Ive taped a number of rims but I’ve never really been able to figure out how to properly apply the tape. Should it go down the center channel and stick to the bottom of it? Most taping guides I’ve read mention putting a lot of tension on the tape but I feel like this makes it difficult to get the tape sticking in the center channel.
by grslydruid
9 Comments
Yes it should go down that center.
It needs to be down and touching the “well”. Tape should be wider than the listed internal width of the rim because of this. When taping you also need to pull it tight, and it’s ok for the tape to go up the edge a little as well.
I press the tape into the well then work to the outer edge of the tape. I work all the air bubbles out.
Tension wise I suppose this would depend on the tape. I don’t go crazy tight, I aim for good adhesion with the tape.
If you hold your thumb in the middle of the tape while your applying it, it forms to the shape and makes it easy to get it into the well.
Usually whatever the rim width is internal. You want the tape to be 2 to 3 mms wider than the internal rim width.
I’ve seen a recommendation of inner width +2mm (stretch + shape of the rimbed). And first figure.
I don’t understand why manufacturers don’t list the proper size tape needed. It would just be too nice? I don’t know. They always seem to love to publish specs.
Yes, it should go down the center channel and stick to the bottom of it. The best tape jobs have the tape conforming cleanly to everything with no bubbles or lift. Pulling really hard is a good way of getting there with some tape, but tamping and smoothing as you go is also acceptable as long as the result is neat and does what you want. There are some key details that get lost in oversimplified explanations:
* Tape brands vary in how stretchy they are.
* The wider the tape, the more of it the force you’re applying is acting on, and so it takes more force to get it to conform the same amount.
* You can need to pull pretty hard at times if you’re going to stretch it on, and how you fixture yourself matters. I like to do it kneeling with my body weight holding the wheel against a bench so that I’m not having to hold it stationary with my other arm.
* Even with good technique, the force required to actually get it to conform neatly down into the rim well might be beyond what you’ve got to give. At some point with wide enough tape this will become true for most people, again depending on the tape. There’s no crime in using a tube and letting it sit at high pressure a bit to really get it neatly pressed in place. For fatbikes in particular this is a great way of getting a clean result at low effort.
I recently converted a set of 26” Bontrager Ranger wheels using some old strapping tape I found laying around at my workplace. Took me a few attempts to get the technique down to avoid wrinkles, but by the time I did the final pass, I was pretty irritated and moving sloppily. Initially I was trying to get everything nice and flat against the well, but on my final go I just held the tape taught and did an extra layer for peace of mind. I was really shocked to find that everything inflated and held air on the first attempt.
I also wasn’t very precise about tape width. The tape I had was too wide. So I just eyeballed a little smaller than the rim width, ripped it by hand, and then layed it down paying little mind to how close it got to the edges. I used the second pass to cover any spots where I missed the spoke holes.
My takeaway from experience, is that it doesn’t really matter as much as it feels like it should.