Anyone seen tape like this? Blue nylon that's strong enough to hold the pressure, but the adhesive seemed to let the too-narrow tape to slide into dimples and expose the edges of the outer-wall spoke holes.

This is on a 32 hole radial spoked Velocity Razor rim, Dura Ace hub ISO 406 wheel that I must have been an upgrade on the used Haluzak Horizon I bought last fall. The tape was actually fine with the original (worn out) 20x1.5 Primo Comet tire at ~80psi and the 20x1.5 Vittoria Randonneur I replaced it with. That was too heavy, so I had to go & put a Schwalbe Kojak 20x1.35 tire on there & 95 psi actually got me 20 or 30 miles before the spoke hole cut the inner tube.

Killed 1 tube, killed my spare, I took van cab so I'd pick up my kid on time, then I bought a patch kit (1st time I've tried glueless & I was dubious, but I think I like it), patched the original & it killed the patch.

Once I got home & marked the rim, tube & tire before taking 'em apart I was able to find the problem. I think bringing a silver Sharpie on the bike might be a good idea. Also, a lock so I can leave the bike behind & take a bus or regular cab if repair fails and an emergency tire boot for the big broken glass run-ins.



higher resolution pictures

I've seen tape like that. I'd replace it with some Velox rim tape or similar.

I think it's a strap from a women's tote -- the kind they might take to the beach.

You are wise to replace it with Velox... You'll never have that situation happen again.

Women's tote...perhaps. I was going to say mid/late 80s shoe lace

That looks like a lead to a dog's leash!

I concur with getting some Velox rim-strap. They never fail and last - literally - for decades.

I third the nomination of Velox rim tape. However, it's thick, which can cause problems when mounting very narrow 20" tires (if you wanted to try a Schwalbe Durano, for instance). In that case, I'de try a couple layers of fiberglass-reinforced packing tape. You can find 1/2" width packing tape sometimes- this fits narrow rims perfectly. However, it does fatigue and crack if you don't use several layers, and then the tube blows into the rim.