Rim Tape - Overlap or Butt ends

[slyjackson]

I have been getting a lot of mystery flats lately and decided to change the rim tape since it is the original factory "nylon strips" that came with the bike three years ago. My flats always seem to come from the rim side. I noticed that the spoke holes in the rim do appear to be causing my problem. I have purchased some “Velox” rim tape to replace the factory garbage that is on my rims now. So my question is, do I overlap the ends or do I pull nice and snug and butt the two ends evenly next to each other?



The factory job overlapped at the stem hole, but I’m not sure if this is the correct thing to do.

 

[frenchyge]

I overlap, but that's mostly because the tape seems to stick to itself better than it sticks to the metal rim.

 

[daveryanwyoming]

I overlap, but that's mostly because the tape seems to stick to itself better than it sticks to the metal rim.

+1 on overlap.

The only good reason to avoid too much overlap is if you run tire/rim combos that are really tight and hard to mount, but then there are better options like veloplugs to make tires easier to mount.

-Dave

 

[lyotard]

nylon rim strip fad bad. use velox cloth only. i overlap and cut at an angle.

I have been getting a lot of mystery flats lately and decided to change the rim tape since it is the original factory "nylon strips"