rim tape advice
bikedudeman
Posts: 2
I am about to put some rim tape on my Mavic Aksium Race wheels. There is already a yellow Michelin plastic band strip on the wheels from previous owner. (See photo). they look pretty worn and have depressions in them and slide around a bit. I'm guessing they aren't anything essential and I can just remove them and replace them with rim tape?
If so, is there any particular type of tape that would suit these wheels? (with folding Gatorskin tires). Advice appreciated. thanks.
If so, is there any particular type of tape that would suit these wheels? (with folding Gatorskin tires). Advice appreciated. thanks.
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Comments
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I tend to use tubeless rim tape these days. As it's the thinnest and lightest solution.
Tesa 4289 19mm tape is good. i use 2 layers. Its not cheap but if you want to save weight then its works great. Plus it sticks to the rim and doesn't slide around. If bought on ebay it comes in a 66m roll for £12 so handy if you have multple wheelsets.
Those yellow Michelin plastic band strips are rim tapes. Made from plastic instead of cloth. They both do the same job. There is nothing wrong with replacing them but if they are not causing you any problems i.e punctures then why bother ?
If you do want new rim tape you can remove them you don't need 2 layers of rim tape.
I have used Schwalbe blue and Wiggle lifeline rim tape before with zero problems. Avoid Planet X they are crap.
Cloth rim tapes like Velox can collect water.0 -
That yellow stuff looks just like the blue plastic strips that my Shimano wheelsets came fitted with. After 8 years it still seems to do the job perfectly well. Why do you want to replace it?0
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That yellow stuff looks just like the blue plastic strips that my Shimano wheelsets came fitted with. After 8 years it still seems to do the job perfectly well. Why do you want to replace it?
+1 have this on my mavic wheels and perfectly adequate, no need to replace unless it's split and not doing its job of protecting the tube from the spokes0 -
^^^thismy bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0
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Just be aware that some rims should not have thick rim tape used on them or they will make tyre installation difficult.
For instance, you will find a specific warning re this in a Zipp wheel instruction tag.
If using latex tubes, some rigid rim tapes like the yellow one you have pictured can slowly wear the latex with the sharp edges and cause a failure.
A layer of wider Stans or Reynolds tape over these type of rim strips will cure this.
A layer or two of Stans or similar used by itself is not enough if you are running high pressures.0 -
^^^this
Another vote for keep the existing rim tape. Rim tape is rim tape, why faff about with it.- - - - - - - - - -
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