Rim tape, what a carry on

[dobbyhasfriends]

Every time regardless of what I use... This time it's muc off with a perfectly clean rim..
No sealant yet but it shouldn't be relying on sealant to prevent leaks through spoke holes

Then there's the sidewalls of tyres...

 

[BIG-DUKE-6]

What did you use for sealant? Laundry detergent???

 

[Mikerb]

I have never had a problem...and I use Muc Off tape. A couple of things that might help..............I unwrap a new tyre and then let it warm in the airing cupboard for at least a day before fitting it. I also warm the tape before use.
Those steps may help with the leakage you have through the spoke holes and the bead.

I have no idea whether the tyres I use have porous walls because whilst I seat the tyre without sealant initially I dont leave it very long before before I remove the valve core and add sealant. I have never noticed a problem however and I use Maxxis Assegai and DHF and DHR, and Michelin Wild Enduro tyres.

Another thing you can do if the tape does not initially seal the spoke holes , is to inflate the tyre with a tube at fairly high pressure and leave for a couple of hours. Then deflate, remove the inner tube and set up tubeless.

 

[Mabman]

Just saw a tip on Igram that you take a heat gun/hairdryer to the rim and warm it up before applying. Going to try that next time.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

well I just removed the tyre and valve stem, burnished the tape down hard with a tool, replaced the rubber seal on the valve stem and its improved things a lot.. so its not 'all' the rim tapes fault..
the tyre is a part worn michelin wild and its had sealant in it before, its not the first tyre that ive had leak through the sidewalls like that, I have a set of assegai's that took double, maybe triple the sealant and the first lot only went to seal up the shitty tyre carcass..
its 'mostly' holding air without any sealant right now so it will probably be ok but what pisses me off is that you do everything by the book, buy this expensive stuff, buy expensive tyres and its all below par, not good enough.

 

[Tone461]

I had one rim that was an absolute pig to seal. Solution was to start the tape right up against the edge of the rim, then a second layer from the other side overlapping in the middle. Sounds daft but it worked! Good if you haven't got wide enough tape.

 

[Shjay]

I had one rim that was an absolute pig to seal. Solution was to start the tape right up against the edge of the rim, then a second layer from the other side overlapping in the middle. Sounds daft but it worked! Good if you haven't got wide enough tape.

Your meant to use tape that’s wider than the inner rim width. Ie if 30mm rim then use 32-35mm tape & pull taught

 

[Stihldog]

Use the correct width rim tape. One layer is good enough but overlap the tape on both sides of the valve hole. Never us a tool or fingers to push the tape into the valley …use a cloth. If you accidentally score or pierce the tape …start again with a new piece. Slightly stretch the tape as you align and push the tape into the valley. No rinkles.

Be careful that you tire lever doesn’t score or scratch the tape. Add sealant, inflate, rotate tire, check for leaks. Go ride.
Happy Father’s Day.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Two wraps of tape, still didn’t seal. The sidewall was leaking sealant.. nightmare, but in the end 500ml of sealant did the trick.

 

[#lazy]

Gorilla tape 25mm works for me !

 

[The Hodge]

Gorilla tape 25mm works for me !

Oh no mate ...what have you done ?
The forum wizard will be along shortly explaining why that's such a bad idea ...

 

[Bones]

Oh no mate ...what have you done ?
The forum wizard will be along shortly explaining why that's such a bad idea ...

Well that's me in trouble then because I use 50mm and slice it around the edges. I also use Oko fluid watered down. Will I go to hell

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Gorilla tape 25mm works for me !

thats what I took off this rim to put the muc off tape on.. I stopped using gorilla because of the residue.. its a massive PITA to clean off..
Never buying anything other than Mavic wheels from now on, my last set didnt need tape, the spoke holes didnt go all the way through the rim and AFAIK most or all of their wheels are like it.. worth paying more for IMO

 

[#lazy]

Once it’s on it’s on

 

[Streddaz]

Two wraps of tape, still didn’t seal. The sidewall was leaking sealant.. nightmare, but in the end 500ml of sealant did the trick.

View attachment 118176 View attachment 118177

You haven't got a crack in your rim somewhere?
I can understand an old tyre leaking but the rim tape not working is strange.
I don't do anything too fancy when applying rim tap. Just give the rim a good clean then wipe with isopropyl alcohol and apply the tape. Push down with my fingers to make sure there's no air bubbles under the tape. Then fit the tyre, put the sealant in and inflate to about 40psi and flip the tyre around a few times to get the sealant all around the inside. Let it sit for and hour or so and drop back to your riding pressure.
I installed a new Recon Race front and rear yesterday and I could not get the rear to pop on the bead. I have a pressure tank type floor pump and that has always been enough but this time I had to take it to the local petrol station to get enough constant volume to pop it on the bead. The front didn't even need the pump air tank. Same tyre same rim.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

You haven't got a crack in your rim somewhere?
I can understand an old tyre leaking but the rim tape not working is strange.
I don't do anything too fancy when applying rim tap. Just give the rim a good clean then wipe with isopropyl alcohol and apply the tape. Push down with my fingers to make sure there's no air bubbles under the tape. Then fit the tyre, put the sealant in and inflate to about 40psi and flip the tyre around a few times to get the sealant all around the inside. Let it sit for and hour or so and drop back to your riding pressure.
I installed a new Recon Race front and rear yesterday and I could not get the rear to pop on the bead. I have a pressure tank type floor pump and that has always been enough but this time I had to take it to the local petrol station to get enough constant volume to pop it on the bead. The front didn't even need the pump air tank. Same tyre same rim.

yea I was wondering that myself, theres no good reason for it to be leaking through the spoke holes like that.
the front had muc off tape on, I changed the front tyre to match the rear and when I took the old tyre off the muc off tape looked ropey and was peeling off at the edges towards the middle.. the old tyre wasnt leaking so I didnt change it, put the new tyre on and it sealed perfectly and stayed inflated.. so you would think there might be an issue with the rear rim somewhere eh ?

 

[maynard]

I just use cheap electric tape

 

[maynard]

Like real cheap . Found it on the side of the road.

 

[Stihldog]

Like real cheap . Found it on the side of the road.

Apparently every wrap of electrical tape will resist 400 volts of electricity …one wrap is probably enough.

 

[steve_sordy]

One thing NOT to forget is to give the sealant bottle a bloody good shake before tipping part of it into the tyre. I forgot once and had sealant leaking out everywhere for a while. And then when I actually got a puncture (like the following day!), the sealant didn't seal, it just pissed out. I had left all the good stuff that actually blocks the holes in the bottle.

 

[Stihldog]

One thing NOT to forget is to give the sealant bottle a bloody good shake before tipping part of it into the tyre. I forgot once and had sealant leaking out everywhere for a while. And then when I actually got a puncture (like the following day!), the sealant didn't seal, it just pissed out. I had left all the good stuff that actually blocks the holes in the bottle.

Yah, the fine particles found in most sealants. The Bontrager sealant seems to have larger particles. MucOff seems a little smoother but still seals fairly well. I’ve seen some bad experiences with Stan’s sealant (small balls formed) but that could be because the sealant was old or contaminated.

I haven’t noticed a problem with a small amount of soapy water mixing with the sealant. A light spray helps lubricate the tire bead during inflation to help “pop” the bead.

I’ve only had to wrap a strap around a tire once to get the beads to “pop” even though I had a 150psi on the compressor and the valve core was removed. Eventually got it. Last week a CushCore kept on popping out during inflation. Eventually got that one too.

Sometimes you need three hands to put new tires on, so I bought that little plastic rim clamp from CushCore to help (when I’m alone or by myself)

Top Secret eBike bubble formula. 7 parts water, 1 part Dawn dish soap).

 

[Binhill1]

Every time regardless of what I use... This time it's muc off with a perfectly clean rim..
No sealant yet but it shouldn't be relying on sealant to prevent leaks through spoke holes View attachment 118061

Then there's the sidewalls of tyres...

View attachment 118062

It seems a doddle to set up according to some folk on here most of the time but if its a miss it is a night mare. I won't bore everyone with my tubeless nightmares. Managed for 35 years with out going tubeless. If you don't know how to avoid punctures after a few years cycling you are probably never going to . I may get three a year max no big deal to repair rain or shine.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

It seems a doddle to set up according to some folk on here most of the time but if its a miss it is a night mare. I won't bore everyone with my tubeless nightmares. Managed for 35 years with out going tubeless. If you don't know how to avoid punctures after a few years cycling you are probably never going to . I may get three a year max no big deal to repair rain or shine.

I would agree, its a basic piece of home maintenance work (these days) and ive had tubeless since the first mavic X3.1 in 26" but this was something else..
I have had a little look around and it seems that hope rims leaking through all the spoke holes is pretty common, dont know why yet

 

[Binhill1]

I would agree, its a basic piece of home maintenance work (these days) and ive had tubeless since the first mavic X3.1 in 26" but this was something else..
I have had a little look around and it seems that hope rims leaking through all the spoke holes is pretty common, dont know why yet

I had a bike set up with it not by me . It was ok but I didn't see any benefit of tubeless really . Then when it went wrong I had the walk of shame coming back down on Nevis range gondala . So poke it for me .

 

[maynard]

One thing NOT to forget is to give the sealant bottle a bloody good shake before tipping part of it into the tyre. I forgot once and had sealant leaking out everywhere for a while. And then when I actually got a puncture (like the following day!), the sealant didn't seal, it just pissed out. I had left all the good stuff that actually blocks the holes in the bottle.

This is true

 

[DaveG01]

I use Tesa 4289, its the same NoTubes

 

[Montana St Alum]

You need to use tape that is wider than the inner width of the rim (as mentioned). essentially, the tire bead seals against the rim tape, not the rim, and forms a continuous "rubber-to-rubber" seal that way.

I usually mount the tire onto the rim after applying tape and pressurize to close to the lesser of tire or rim max pressure. In fact, on Maxxis tires, this stretching is the only way you'll get a width close to the specified ETRTO in use.

There is no need to seat rim tape with an inner tube. As long as the tape is applied such that it has adhered to itself, the air pressure will push the tape into place just as it pushes out against the tire sidewalls without a tube. I generally let it sit for a day or two (unless I need it in use immediately) and with a new Maxxis (or Continental or Schwalbe - the brands I use) tire have had close to zero pressure loss, without sealant. A new, good quality, undamaged tire should hold air - the sealant is there to fill small punctures that occur riding.

If air is going out the spokes, there's something wrong with the tire bead/tape interface or there's a tear in the tape or not enough overlap. 50% overlap should be fine. In some cases, it may be that the stem isn't seated, and air will escape around the stem seal into the rim and out the spoke holes. When you install, push down on the stem from the outer side of the rim while tightening the nut. That should be enough to seat/seal at the stem.

If more than a very minimal amount of air is coming out of the sidewall of the tire, something is wrong with the tire.

Edit:
I do remember, back around 2005 or so, having to shake the living sh*t out of the first gen of tubeless "ready" tires to get sidewalls to seal, the lay them flat, then shake again. Those days are long gone!

 

[Stihldog]

After several tire installations for new rubber and rim tape I’ve begun to understand the science of tubeless tires …kinda.

The correct width rim tape is slightly wider then the rim, but once the tape is stretched and pushed into the valley of the rim the tape lines up perfectly with both edges thus helping the eventual tire-bead to tape seal. It’s easy to accidentally score/scratch/puncture the tape with your finger nail or a tire lever. I use a soft cloth to help push the tape, while slightly stretching, into the rim valley first. An overlap of at least 5” on both sides of the valve hole. After this process, ensure that the edges of the tape are free of any wrinkles and line up with the sides of the rim.

Create a hole for the valve. I carefully push a heated awl through the valve hole which melts the rim tape to accept a diameter of the valve rubber seal. After the valve has been inserted and hand tightened in place, allow several minutes to pass which lets the valve-rubber seal and rim tape to relax. Tighten the valve nut again. It won’t move much …and do this again until you are satisfied that the valve is sealed and secured.

Soap bubbles coming from the sidewall tells me two things …1-this type of tire needs a tube, or 2-the tire is f***** if it’s a “tubeless ready”. In the automotive industry, if the air leak is in the sidewall it generally cannot be fixed and is probably dangerous to use.

I know that tubeless tire installation is not rocket surgery but my trial and error’s have helped me develop “a particular set of skills”. I’m probably preaching to the choir here but changing tires are getting a little easier each time.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

I reckon my problem is the valves not sealing properly and allowing air under the tape and through the spoke nipples.
imma get some new valves and test this theory

 

[Binhill1]

Mate waa a dealer did scores no problems then one of mine took four hours of faffing about .