Originally Posted by
gaucho777
(I still like cotton base tape, though. I guess it makes sense it would retain moisture, but how much water actually gets through the tire/sidewall gap, past the tube, and into the cloth base tape where it might lead to rust? Probably more water runs up the spoke due to centripetal force. If that's the case, wouldn't rubber base tape seal in the water into the eyelet versus a cloth tape acting as a wick to pull moisture out of the eyelet? I also haven't run across any instances where the rim tape inhibits a tire from mounting on the rim, but I tend to stick with box section rims (or tubulars) where that isn't as mush of an issue.)
I'm not suggesting water really gets into the wheel, but certainly moisture in humid environments like mine. My comments come from removing Velox to replace with Stan's and finding the tape has rust on it at the eyelets. Stan's isn't going to prevent the moisture, but it's not going to absorb it either. The rust I've found is on the inside of the rim, not visible with a tire installed. Maybe Stan's is worse for this in the long run, but I doubt it.
Have you used Stan's? I just don't see how it's not superior in every way. It's even cheaper per wheel!
The Mod 58 rims are great, but I don't think you're correct about them being comparably wide to a TB14.