape on a new Reserve 30mm rim. The offset shape of the bed made it a right pain with the rather rigid tape I have so I want some tape that is a little more flexible to mould to the shape of the rim bed. Since tyres appear to be a rather snug fit I also want it to be quite thin and it would be nice if come replacement time it wasn't a complete nightmare to remove. So what have you found to be good or, equally valid, what should I deffo avoid?
Hunt for me, bought a few recently and works well.
I might be biased, but the Schwalbe rim tape (also available as DT Swiss branded, and quite possibly a few other brands buy the same product and have it rebranded too) is the best in my extensive experience...
https://www.merlincycles.com/schwalbe-tubeless-rim-tape-148891.html
Forgot I'd bought it - but when I found a tear in my son's rimtape, I replace it with Muc Off stuff I found in a draw. Worked perfectly.
Also did the wheel in my nipple/washer thread with it on the weekend. Easy to apply, new Magic Mary up first time, stayed up Saturday's ride. That'll do me.
Easiest and best I've used is the Specialized rim strip.
No faffing but you need to by the right wheel size.
I still use the Stans stuff, direct from TESA (4289 IIRC).
Have heard that the 3M equivalent is more flexible but i bought a massive roll of the TESA and i'm hoping that lasts me until Armageddon.
I used electrical insulating tape on my fatbike rims. That worked a treat and meets your criteria for being thin and flexible. Not sure about replacement though as mine has only been fitted for about 5 years.
Damit, everyone has a different suggestion! Hunt and Schwalbe are frontrunners for now. Tessa type stuff I usually get on fine with but not on these I didn't and I fear rim strips will be too fat. Electrical insulation tape, I'm just not sure it's going to cope with even 25psi without ballooning through a spoke hole. MucOff I've heard stories of leaving all the sticky behind when it is removed
Had issues with a second hand wheel which would not seal. So I decided to replace the tape. This is the first time that I had done this so no prior experience. The existing tape was Muc-off, I removed that and cleaned up the rim. Some of the Muc-off tape had come unstuck and some had held fast. Took a bit of work to remove the adhesive that had been left behind. Used Schwalbe rimless tape to retape the rim and it worked perfectly, the tyre inflated at the first attempt and has stayed inflated and kept pressure.
So one very happy Keando.
I still use the Stans stuff, direct from TESA (4289 IIRC).
Same here.
There might be better options available but I've never had an issue with Tesa 4289 (big 66 metre rolls via eBay). Works better when warm, so I usually stick it on top of the radiator for 30mins before trying to use it. Retaped a wheel with it at the weekend after replacing a spoke.
Tesa/ stans is fine. Just got to get everything warm then it sticks well.
MucOff I’ve heard stories of leaving all the sticky behind when it is removed
Dammit! I knew I'd missed something!
Have used Stans before on my gravel wheels... but aw gawd, I haven't removed that either *cry*
Gorilla tape - fine until one time the residue would not come off. Took hours to remove.
Tessla tape-good.
Muck off- so far so good.
Hunt- good. Lasted ages
Always used the Stans stuff and never felt any reason to try anything else…maybe I’m missing something.
No spoke holes on my summer bike, so no tape…
Mucoff seems to go on well but leaves a residue. But the joins never seem to stay stuck, even with the extra sticker they provide for that purpose. I've been using wtb stuff recently (66m reels form the crc implosion). That seems to go on easily and so far has stayed stuck.
I had trouble taping Spank Oozy rims with their w-shape profile. Just couldn't get thick tape like Stans and Tesa (got a big roll of the stuff) to conform to the shape, even using a heat gun. The Spank Fratelli tape was what I really wanted ( was on the rims in the first place right up until I needed to rebuild the wheels due to corroded spoke nippples) but availability was nil. Tried a couple of other tapes which also failed. Ended up using electrical tape. One rim failed completely very quickly but as the other appeared to work I retaped it, and it held. The other one then lost air overnight, but as the retaped rim was now properly holding air, I just pumped it up again and it's been fine ever since. The end.
Have seen Muck off recommended (and used) on awkward rims (for thick tape to conform to) , but by that point I was already using electrical tape. I used 4 overlapping layers - 1st middle (which covered spoke holes), 2nd left side, 3rd right side, 4th back in the middle again.
I like the DT/Schwalbe stuff, just be sure to put lots of tension on it when you're applying it, get it right and it goes on beautifully, fail to use enough tension and it can wrinkle.
Also, if using it in a really cold space it's a good idea to warm it up first, helps the glue work better. Only an issue in winter really.
Gorilla tape – fine until one time the residue would not come off. Took hours to remove.
Was waiting for someone to suggest Gorilla tape...
Guys... Please... DO NOT use gorilla tape as a tubeless tape (at least not on alloy rims, might be ok on carbon)... It is porous and most tubeless sealant contains ammonia.
I have seen first hand far too many times the effects of a tubeless rim corroding from inside out over a couple of years, when an otherwise perfectly fine looking rim can just collapse out of nowhere because whoever taped the rim up decided to use gorilla tape, not a proper tubeless tape...
As for electrical tape... Well it's not porous! But it's about as tough as a wet piece of paper in the context here... Might work at fat bike pressures, certainly don't expect it to work at normal MTB pressures as it will not be strong enough not to tear on the spoke holes.
Right on wrong my goto is a single wrap of electrical tape to cover the spoke holes then a wrap of tubeless tape. I use Peaty's, hasn't failed me yet, clean up is no worse than normal.
Does anyone know what SRAM use on their wheels? It's absolutely brilliant ime. Just seems to stick to the rims better than anything else, while not sticking to the tyres so it's less likely to get damaged by tyre changes. But it's unrealistically expensive, I think you can only get it in the kits not by the roll.
Also, friends don't let friends use gorilla tape for tubeless.
Unusual opinion I think but... If the rim is wide enough and also welded/sealed, the best tape is electric tape, but ONLY doing the middle of the rim. Unless your tape just sucks or was fitted wrong, most tubeless failures are caused when you remove a tyre and it takes the tape with it, whether by pushing into it or being stuck to it. This way, the tape isn't in contact with the tyre, or in its way as you remove it. You avoid the adhesion/strength issues entirely and all it's doing is sealing the holes, and you let the rim do all the handling of the tyre. Like the blue example in this:
2 wraps of electric tape is good for up to at least 40psi, probably higher but that's as high as I've gone. 1 wrap will hold 30psi but it feels a bit marginal, I didn't trust it to last- lots of stretch around the holes.
^ Agree with all that but the profile of these rims made your green method a right pain with a tape similar to Tessa as it wanted to wrinkle and the offset spoke holes meant I wouldn't trust the blue method as the edge of the tape would be too close to the spoke holes.
They look like this
I prefer to do a wrap of electrical insulation tape then tesa tape (or tape I bought off aliexpress - ztto - feels the same as tesa) over the top of the insulation tape.
Reason being, the electrical insulation tape is more malleable and so gives whet I 'feel' (i.e. I don't actually know!) is a better seal. The tesa over the top is stronger to withstand pressure.
Electrical tape is also easier to remove from the rim re: not leaving residue.
Another one with a big roll of Tesa to get through here. Does the job, didn't cost a lot.
I have several large rolls of yellow stans/tesa tape. I got about 3mm wider than the internal rim width. Heat the rim, heat the tape, soap the tyre head, put a tube in and leave it 24 hours. Perfect, smooth wrinkle free tape that doesn't. Peel away with the tyre and doesn't leave residue on the rim.
Definitely the green method above. If the tyre sticks to the tape the tape or application is crap.
Having to leave inflated with a tube is also a red flag to me. Should be no need for this, I've tried it before and don't think it gave a better result (with muc-off tape, had the same issue on first tyre change of finding the join coming away).
Have used electrical, Stans, WTB and Muc-Off. IME all much of a muchness as long as you prep will and are careful. For an awkwardly see shaped rim I'd go for a wrap or two of electrical and then a layer of whatever TESA type tape you've got.
Hunt tape ordered as it was half the price of the Schwalbe stuff. Hopefully I wont get to try it out for months but I’d rather have it at the ready.
I just use electrical tape, not super sticky so easy to remove if you ever need to and easy and cheap to apply.
The benefit of the tube method is that the tube will help the tape conform to an uneven rim profile. More area in contact means better adhesion. It also helps squeeze out any air bubbles for the same reason.
It's not necessary, but it makes for a nicer job.
Both my current bikes were already done (x1 UST wheelset and x1 pre-taped Bontrager wheelset) but when I was still doing it myself I always used cheap TESA tape from eBay.
I used electrical insulating tape
+1 from me, has worked better than any rim tape I've tried, and works fine for the life of (many) a tyre (been using it for years). Though 3m Scotch 33 is supposedly a better class of electrical tape.
Muc Off tape has a little stretch to it so worked well on deep rims. But not as strong as Tesa/Stans.
Durable, reusable, easy to fit, no issues with sticking/not sticking, and ultimately cheaper than most of the alternatives
https://r2-bike.com/NEWMEN-Rim-tape-Tubeless-Strip-32-mm-29-2-Pieces
I came here to say not WTB tape, I got a big roll cheaply from CRC but it got a hole in ridiculously easily when needing to use a tyre lever for a tight tyre. I find the quite stiff style tapes the best, they need more care and time to apply well but last better.
Electrical tape +1
As for electrical tape… Well it’s not porous! But it’s about as tough as a wet piece of paper in the context here… Might work at fat bike pressures, certainly don’t expect it to work at normal MTB pressures as it will not be strong enough not to tear on the spoke holes.
A few layers is fine upto about 50psi. It doesn't work on the road though.
It has the added advantage of being bale to tune the thickness by adding more wraps until a troublesome setup will seal.
Was waiting for someone to suggest Gorilla tape…
Guys… Please… DO NOT use gorilla tape as a tubeless tape (at least not on alloy rims, might be ok on carbon)… It is porous and most tubeless sealant contains ammonia.
At which point, a thin strip of gorilla tape over the spoke holes followed by electrical tape works fine.
@dc1998 what width?
… as long as you prep w(e)ll…
Oh yeah. used to Muc Off one without cleaning the rim at all. Just been out to the garage and its still holding all the air anyway
Rubber_Buccaneer
Full Member^ Agree with all that but the profile of these rims made your green method a right pain with a tape similar to Tessa as it wanted to wrinkle and the offset spoke holes meant I wouldn’t trust the blue method as the edge of the tape would be too close to the spoke holes.
They look like this
Ah yeah, I had chinese rims shaped like that (tbf I think Reserve were "inspired" by them much as Specialized admit they were inspired by Lightbicycle and Enve blatantly were) and they're great in how they lock up the bead, but there was definitely a tradeoff in the taping. Can't actually remember what I ended up doing with those but I had more failures on tyre changing than anything else I can think of. Bike got nicked, possibly I never got a complrtely happy result on the tape.
The best is none at all - Mavic UST rim. Speedier to swap tyres too even with inserts as you don't need to be as careful.