After a fairly trouble-free few years of tubeless on the gravel bike I've rebuilt the rear wheel with a new rim and had a few issues with leaks and failures. I now realise it's because the rim bed is so deep that the tape hasn't been sitting right down into the well properly, leaving it suspended and prone to shifting (or maybe even being punctured by plastic tyre levers when I mount the tyres which are too tight to fit by hand).
I've just wasted two wraps of Stans figuring this out the hard way, so before I use up the rest of the roll, is there a better way? Can insulating tape stand up to 40psi in a gravel tyre? I see the manufacturer of the rim (DCR) actually sells a thinner black tape that they say is easier to install so I might try that.
I read a couple of old threads off here so first off will try using a hairdryer on the tape and putting a lot more tension on it, hopefully get it to sit down better.
Any other tips?
Ta
Are you setting it up with an inner tube?
Apply tape. Install inner tube. Install tyre. Pump to a decent pressure.
Leave for 12 hours
Remove one side of tyre. Remove tube. Install valve. Remount tyre fully. Add sealant.
Pump to required pressure and do "the shake".
I didn't even get that far! Installing the first bead of the tyre (which required a tyre lever) damaged the tape, and then piercing the hole for the valve caused the tape to split length ways (despite heating the tip of the screwdriver over a hob first).
But yeah, I guess if I'm less clumsy next time around maybe the tube would stretch and seat the tape better, although the setup that just failed had been seated with a tube...
Apply tape. Install inner tube. Install tyre. Pump to a decent pressure.
Leave for 12 hours
Remove one side of tyre. Remove tube. Install valve. Remount tyre fully. Add sealant.
Pump to required pressure and do "the shake".
This is the exact process I follow these days, just never had issue with taping.
When rims prove troublesome with normal rim tape, I sometimes bust out the Gorilla tape instead.
Yes, it can leave a bit of a mess when you take it off later, but the extra flexibility and stickiness usually does the job.
suggest use Tesa tape, as it is a lot thinner and more malleable that Stans. 2 wraps normally suffice
Ah, I'd thought Stans was just branded Tesa, hadn't realised they were different.
I'll recruit my wife to help this evening by heating tape while I really put some tension on it (or perhaps son, if he can be trusted to aim a hairdryer straight for 5 minutes 🙄 ). I just checked and running my thumb around it won't have worked as my thumb is fatter than the well of the rim! 😆
I'd use a couple of wraps of electrical tape first, which are more flexible and will go much more easily into the rim bed and cover the spoke holes, and then overlay with normal rim (Stan's/Tesa).
Yeah electrical tape can work great in situations like this because it's so stretchy. Two wraps is reliably airtight even for much higher pressures.
The big downside is that it's not that sticky or durable so it's really easy to damage when you're changing tyres. Some people as above will add a second type of tape that's better for that, personally I just used the electrical tape and just handled it if the tape ever came off, since it's so quick and cheap. But if you unbead a tyre while out riding and it damages the tape you'll regret that! Never happened to me, definitely could.
Mucoff tape is much more stretchy than Stans so might be easier for awkward rims. Also if the rim has a very deep chanel I the middle, that should make it easier to fit a tyre without levers.
Just an update for posterity/future tubeless-ees.
The problem was the tape not sticking to itself where it overlapped! I typically overlap the tape a couple of spoke holes past the valve, but after another ride on a slowly deflating tyre I unwrapped tape and could see the incriminating trail of sealant between the two wraps of tape.
Bought the thinner black Vittoria tubeless tape and gave it two wraps, being sure to position the end of the tape as far from the valve hole as possible. Tyre went straight up and has held pressure ever since.
Maybe Stans (and Juice Lubes) tape is just slightly too thick and/ or not sticky enough to conform to the awkward rim shape and stay stuck to itself. Lesson learned!
What tubeless conversion kit did you use (if you used one)?
The problem was the tape not sticking to itself where it overlapped! I typically overlap the tape a couple of spoke holes past the valve, but after another ride on a slowly deflating tyre I unwrapped tape and could see the incriminating trail of sealant between the two wraps of tape.
Which was did you wrap it? I find it best wrapped anti-clockwise when viewed from the drive side of the wheel. That way the overlap faces away from the rotation and (in my head at least) prevents sealant being pushed under the tape where it ends.
I always overlap opposite the valve hole.
I always overlap opposite the valve hole.
Yeah, maybe I should have figured that out for myself before wasting most of a roll of Stan's but it's never been an issue before now. Will be doing it from now on though!
