Symox

I've tried different rim strips over the years and finally decided to give Velox rim tape a try. Looked up the correct size for my rims, bought and installed the tape. Fills the entire channel of the rim, doesn't shift (it has light adhesive that sticks well over time as the tube presses against it). No fuss no muss and looks great. Why did I wait so long to use this stuff?

mstateglfr 

What had you used that was so terrible?
velox or tubeless tape- neither have made me think twice. I really haven't thought to look at other options...what else is there besides tubeless tape and fabric tape?

Branko D

On my touring bike, I use veloplugs which are little plastic plugs which cover the nipple holes.

​​​​​My latest wheelset does not have nipple holes at all, so no tape or plugs needed. That's probably the future, really.

Symox

was using Continental Easy Tape. Perhaps I used it wrong or got the wrong size but it would often shift exposing the eyelet and make me nervous. The product otherwise is quite good. Very light and durable.

the Velox covers the entire inside of the rim AND climbs the walls (used the recommended 19mm from the Mavic website for the Open Pros).

colnago62

Do they make tape that works with current generation of wide rims?

chaadster

Otherwise quite good? It has no other purpose, so to fail at its only job means it’s lousy!

The only rim tape I can recall ever really stinking is that stretchy, innertube-like rim ring found on old bikes and cheap bikes. Its supposed to stay in place through compression and friction, but it seems to always slide out of place.

79pmooney

I've been running Velox for 50(?) years. It works so why change? The stick is good enough that I can pull it back to replace spokes and re-stick. Good enough that when I re-build wheels with new rims, I often use the old tape. Doing this I do occasionally run into issues of it slipping but it is about every 3rd, 4th of 5th leap year. A risk I deem acceptable. The rest of the time simply ignore it.

Symox

I am not so black and white in my assessment of products.

for example, the material that Continental uses is excellent- it is tight and doesn’t lose this property over time. It is very durable and looks great for years. It is impervious to moisture and high psi. I found that it would shift around to expose the edges of my rims eyelet corners for the rim I used. Does that mean it is “lousy” - I don’t think so.

perhaps it just was the wrong size for my application. I would hate to write off a product that might be perfect for other people’s needs just because it didn’t work out for me. As a business owner myself I try to be fair to other businesses as online opinions can have rather negative effects.

Seattle Forrest

I have a couple velox shirts. They breath really well, but they're a little rough.

big john

It comes in different widths.
VELOX RIM TAPE

WhyFi

Because some of us aren't savages and we run tubeless.

chaadster

Hahaha! Good looking?! Have you seen my rim tape??

ClydeClydeson

I used to use plastic rim strips from a major tire manufacturer (can't remember who), and they worked fine for a while but always wound up getting brittle and cracking where they are pressed into the spoke recesses. This may have been because my bikes live in an unheated garage and go through many freeze-thaw cycles, but Velox Fond de Jante (otherwise known as Fond de Jante model X073A) are long-term reliable.

Symox

Im guessing you must not work on product design

chaadster

Believe me, my rim tape is definitely better looking than yours.

Drew Eckhardt 

0.020" thick Velox makes some rims too tight for some tires.

I use two wraps of 1 mil Kapton totaling 0.005" for those situations which makes the difference between cussing at tools and comfortably hand mounting.

Psimet2001 

Velox was great. It is an absolute deal breaker for running on tubeless rims - which is just about every rim anymore. it is way too thick to work with most high performance tires. Tubeless tape for all of those applications whether you run with tubes or run it tubeless.

kcjc

I think it was after my second or third flat that I switch to Velox back in the late 80s. It was a no-brainier between Velox and the nylon or "rubber" loops. I had it on every single wheel until very recently when my bikes came equipped with tubeless ready wheels. The new tubeless tape looks ok, don't move, has good coverage, and I haven't had a problem yet.

rubiksoval

Cause it's too thick.

Can't get some tires on with it.

rubiksoval

Most new wheels are tubeless.

Velox rim strips are too thick.

IT's why they're not used.

Drew Eckhardt 

Mostly "tubeless ready"

Paired with Continental GP4000 tires the Kinlin XR300 was the first tough rim I encountered (I finish at the valve, although that was still a problem with Velox)
How to: Tight fitting tire - easy mounting
then my Velocity Fusions were even tighter.

DaveSSS 

I use zondas or fulcrum wheels that require no rim tape tubed or tubeless.

chaadster

Well, I think it’s because Velox cotton is not airtight.

rubiksoval

You don't have to run tubeless on tubeless ready wheels.

HTupolev

It's both.

The non-airtightness of cotton cloth makes it problematic for tubeless setups.
-and-
Inner tubes provide a lot of safety margin against tire blow-offs. Since tubeless setups lack inner tubes, they need to use very stiff beads and ensure that the bead sits snug on the rim shoulder. This requires that the rim shoulder have a very precise circumference. Thick rim tapes make it more difficult to achieve that precision.

Because rims intended for tubeless are intended to be used with thin tape, a thick rim tape tends to give the inner bed of the rim too much circumference. This can pose issues for tire mounting, even if you're using non-tubeless tires. It's usually better to just use tubeless tape on new rims.