I've went through three tubes and keep getting a puncture in the same area. As soon as I start pumping the tube goes flat around the valve stem. The only thing I can think of is the inner valve hole is to big. Any ideas?

I think I figured it out. But I've never had issues doing it the "wrong way" before.

That was going to be my suggestion. Must be a tiny burr on the hole.

you can also file or sand those valve holes then paint them. kinda takes the edge off, especially if you ever drill out a presta hole

Yeah, it has to have a continuos tape line over the valve hole. It holds the tube away from the metal edge. Like was said, a good idea to file smooth the valve edge.

I've ridden a lot of miles with the tape stopping on either side of the valve hole. Perhaps I got away with it because the tape came closer to the edges of the hole.

Sadly, I've had brand new tubes fail immediately because they are crap . . . now I test inflate spare tubes before putting them in my saddlebag.

If you were too lazy to put a whole whole new tape on the rim (I mean, c'mon, geeze!) you could cut out a donut of old innertubing to slide down the valve and act as a bumper against the edge of the hole.

It would be less work just to put a full roll of rim tape on it!

Wasn't laziness, I just wasn't thinking. That is new tape, I have a huge roll of tape that I cut this off of I just didn't go all the way around. Thanks though...

Sarcasm, I hope.

I was hoping the same thing.

So correct! There is a bike expo this weekend in Des Moines. That will cheer me up for a few minutes!

No, not sarcasm. But poor wording, perhaps. What I meant was generic 'you,' not @sloar personally.

As in "You never can have enough fresh rim strips." Or "You can't say anything these days without someone taking it wrong." I apologize; I could have caught that and edited it if I'd read it after posting.

And the donut thing works. I (personally) was once too lazy to run across the street to the LBS to buy a new strip for a build I was doing, so I cut a patch out of an old tube to cover up the 4 inches of missing strip around the valve hole on one wheel. Completely forgot about it until 3 years later when I finally replaced the old worn out tires. In other words, it worked at least as well as a new rim strip, and saved me a hundred steps and $2. And maybe 5 minutes?

Had that problem with a couple of Alex Z-1000 rims, even with rim strips covering the valve stem hole. The burr nicked the sides of the Schrader valves and caused slow leaks.

If you don't have the right size file or moto-tool abrasive ball bit, you can burnish the burr hole with any metal object that fits. The end of a hex key/Allen wrench larger than the valve hole can work, if the tip of the hex key is beveled. It'll mash the burr flat enough to do the trick, and if it's thin enough the burr will come off, so be carefully to brush the rim with a stiff bristle brush (softer than the rim material, though).