Should I Use This Rim Tape?
 

My new ICAN carbon wheels came with this elastic fiber rim tape. Should I use it or go with Velox?

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a23f140c44.jpg

If that's what came with the wheels, I imagine it'll be just fine.

I know it has to be better than electrical tape, lol. That's what was on my wheels, instead of rim tape, on my last (used) bike purchase. 🙄😁 They're only $2 each, at a bike shop, and not too tough to install. 😉

If a rim is supplied with a thin tape, chances are that Velox is a bad choice. That includes ANYTHING that is tubeless-ready. :lol:

That looks very similar to Continental Easy Tape which is my choice. Thin tape makes tire mounting easier that the thick cloth type.

Use two wraps of 1 mil Kapton tape totaling 0.005" versus 0.020" for Velox and 0.010 for the thinnest bicycle products. 16mm 5/8" for traditional rims, 19mm 3/4" for wide.

It'll get you a lot more slack which you'll appreciate on modern rims where manufacturers have made the center depression shallower.

If you're a weight weenie, it's the lightest.

If you're on a budget, it's the least expensive.

It's the best in every way.

dsbrantjr.

I believe you just gave me the clue for the difficulty on mounting new GP5000 on my new ICAN 50mm Std. Wheelset. I used the Velox cloth rim tape which is thick and there was no way I could mount the GP5000 even with the tire levers. Had to install my already used GP4000 II. I will save the GP5000 for later once my GP4000 II wear out and use the rim "tape" that came with the wheelset.

Velox tape is simply the wrong part for the job here. I predict much happier tire mounting once you use what the manufacturer recommends. ;)

I beg to disagree. There are tons of low-cost wheels delivered with thin shrink-wrap-type rim tape; that does not mean it's the best. I've ridden my n-1 road bike of its (absurd) tendency to flat by chucking out the original thin plastic tape and putting Velox in there - did not have a single flat after that, most of them were caused by the tape letting the inner tube get too comfy with the spoke nipples.

Sounds like you’re talking about single-wall rims, not the modern tubeless-ready double-wall kind we’re discussing in this thread. Velox is fine in single-wall rims because the open center channel gives you plenty of room to mount tires no matter what tape you use. I’ve had good results with tubeless tape in single-wall rims, too, but it’s important that the spoke ends are trimmed/ground flush with the nipple heads. (That’s good practice with Velox tape, as well.)