Rim Tape question

[N_laplaca]

I have been having flats very often lately. All on the rear. They are fortezza tricomp's. Anyway I put a brand new tube in, here in my living room. Couple of hours later I noticed that the tire was flat.It was a tiny pinhole. Hard to find.

So I decided to pull the tube and tire off and inspect the inside of the tire and the rim. There didn't seem to be anything in the tire itself so I ran my finger all along the rim tape to see if I coul feel anything and I did something. Its near one of the spoke holes and it feels like a piece of debris that may have been trapped under the tape. It seems to me that this could be causing the flats. Could I somehow cover up whatever it is with something. or should I just replace the tape? Nick

 

[martin_j001]

Nick, probably best (and easiest) to remove the tape in question and see if the debris comes with it. If not, find the problem and attempt to solve it, and then get some new rim tape for your wheel--it only costs about $2 at any local bike shop.

Jeff

 

[N_laplaca]

Ok what is the easiest way to remove it? Didn't seem like it was all that easy to peel away. I thought maybe I would heat it with a blow dryer first. nick

 

[martin_j001]

Originally posted by N_laplaca
Ok what is the easiest way to remove it? Didn't seem like it was all that easy to peel away. I thought maybe I would heat it with a blow dryer first. nick

You should be able to find where it first starts to overlap (the tape is usually longer than the distance around the rim by an inch or two. Look around for the overlap just before the hole left for the valve stem, thats usually where the tape starts and ends. If it still isn't easy, heating it will work. It should really just pull off without much trouble. The cloth type of rim tape is usually easier to deal with and is also thicker than the plastic stuff that some on some wheels.

Jeff

 

[N_laplaca]

Ok Thanks

 

[Mr_Potatohead]

Originally posted by N_laplaca
I have been having flats very often lately. All on the rear. They are fortezza tricomp's. Anyway I put a brand new tube in, here in my living room. Couple of hours later I noticed that the tire was flat.It was a tiny pinhole. Hard to find.

So I decided to pull the tube and tire off and inspect the inside of the tire and the rim. There didn't seem to be anything in the tire itself so I ran my finger all along the rim tape to see if I coul feel anything and I did something. Its near one of the spoke holes and it feels like a piece of debris that may have been trapped under the tape. It seems to me that this could be causing the flats. Could I somehow cover up whatever it is with something. or should I just replace the tape? Nick

Buy a roll of some 3/4 inch fiberglass reinforced strapping tape.
Works great as rim tape, and a roll will do many wheels.

 

[N_laplaca]

Well I removed the old tape and sure enough there was a little sliver of metal under the tape. I am sure that was causing all these tiny pin holes in my tube. The whole time I was cursing my vredstein's that I bought. Oh well lesson learned. Nick

 

[pudster]

If you put the label of the tire at the valve stem when you mount the tire on you can get a good idea where the flat occured. When you get a flat leave the tire on and pull the tube out and find the whole in the tube. When you find the hole in the tube you should be able to find what caused the flat by putting the tube next to the tire and looking in the tire where the tube was cut.

 

[ed073]

Originally posted by pudster
If you put the label of the tire at the valve stem when you mount the tire on you can get a good idea where the flat occured. When you get a flat leave the tire on and pull the tube out and find the whole in the tube. When you find the hole in the tube you should be able to find what caused the flat by putting the tube next to the tire and looking in the tire where the tube was cut.

Bump....always line up the valve hole with the brand on the tyre sidewall so you can pinpoint where the flat was.

Also, if the flat was casued by a bit of metal under the rim tape, the hole will logically be on the valve-side (inside) of the tube.