Does bulging rim tape causes flats?
09-02-12, 12:32 PM
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Does bulging rim tape causes flats?
May be trivial: old cotton rim tape often bulges somehow into the spoke holes (3-4 mm) assuming no sharp corners and everything well covered. Are those inner tube bulges/protrusions, which then develop sources of flats? I always thought as long as the spoke wholes are covered and no sharp edges and nothing penetrates it is ok, but may be I am wrong?
09-02-12, 12:46 PM
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Nah, a smooth depression over the spoke nipple doesn't bother the tube one bit.
But it is a mild remainder not to go crazy with the tire pressure.
Rim tape that shifts and squirms around though, that can be a sneaky source of flats.
But it is a mild remainder not to go crazy with the tire pressure.
Rim tape that shifts and squirms around though, that can be a sneaky source of flats.
09-02-12, 01:13 PM
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Not as such. But, if the bulging inward causes the tiniest edge of spoke hole to come uncovered, - THAT will cause repeated flats until you find it and fix it.
09-02-12, 02:13 PM
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Probably not, but the tube will give you a definitive answer. If your punctures are on the belly side of the tube, and/or you see dimples at spoke hole distance apart, and the punctures are at the dimples, your tube is saying conclusively "replace that piece of crap rim tape".
Rule #1 of bike mechanics, reality trumps theory.
Rule #1 of bike mechanics, reality trumps theory.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
“Never argue with an idiot. He will only bring you down to his level and beat you with experience.”, George Carlin
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
09-02-12, 06:58 PM
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If the rim tape is intact then the only thing the bulges will do is prevent the tube from rotating when tire pressure is low - which will prevent pulling the valve inside the rim. Michlin has come up wirh tubes that do just that. [https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/michelin-protek-max]
