Rim tape failing

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NickNick

Well-Known Member
About a week ago I had a flat, nothing had come through the tyre and on closer inspection I realised that over every spoke hole (not sure if correct term?) the rim tape had caved in and the inner tube had little dome shaped protrusions above every spoke.

I patched the tube up in the billowing wind outside Brighton station and when I got home a couple of days later I replaced the rim tape with a spare I had. About half an hour ago the front wheel rapidly deflated while I was standing next to it, its been locked up outside and not used for last couple of days, so it seemed a bit odd for it to have a sudden puncture!

I've taken the tyre of and got the tube out and the new rim tape is in the same state as the old one. It was a cheap ebay purchase so didn't expect it to be the longest lasting but a week seems rediculous.

Is it normal for cheap tape to fail so quickly? Or is it something to do with the rim? The holes are pretty big, 8-9mm diameter and its the rim that came with my old Ammaco bike which was riddled with bad quality components (the rear one is already dead and has been replaced by a shimano wheel) so I wouldn't be surprised if they are as much of a problem as the cheap tape.
 
About a week ago I had a flat, nothing had come through the tyre and on closer inspection I realised that over every spoke hole (not sure if correct term?) the rim tape had caved in and the inner tube had little dome shaped protrusions above every spoke.

I patched the tube up in the billowing wind outside Brighton station and when I got home a couple of days later I replaced the rim tape with a spare I had. About half an hour ago the front wheel rapidly deflated while I was standing next to it, its been locked up outside and not used for last couple of days, so it seemed a bit odd for it to have a sudden puncture!

I've taken the tyre of and got the tube out and the new rim tape is in the same state as the old one. It was a cheap ebay purchase so didn't expect it to be the longest lasting but a week seems rediculous.

Is it normal for cheap tape to fail so quickly? Or is it something to do with the rim? The holes are pretty big, 8-9mm diameter and its the rim that came with my old Ammaco bike which was riddled with bad quality components (the rear one is already dead and has been replaced by a shimano wheel) so I wouldn't be surprised if they are as much of a problem as the cheap tape.
Yes, the cheap rim tape frequently lets go, the way you describe. Once it goes, you’re on a hiding to nothing. You can get really good rim tapes ( already pre cut and stuck to size) from Wiggle, quite cheaply.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-essential-rim-tape-pack-of-2/

This stuff is fantastic VFM.
 
Location
Midlands
Whilst we are on the subject of rim tape :smile:

Ive always used velox - Recently in Passau I had a tyre changed - (it was an M+ and my fingers are not as good as they used to be) - I was offered a modern new fangled rim tape because it was "better" than the velox - in what ways are the new fangled rim tapes better?
 
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NickNick

NickNick

Well-Known Member
I''m curious - decent rim tape comes at about £1.50 a wheel - how cheap is cheap?

Think it was around £1-2 for 2x wheels worth, I just went for one of first ones that came up as I had assumed there wouldn't be much of a difference. Its the sort of thing I'd normally pick up from my LBS but was drowning in work at the time, so it was as more of a time saving effort than a money saving.
 
Whilst we are on the subject of rim tape :smile:

Ive always used velox - Recently in Passau I had a tyre changed - (it was an M+ and my fingers are not as good as they used to be) - I was offered a modern new fangled rim tape because it was "better" than the velox - in what ways are the new fangled rim tapes better?
Thicker, and less susceptible to stress corrosion.
 
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NickNick

NickNick

Well-Known Member
Yes, replaced with insulation (electricians) tape and no similar punctures


That's what I used to use when tinkering with bikes as a kid, but sure I read somewhere that it would do exactly what this tape has just done.
 
Please explain stress corrosion in plastic or cloth tape.
Good grief, I spent many years investigating stress corrosion issues in cross linked copolymers, so as to quantify their ‘handleability’ regarding day to day use, used in hydrogels, typically found in medical devices ( such as soft contact lenses ). I’ve even got a published paper on the subject. The type of polymers used in rim tape, are far more robust, than a fragile contact lens, but are under a far greater range, and magnitude of strains. Nothing is ‘ideal’ but ‘electricians tape’ is so far from ‘ideal’, as to be useless as rim tape.
 
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