[Closed] Tubeless rim tape

Try using a dedicated tubeless tape maybe? I know some people swear by gorilla tape but it's a lot thicker and leaves a mess behind when you remove it. Lifeline tape from CRC/Wiggle is relatively cheap and I found it very easy to apply when I used it recently.

I've been using 25mm Tesa tape with Hope XC rims and it's been bomb proof.

Rims are 19.5 internal so a bit smaller than yours.

No expert but guess it's the second time of fitting is the problem. Why twice?

Only went tubeless 3 months ago but not touched the tyres since.

I moves from Gorilla to Tesa and wouldn't look back.

As above, we've found Gorilla tape to be thicker, with a more gummy adhesive than Tesa or Stan's type tape, often leading to it lifting at the edge when tyres are removed. Tesa or Stan's, about 2 or 3mm wider than the rims internal width, and worked right into the corners, seems to stay put with no problems. We often have problems though, with similar tapes that aren't taken to the edge, getting dragged back (I assume) when removing tyres.

Had the same issue with Stan's Arch ex. Even though.my lbs swears by it I won't use gorilla tape any more.

I try the tesa then I think. It is when tyred are removed that cause the issue. Fir instance, I've ripped a sidewall, broken a spoke, had wheel trued and fitted inserts. All lead to me having to re tape the rim. Pain in the ass tbh. Hopefully different tape will sort it

One thing, the yellow or the more expensive black tesa tape?

Only ever used the yellow, and definitely don't go narrower. You want the beads sitting on the tape so the seal is formed between the tyre and tape only.

When putting Tesa tape on you need to pull it *really* tight to get it to conform to the rim shape.

Schwalbe tape has been the best I've used by far.

Fits the rim shape perfectly first time And never deforms or comes away when changing tyres.

One of my bikes I've used gorilla tape and the tyres are a right pain to get on and off due to the thickness.

My other bike has proper tubeless tape and they're easy.

I wouldn't use gorilla tape again.

I've ordered the tesa tape, see how I get on with that

I found Tesa tape to be a pain in the arse for any rim that has a deep groove in the bed. It doesn't stretch which makes it damn hard to get it to conform to a rim that isn't fairly flat inside.

This is to the extent that after taking all precautions fitting I cannot get it to seal on the Hunt rims I have as it will not go into the groove properly.

DT Swiss tape is so easy to apply in comparison and way kinder on thumbs. It's more expensive of course but if it seals first time that is money well spent in my book. Have wasted so much damn time on tubeless (MTB and road) when could have been riding (that said the tyre/rim combo on my Scott Spark went up first time on a low volume roady track pump without any soapy water or sealant).

I've yet to have an issue using Stans or WTB tape, regardless of rim shape. Just make sure it's wide enough to confirm to the shape of the rim and to reach both beads.

Type "Polyester High Temp tape" into ebay. We use it at work and I've used it for years as a tubeless tape. Different widths and 50m plus on a roll. Methylated spirit or similar on inside of rim with a cloth and then as you apply pull it tight. Work it in with your nails/fingers, you can see when its stuck properly. I usually go round twice. On wider rims go round one side then overlap in middle and go over other side.

Tried tesa tape on wtb rims but it wouldn't reach the bottom of the well lbs used orange seal tape which held but looked very badly done. I fitted a non TCS wtb tyre cos I'm an idiot and it all peeled off when I swapped tyres. Gave up and used gorilla tape with no issues. I haven't taken the tyre off so this may change when I have to.

Just had a wheel rebuilt with a new rim by LBS. not sure what tape they used (it's sort of transparent) but seems to hold ok.

Came out at about £15 on the invoice though!

Tried tesa tape on wtb rims but it wouldn’t reach the bottom of the well

I tried it also, same problem. I now have some Gorilla tape to try tomorrow

@teamslug what thickness tape do you use - i can see it in 1 and 2mm?

Tried tesa tape on wtb rims but it wouldn’t reach the bottom of the well lbs used orange seal tape which held but looked very badly done

I used wtb own brand tape for both sets of wtb rims that I built up into wheelsets. It’s yellow and I’m pretty sure it’s the same as stans / tesa. I thought it went on very easy and I changed tyres a few times with no issues.

I had the wheel in the wheel building stand, wiped the rims with decorators wipes to get any grease off, wiped off that residue with a clean dry cloth, then did the taping. I literally hung off that tape as I turned the wheel round, really stretching it into place. It went right down into the contours of the rim and stuck well. I went round with a plastic tyre lever after to make sure it was really pushed into the edges of the rim.

27mm tape for a 25mm internal rim, and 25mm for a 23mm internal rim.

I also have used the expensive black dt Swiss tape on dt Swiss rims - it looks really nice but I’m less convinced on it. It was less stretchy and harder to apply - and a bit has come back off after a few tyre changes - although it’s still holding air at the moment. I think next tyre change may involve re-taping.

Well, the Gorilla tape set up seems to be going well. The tape definitely filled the internal profile a lot easier than the tesa tape I removed. One of the main problems I found with the tesa tape, was, I'd pull it really tight while applying it, then it would split while trying to squeeze any bubbles out

Inflated first time to 40psi with a Joe Blow floor pump, couple of pings as they seated, and a little hissing that soon stopped

25mm tape, WTB i25 Tough rims, Vittoria Mezcal 29x2.25 tyres.

Rough weight savings from using Big Apples, tubeless front, tube in the rear, based on bathroom scales and advertised weights

F 250g   R 500g

Gorilla tape is the best for tubeless......... Until you have to remove it then its a royal royal royal royal pain in the arse

I'm going to try dt Swiss tape next I'm using tesa 25mm on my 30mm internal and as soon as I remove the tyre for any reason the bead rips up the tape edge meaning it's then got a highly like chance of leaking

From what Ive read the dt swiss sticks much better than tesa adn leaves little to no residue at all.. And of course you can get it in sizes which work properly

'Tesa' tape will stretch, its just takes a lot of force! I find it easiest to stretch it on a s tightly as possible, then put a tube in overnight at the tyres max pressure to press it down.

Its very high modulus whereas a lot of tapes are either low or have a sinusoidal curve so tend to resist and then give. The glue is also a natural rubber based glue and pressure sensitive IIRC. Its original application was for taping stuff together on pallets so it needed to be very strong, and only stick to itself when clamped by a tool.

On wider rims than i have tesa tape for i find tesa over the spoke holes then a wrap of pvc electrical tape either side works well rather than overlapping tesa tape.

I found the same issue with Gorilla tape. Tesa for me all the way now. Just make sure all the Gorilla residue (and any other gunk) is cleaned off properly beforehand. Also leave the tape and rim inside the house to warm up a bit - makes it easier to get the first bit stuck down.

Tyre pressure forces it into the rim bed.

Those of you that have had success with tesa tape, did it sit across rather than in the well a bit like a drum skin? Then tube and tyre overnight forced it into the well? Really stretched it when fitting and used a hair dryer after leaving both in a conservatory this summer. May give it another go when the gorilla tape needs replacing.

Gorilla tape was really easy to fit though. Layer of electrical tape underneath as well.

tesa tape would be great if my internal rim width was the 23mm and the tapes 25mm

as it is the tape covers the spoke holes on my 30mm internal ( which is fine for gorilla as it doesn't budge once its on), but as said the tyre beads rip up and catch the edge of it on removal, or even installation

if tesa tape was available in wider sizes it would be perfect

ive done all the usual tricks of warming up etc, its not the fitting that causes the problem, its the fact removing tyres lifts it up, im not willing faff around putting tubes in to get it to stay down properly, for the money its easier just get some right sized tape

wide (r than the rim) tape and put a tube in overnight - works for me

(Bird sell tape that they say is thinner and more conformable. If I didn't have a bag full of other tape I think I'd be trying that)

I'm trying the bird tape now on 3 wheels, two with 30mm ID Halo vapour rims and 1 with a WTB scraper i40. The 30mm rims are easy as the tape is the right width. The i40 I did two wraps around the middle then made the tape stretch across to both sides in another 2.5 loops (one long continuous tape wrap). I've not ridden any of the wheels yet but the first one went up super easy tubeless without sealant and stayed up for several days. The others have tubes in at the moment to help stic the tape down and stretch the new tyres out.

I was previously a gorilla tape devotee but have been having loads of issues including the tape coming unstuck and leaking (found sealant all under the join and in the rim bed).

nixie just had a look at the bird one

just one wrap of tape on the 30mm rims? assume you got the 32mm tape? also does it stick much easier than tesa yellow with no air bubbles etc?

I have a bike with a pair of Stan's Arch rims that are an absolute PITA to keep inflated. The rim bead interface has a number of random holes that appear to have been drilled into the rim for unknown reasons, so as soon as the rim tape deforms even slightly, the whole shebang suddenly goes "Pssssshhhhh!" and I have to remove the wheel, remove the tape and start over wasting sealant by the Badgerload. I've gone to the extreme length of squirting bathroom sealant into the tiny little holes, which is a temporary solution at best.

On every other bike I've set up tubeless over the last decade, a couple of layers of electrical tape has done the trick, but these are a royal pain in the harris.

tesa tape would be great if my internal rim width was the 23mm and the tapes 25mm

as it is the tape covers the spoke holes on my 30mm internal ( which is fine for gorilla as it doesn’t budge once its on), but as said the tyre beads rip up and catch the edge of it on removal, or even installation

if tesa tape was available in wider sizes it would be perfect

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tesa-4289-tubeless-rim-tape-21mm-25mm-and-32mm-wide-66m-long-/163361795114?vti=

32mm available here.

EDIT: Ah, I see you may have tried this. Surprised it's still not working for you.

@Oscillate Wildly no three wraps on the 30mm rims as they recommend. Yeap got the 32mm tape. I've never used tesa yellow. Only other tubeless tape I e tried was the blue jobsworth stuff. The first wrap I couldn't see any bubbles but wasn't looking too closely as trying to keep the tension on the tape. There were some after three wraps but these had gone when I removed the inner tube.

@PJM1974 I've had exactly the same issues with the same rims. Have up with the rear in the end and just run a tube.

I recently in desperation used bog standard sellotape. Worked a treat and held pressure with no sealant and still going strong a month later.

Fratelli rim tape recommended for spank rims but i reckon it’d work well on all rims. Easy to apply, sticks well, nice and pliable so you can work it into all the recesses and uneven surfaces. £9 per roll from Crc and a roll will do 2 wheels of any diameter.
Tried Stans but that didn’t stick at all and wouldn’t conform to the rim shape. Expensive too.
If its a new rim make sure you clean it with alcohol or disc brake cleaner

£9 for two rims is also pretty steep. Some of the other options will do 10 time for that.

OP, the other option is rib strips. My gravel bike was a right pain to get working, I retaped so many times using proper tape, gorrila tape, clear gorilla tape with multiple attempts at each and it still leaked. Replaced with Caffélatex rim strips and went up straight away and been fine since. Yeah they are not cheap at £30ish with valves but they did work. Specialized do some much cheaper but not sure they do one thin enough for your rims (Caffélatex definitely do).

martinhutch

Subscriber
tesa tape would be great if my internal rim width was the 23mm and the tapes 25mm
as it is the tape covers the spoke holes on my 30mm internal ( which is fine for gorilla as it doesn’t budge once its on), but as said the tyre beads rip up and catch the edge of it on removal, or even installation
if tesa tape was available in wider sizes it would be perfect
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tesa-4289-tubeless-rim-tape-21mm-25mm-and-32mm-wide-66m-long-/163361795114?vti=
32mm available here.
EDIT: Ah, I see you may have tried this. Surprised it’s still not working for you.

nice one bud- the yellow tesa tape works, I had no idea they did it in 32mm, so that's a winner for how many wheels worth you get 🙂 as I said the main issue with 25mm on my 30mm is ripping the edges of the tape up when removing/installing tyres, so if theres a 32mm version this should combat it! cheaper than the dt swiss too and will do loads more

great find cheers!

@nixie, yeh I thought id read it correctly as 3 wraps, a lot going to waste then really for the money, I only ever do 1 wrap of every other brand Ive tried so will give that a miss cheers

Yeah that appears to be the trade off of being thinner.

Well, I tried the tesa tape today, CANNOT get it to stick in the recess at all. As soon as I push it in it pulls the sides up. Whether it's a deep Centre well I don't know, but can't see it working at all. Back to the drawing board. Used a hairdryer to warm it up but doesn't seem sticky at all

Threw my last roll of Tesa tape in the bin... back to Gorilla tape and straight up no probs. It may leave a sticky residue when you have to replace it, but far better than tape that just won't go into a rim bed. Maybe I'm just rubbish at it, but the Tesa type tapes don't seem to like my Hope enduro rims?

I have those rims too, can't see it working at all. Back to gorilla for me, even if it means possibly changing tape after each tyre change

I'm also in the "Gorilla Tape and stop changing tyres all the time" camp.

Helped by having an insert in the rear, so I'm quite happy to leave that 'til the tyre is dead.

I use Gorilla Tape on Hope XC rims. Start with tape cut to the external width of the rim, this means that when you press the tape to seat it in the well of the rim it pulls in slightly and "becomes" the right width to just butt up to the base of the rim wall.

I find I can get two or three tyre changes before I need to change the tape. Using Tesa tape I'll probably get one more change than with Gorilla Tape. I might change tyres twice a year (tends to depend on how wet the winter is) so that's 18 months to two years before I need to look at the tape.

Gorilla tape is the best for tubeless……… Until you have to remove it then its a royal royal royal royal pain in the arse

T-Rex is stronger, stickier, more waterproof (sticks even to wet rims) and unlike duct tape the sticky comes off with isopropyl ... (Gorilla has a different mechanism/adhesive that forms a hard grid)

Prior to this I thought duct tape was duct tape, T-Rex was on sale at Wickes so I took a punt... and well impressed for all reasons above then after using T-Rex for ages saw a random "project farm youtube" test of duct tapes...

OK, so, I re tried with the tesa tape. Pulled as tight as I physically could, then put a tube in and left overnight. So far so good, tyre is holding well and it's definitely easier to manipulate tyre and insert without catching tape. Like a total plum, I've put the tyre on backwards!! 😂