Does any of it not suck? The Stans stuff isn't flexible/stretchy enough, so it's hard to get it to lay flat, and the adhesive is pretty wimpy. Gorilla tape works okay, but I've got a pair of rims where it's pretty tight getting tires on, and I'd prefer to use a thinner tape. I haven't tried anything else.
Tubeless tape
- Thread starter HAB
- Start date
I use Tyvek can be bought at Lowes. Instead of double wrapping to prevent blow through the spoke holes on tight rims I run a tight strip of electrical tape. Then the Tyvek full width.
I am trying the kapton now its holding up fine. I wont suggest it until I know I can swap a tire with out having to strip and reduce the tape. Goes on easy and cant beat the price.
tyvek is porous and you'd need a ton of sealant to stop it from breathing when there's a pressure differential across it (like an inflated tire). or use another material as you indicated.
actually, i just googled it, the tape itself isn't actually tyvek but polypro tape intended to tape tyvek rollstock for housing.
Dave, i remember you asking about this and I forgot to follow up. I got the orange rim tape and i actually quite like it. it was thin and stretchy (but not so stretchy it was difficult to tape). Only issue i had is that it tears a little easy when you start to unroll it for the first time; i was just pulling at it w/ my finger nails. i started taping my wheel and got about 12" before i noticed a thin strip on the edge wasn't unrolling and was tearing and staying on the roll. i cut it clean and didn't have any other issues. Granted, the interior rim surface was a smooth curve (not ridged like an Enve or Spank), but it was pliable enough that I wouldn't forsee any issues on those kinds of rims. I'd recommend it for sure. but i think the widest its available in is 24mm.
I've been riding on Kapton taped wheels for years and the tape works just fine for multiple tire changes.
I don't have experience with the clear version but the GT is a massive PITA to remove - it leaves goo all over the rim.
Not much residue with the clear...it's a totally different product.
When I got my new wheel, the local shop here put on some Giant branded tape, which looks exactly like kapton tape.
Seems to have held up pretty well.
the Spank branded tape is probably the same. it's all polyamide. having used the spank tape on spank rims, i like the orange tape more.
How easy is it to apply? Does it need to be cut first? Or can it be laid down and trimed? Do you need to layer it?
I really like the regular gorilla tape precisely because it's a little thicker - it creates a tighter seal and makes it easier to inflate tubeless. Also damn cheap. But I've never had an issue with it making it too tough to get a tire on. Enve rims by chance?
The e.thirteen tape is thinner and more stretchy than GT, and it comes off clean.
The e.thirteen tape is thinner and more stretchy than GT, and it comes off clean.
+1 for Kapton.
MonkeyTape works in a pinch, but as has been noted, it is thick and requires de-goop-ifying. Only real positive is that it can be ripped to required width easily.
MonkeyTape works in a pinch, but as has been noted, it is thick and requires de-goop-ifying. Only real positive is that it can be ripped to required width easily.
Does Bontrager still make those plastic tubeless rim strips? I used those on my old 26" crabon rims on my old bike and they worked like a charm, were SUPER easy, and cheap-ish.
I find it's the easiest to use but will absorb sealant and start leaking. Changing it every 3-6 month works but it's a mess to clean off the rim.
Yeah - I think that's the sort of thing I bought... so easy.
does that include a valve in it? i know stan's still offers conversion kits with a similar rubber strip with the valve in the strip
i really wish this had been the path rim makers had gone down instead of tape. i've got these in my old duster rims and it's the best tubeless system i've ever used. molded to the exact profile of the rim, nothing easier to install, no tape residue and easy to clean if you need to.
the ones i have did come with a valve as it was shaped specifically to fit with the strip at the valve hole. this was forever ago though, not sure if they are the same these days.
it's great in concept and i'm sure works better, but then you've gotta make one that fits the rim exactly (so it'll be even more SKU's). the nice thing about tape is that as long as you're in the ball park on width, it'll work with any rim.
It looks like the ones I got did NOT have a valve included...
i like what enve did with their new rim strips. it's a combo rim strip / flat protector. "flat protector" it'd be cool to see something like that available for more rims.
But the bike industry loves having MOAR SKUs!
I hadn't realized this before, but the Kapton tape is what Spank recommends for their wonky rim bed profile. I've bought a couple of rolls from them, glad to know I can get it cheaper in the generic version. I with the adhesive was a little more aggressive because in taping the Spank rim bed you have to be really careful in pushing it down into every crevice or sealant can work its way under the tape and cause things to come undone. I had a couple of meltdowns trying to get my first wheel taped properly, but since I figured out technique it works fine. On a rim without all the crazy Spank tech, would be much easier. The stuff is great once installed, and it's super thin so you can layer it to your exact needs.
having used the spank tape (likely the same as any other polyamide tape) on spank rims, and then the orange tape on another rim (granted it was a smooth curve) i'd want to try the orange tape on the spank rims. it's more stretchy / pliable, i suspect it would work with the contours better.
Is Orange charging bike industry $$$ for their rebranded tape? The Kapton and Tesa tapes cost fraction of their rebranded versions.
i honestly haven't been able to determine what material the orange tape is, but it's not polyamide. I paid about $13 for the roll (which was good for 2 wheels). So it's not really far off other options on price.
I use Gorilla tape mostlynow , but the e.13 tape I used to use was decent as well.
Bontrager rims come with the plastic rim tape pre-installed so I guess so. They have sharp edges around the valve hole though and they puncture tubes if you're ever forced to run one in an emergency.
Joe's makes strips like that with the valve included. Again, they're fine unless you need to put a tube in for an emergency repair.
Another vote for kapton. I have been through four tire changes so far on this wheelset without any issues. As others said before, it's easy to apply, providing you had degreased the rim bed thoroughly with alcohol or something similar. Just one loop was enough to seal each rim, which at this rate gives me about my entire bike life left without buying another roll, since I bought 100 ft of it.
Dumb question, but are you guys pressing the tape into the center channel of the rim or sort of bridging over it? I've always used gorilla tape and tried to make it confirm to the full rim profile but it occurs to me that this may not be necessary. Certainly I wasn't able to do that with kapton tape and always had issues getting it to seal.
I don't have a lot of experience with the clear gorilla tape, but the other stuff turns into a mucky glue and makes tire changes a giant pain in the dick. Instead of a 2-5 minutes to change a tire, it takes about 30 minutes to cut the tire off the rim, and another 30 to degrease and clean up the goo it leaves behind. I don't know if its heat related, sealant related, or what, but it seems pretty shitty and I'd recommend against it with so many other decent options out there.
Or, you know, run proper DH tires and a tube and soft rims and don't get flats and don't deal with tubeless.
Or, you know, run proper DH tires and a tube and soft rims and don't get flats and don't deal with tubeless.
My Alex rims have a shallow center channel, and I've never bothered to make the kapton tape conform to it. It sealed at the first try, but as I said before I went extra careful with the rim cleaning before applying it. Since polyamide is pretty elastic I guess it ends up conforming to the rim channel once the tire gets to its working pressure.
What width is everyone using for the Kapton tape? I know it will vary a bit on rim width. Think 25mm would work on 30.5 internal width wheels?
-Brett
-Brett
Yep, wall to wall or slightly wider (2-3mm) if your rims don't have a welded seam.
I do just the center channel with a narrow tape.