Home Forums Bike Forum Removing gorilla tape residue

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  • Removing gorilla tape residue
  • tall_martin
    Full Member

    Hi,

    I’ve been gorilla taping my tubeless rims for 10 years. The residue removal has always been mildly annoying.

    This time the tape has refit residue round half the rim.

    Ethanol isn’t shifting it.

    Sticky stuff remover ( TM) isn’t moving it.

    Elbow grease with tire levers, cloths gorilla tip to lift it isn’t shifting it.

    Half an hour and I’ve got 5cm partially clean

    Any suggestions.

    I’m getting close to just taping over it.

    Robz
    Free Member

    Rubber eraser drill attachment?

    goo-gone?

    sharkattack
    Full Member

    You’re supposed to put electrical tape underneath it. Full tubeless functionality with zero residue.

    1
    Tracey
    Full Member

    I’ve had success in the past using a hair dryer to warm it up but it’s a two person job

    Tend now to use Specialized 2Bliss Ready Rim Strip as it works better than anything else I’ve used

    1
    ajantom
    Full Member

    You’re supposed to put electrical tape underneath it. Full tubeless functionality with zero residue.

    Came to say exactly this ^

    Obviously not much use right now though!

    If you’re retaping with Gorilla tape, just tape over the residue.

    oceanskipper
    Full Member

    Petrol will shift it I expect…

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    GT85 on a cloth works for me, but you then obviously have to de-grease the rim as well.

    Kramer
    Free Member

    WD40 point cleaner did it for me. Loads of it on a non linting cloth. Still takes some elbow grease and I was high as a kite by the time I’d finished.

    1
    MSP
    Full Member

    Tesa 4289 is stans tubeless tape, comes in 65 metre rolls for around 10 quid. Why bother with the faf of gorrila tape when better alternatives are so cheap.

    Tesa 4289 Tubeless Bike Wheel Rim Tape

    Kramer
    Free Member

    @MSP thanks I’ve made a note of that link.

    fooman
    Full Member

    Warm it up with hairdryer, once you pick some off roll it into a ball to dab more off. Comes off quickly and easily that way, not that I’d ever use gorilla tape for tubeless again.

    1
    Northwind
    Full Member

    Petrol is about the best for this ime, but it’s still horrible.

    sharkattack
    Full Member

    You’re supposed to put electrical tape underneath it. Full tubeless functionality with zero residue.

    Or, just don’t use the gorilla tape. Electrical tape is a perfectly good tubeless tape by itself.

    noeffsgiven
    Free Member

    Washing up sponge soaked in GT85 has never failed at removing stubborn sticky residue for me, it keeps the GT85 on the surface better than a rag or paper towels, I spray it on the rim first and rub it in with my thumb so it gets to work soaking into the sticky residue.

    quentyn
    Full Member

    You might have more luck with a more aggressive solvent such as acetone, ethyl acetate or also try lighter fluid (works well on silicon oil and lipstick)

    If ethyl acetate doesn’t shift it then just tape over it

    escrs
    Free Member

    You’re supposed to put electrical tape underneath it. Full tubeless functionality with zero residue.

    Tend now to use Specialized 2Bliss Ready Rim Strip as it works better than anything else I’ve used

    One of the above is the best, the one time i did use Gorila tape without electrical tape i ended up removing the residue by doing the following

    Warm up one section of the rim at a time using a hair dryer, this gets the residue nice and sticky, then i got a thick cloth glove and went over that section getting off as much residue that would stick to the glove, then with a fresh glove cloth i went around again after soaking the finger tips in Isopropyl alcohol, this seemed to clean off the left over residue

    1
    pisco
    Full Member

    IPA + time + elbow grease.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Oh yeah you can get good results rubbing it off with a thumb, it’ll ball up and stick to you as much as the rim and then you can wipe or flick it off… but be careful, it’s very very easy to blister yourself- localised surface heat I think?

    Saccades
    Free Member

    Disc brake cleaner.

    Pissed.

    1,1,1, trichloromethane

    dyna-ti
    Full Member

    Wool. It really works.

    Trust me 😉

    oldnpastit
    Full Member

    I had some success with swarfega of all things.

    tall_martin
    Full Member

    Thanks!

    I have lighter fluid, I think I’ve got a can of petrol for some hedge trimmers, I’m out of swarfega and I’ll borrow my wife’s hair dryer.

    I used some Tesla tape on another pair of wheels. It was significantly better than gorilla tape.

    I bought some muckoff stuff and used that on another rim- it went on brilliantly.

    Unfortunately the Tesla tape and muck off tape I have are both too narrow for this rim.

    1
    anderzz
    Free Member

    Autoglym tar remover. Quality stuff.

    sweepy
    Free Member

    Multisolve, if it gets rid of CT1 it should shift anything

    prettygreenparrot
    Full Member

    Propan-2-ol?

    submarined
    Free Member

    Tesa tape is great if you can get it to stick to the rim and conform to the contours. I found it a right **** to use with runs with a pronounced centre well.

    If your reapplying monkey tape, just put it over the top, always worked for me. I’ve found if I just rip the tape off it leaves loads behind. If I remove it slowly it leaves far less.

    I’ve taken to using Gorilla tape to seal, then a layer of electrical tape over the top as a sacrificial thing. Then it doesn’t pull the Gorilla tape off when I change tyres.

    kormoran
    Free Member

    Coleman fuel or primus fuel is nicer to use than petrol

    Weirdly bicarbonate of soda works well with sticky residue. Rub it on, the gunk balls up and sticks to the soda then drops off as it loses it’s stickiness. I’ve used it loads for getting residue off surfaces, tape and stickers especially

    Northwind
    Full Member

    tall_martin
    Full Member

    I bought some muckoff stuff and used that on another rim- it went on brilliantly.

    Unfortunately the Tesla tape and muck off tape I have are both too narrow for this rim.

    Mentioned this above but it bears repeating, one thing to note is that a lot of rims don’t need to be taped full width- a welded rim (which most quality rims are) is already airtight except for the holes. That didn’t used to matter much, but modern rims got so wide that often you can simply tape the middle, in the recess, and not tape the parts where the tyre touches at all. This works miles better, because since the tyre doesn’t touch the tape, it doesn’t get stuck to it, and there’s no chance of it pushing the tape off as you remove the tyre- #1 reason for having to retape a rim ime.

    Most of my rims now are done this way, just 2 wraps of PVC/electric tape in the centre recess, wide enough to safely cover the holes but not wide enough to contact the tyre. You basically never have to redo it unless you break a spoke.

    (there’s no middle ground here though- if the tape’s not as wide as the tyre, but wide enough that it goes out of the recess, then the tyre will probably tear the tape off the first time you remove it)

    View post on imgur.com

    scaredypants
    Full Member

    I’ve never had to but I’m guessing that warming and then using a length of new gorilla tape might pick up the residue

    scaredypants
    Full Member

    ((working on a diagram))

    greatbeardedone
    Free Member

    I guess all the above suggestions involve using an acidic solvent.

    Bicarbonate of soda is very mildly alkali and is available from any supermarket for 60p.

    works great at deodorising shoes, too…”do the skake and vac”👍

    fooman
    Full Member

    Seriously, put away the aggressive chemicals and warm it up with a hairdryer, then it comes off dabbing with a bit of picked off residue or the sticky side of another bit of tape.

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    In true, contrary STW spirit, could I just unhelpfully suggest Mavic UST rims that don’t need tape at all?

    But hairdryer has worked for me in the past. Heat and rub off.

    tall_martin
    Full Member

    That is an excellent diagram 😃

    tall_martin
    Full Member

    I have some Mavic ust rims- great wheels.

    Unfortunately they are 26″ and al my MTB are 29″

    jameso
    Full Member

    Is it anything like normal 3M gaffa tape residue? I’ve used 3M and Gorilla tape and don’t remember the residue being different. I find GT85 gets rid of gaffa tape gunk better than solvents anyway. Of course I tried the solvents first .. then tried GT85 when solvents didn’t work. Messy job still, need plenty of clean cloth to remove what the GT85 loosens.

    mattsccm
    Free Member

    Petrol takes everything off and is cheap.

    1
    chakaping
    Full Member

    If you’re retaping with Gorilla tape, just tape over the residue.

    +1

    That’s a Gorilla tape-only rim now.

    Tesa tape is great if you can get it to stick to the rim and conform to the contours. I found it a right **** to use with runs with a pronounced centre well.

    Also +1

    PrinceJohn
    Full Member

    Have used Gorilla tape in the past & it works brilliantly – tried the tesa stans equivalent I wasn’t impressed at all. It’s cheap but it’s not got the same stretch & pliability that Gorilla tape has

    BillOddie
    Full Member

    If you’re retaping with Gorilla tape, just tape over the residue.

    This.

    tall_martin
    Full Member

    Thanks
    Went to use lighter fluid- couldn’t find it
    Gt 85- can was empty

    Petrol- working well. 30 min of scrubbing with a cloth and it’s half done

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