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Oh for 🤬 sake! There was me thinking that switching from a fat bike to a gravel bike would mean that I didn't have to fix my rims or tyres after every 🤬 ride...
TL;DR I need some recommendations for tubeless rim tape for 24mm internal width gravel wheels.
So I picked up a pinch flat on the rear on Thursday, patched the tyre Friday morning, set it all up again and left it in the shed. Got the bike out this morning to cycle to work and pick up the car, noticed that the front tyre was flat.
Pumped it up to ~40psi and went inside to get my cycling shoes, as I though a quick jaunt up and down the High Street was in order, just to make sure Friday's patch was holding. By the time I came out, the front wheel was flat again.
So I popped it off the bead and pumped it up, this time I went to ~60psi, mainly in an effort to get some sealant showing, as there was no obvious signs of a puncture. There was a bang, then no amount of pumping would get it to hold any air. So off with the tyre, clean everything up and then I noticed that the rim tape had a hole in it.
I need to go and get my car, however, I don't have spare tubeless rim tape, or even non-tubless rim tape. I'm also out of fancy sealant too, although I have a load of the OKO stuff I used on the fat bike. I have an inner tube, and a load of electrical tape and a little gaffa tape.
Given how prone I am to punctures and what not, I'd rather not use the inner tube if I can possibly avoid it. Can I just tape over the hole (which tape?) and use the OKO Sealant, or will I need to use the inner tube...?
Reading other threads about rim tape, it would look like Tessa Tape is the way to go. Not sure if I should be getting TESA 4287 (copper coloured) or TESA 4289 (yellow), as both appear to be similar to those sold by places like CRC. Mainly though, no idea what width of tape to get for my rims?
Gorilla tape is the one to go for.
*clear gorilla tape.
Regular gorilla tapes pish to remove.
For now fit tube ride to car.
Repair propper.
Sticking a little tape over the hole probably won't be a successful repair.
Is it normal for the rim tape to get worn away at the spoke bed like that? How old is it?
Tesa 4289 (the yellow stuff). You want the tape to be the full width of the rim bed. A good rule of thumb is to go with the external width of the rim. I'd guess if it's 24mm internal you probably want 27mm if you can find it, otherwise 25mm is probably OK.
The trick with tesa tape is to pull it *really* hard as you put it on.
That rim tape isn't just worn at a spoke hole, it's worn along the length of the rim too. I'm struggling to see how that could happen.
Stans tape calls for 2 wraps above 40psi I think. I haven't seen what DT say the pressure rating is on a single wrap but I'd suggest you just exceeded the pressure that the tape could handle.
The orange showing through is just the black print coming off. I've found some sealant types make this happen more aggressively. If you scrub the tape, more print will come off.
For road pressures you double wrap normal tubeless tape.
You do get some thicker tubeless tape you dont need to double wrap.
@trail_rat turns out I needed the tube for the rear tyre, as the patch I put on it on Friday, failed a couple of miles down the road. Four wraps of electrical tape appear to have held in the front, but it was squeaky bum time for the rest of the ride.
@alexnharvey a few weeks old. They tyres have been popped on and off the bead about five or six times since then.
@scotroutes Id quite like to know why it's so worn after only a few rides too...
@BearBack I was using Continental RevoSealant, as they tyres are Continental Terra Trail. It doesn't contain any ammonia or stuff like that, as the wheels came with all sorts of warning about using non-corrosive sealant.
@pdw I've found someone in Lithuania that sells the 27mm wide tape on eBay. Might just have to suffer the delay in it arriving.
gravel bike would mean that I didn’t have to fix my rims or tyres after every 🤬 ride…
Not trying to be unhelpful, but... tubes? What's the drawback really, higher pressures I guess but are you riding 'gravel' or 'mtb-lite'?
I've been running OEM Kenda something-or-others with latex tubes at 50psi. The ride is absolutely great. I also learned on my winter road bike that a carbon post = ~5psi in comfort.
My personal choice has been tubes, live with slightly higher pressures but enjoy hassle free wheels, changing tyres depending on conditions etc.
Watched the Rapha/Team Education First Dirtu Kanza video. They describe hitting the first gravel section and suddenly people puncturing everywhere and riders being sprayed in their own and other people's sealant! Maybe there's just a practical limit on how low a pressure tyres can be run at?
I was a tubeless early adopter on the MTB, went through the whole love affair but gradually just fell out of love and have never gone back.
I don’t know anything about the wear. For the hole, Can’t you just wrap a strip of duct tape around it? I don’t ride gravel but on the mountain bike when I need to change a spoke I just duct tape over the top of the resulting hole. Gorilla / Duct tape normally but electrical tape works great too. I’ve never had an issue. I’ve always got tape in my pack; if it can’t be duct it’s fu.....
@13thfloormonk I'd rather not run tubes, as the bridleways and byways round here are puncture city. I'm sure it'll settle down when I find the right sweet spot of tyre, sealant and pressure.
I've no idea what's caused that, maybe it's been applied too tight and stretched too much?
I'd say that no tape I've ever used- stans, tesa, gorilla, specialized blue, cheap electric tape- has failed like that and I'd use any of them except for gorilla again, but then, maybe I've just not had whatever mad thing has happened here happen?
13thfloormonk
My personal choice has been tubes, live with slightly higher pressures but enjoy hassle free wheels, changing tyres depending on conditions etc.
I'm the same.
I'm also an advocate for a heap of talcum powder spread on the tyre and tube so their interface is lubricated.
Until tubeless can be done without spaff lotions, I'm not interested.
Take a look at the caffelatex rim strips. Not cheap and a tiny bit heavier but they solved my gravel tubeless issues. Piss to fit and has just worked.
I’d rather not run tubes, as the bridleways and byways round here are puncture city.
Fair enough. My last contribution then I'll go away: latex tubes are supposed to resist penetration punctures better than standard tubes due to their flexibility. Combined with a semi-puncture proof tyre you probably wouldn't even give up much performance or weight to a tubeless setup. Worth remembering if the tubeless faff gets too much 😉
Stan’s and wtb tape are the same as the yellow Tesa if that helps your search.
I have 4 wheels taped with that DT tape (mtb so lower pressure - no higher than 25psi) and one has gone the same funny colour and the black is coming off. Using stans standard sealant so nothing unusual.
No idea what’s causing it but just ignoring it for now as it’s holding air ok. Maybe I stretched that too much - previously I’ve taped with wtb tape and you really needed to stretch that on to get it smooth and in all the curves of the rim.
I’d imagine the hole is due to higher pressure - maybe it needs 2 wraps as above.
@13thfloormonk well, if there's more issues with the tubeless, then I might very well give it a shot... 👍
Looks like the tyre's been moving around hence why its taken the black off revealing the amber tape below. I'm not certain on that, but the rub on the tape certainly makes me think the problem isn't the tape itself.
I'd agree with movement friction rubbing the black print off. Either you rubbing old dried sealant off, the tyre bead at install/removal or an inner tube moving back and forth. It doesn't take much once it's been sat in sealant.
The print is superficial, it's not the actual rim strip being compromised.
I'd clean it, put an inch long patch over the holed nipple hole then a full second wrap of DT tape (or start/finish at that nipple hole to give you your overlap double and repair at the same time.
That DT Swiss tape looks over-stretched, mine didn't look like that after 2 years and tyres being taken on an off ever couple of month.
I have however see it go orange when I cleaned off old sealant with alcohol, the black colour and white print come off with that solvent at least. The tape was still airtight though.
I have also gone to DT tape on my non-DT wheels after using Tesa tape and finding it to be pretty crap in comparison - doesn't deal as well, not as flexible, leaves residue on removal and isn't nice on fingers when applying.
Yeah TESA 4289 even in 25mm. Fit and forget IME and very cheap, I paid £10 for a massive roll that will last 10 years plus.