Dsprok

and this.

Don't ask how I know that.

DiabloScott

Mano, take a breath. You're pissed off about an 8-year old post... and the guy who wrote it hasn't been on this forum in almost 8 years as well. I hope you found some useful information in this old discussion topic; you certainly have a valid reason to look for a cheap substitute.

riva

Never had a tube problem because of my hockey tape.. a lot of other causes but not that.

rmfnla

Velo plugs...

RubeRad

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the alternative of using an old tube. Many cheap bikes I see, the rubber rim strip seems equivalent to inner tube anyways. You would probably want a tube from a wheel at least 1 size smaller so it would be snug. Use scissors or a razor to cut a strip all the way around, the desired width, maybe a little wider for an inch or so and then use a razor to carefully cut a hole for the valve.

Note for ghetto tubeless systems one of the common methods is to mount a too-small tube onto a rib, slice the top/outside of it all the way around, and splay it around the rim, then mount the tire, inflate with sealant, and trim off the excess.

canklecat

Last time I tore a rim strip and couldn't get a spare immediately I just repaired the damaged strip with white duct tape. Worked fine for a couple of weeks of riding before I replaced it with a new rim strip.

I like white duct tape for makeshift and temporary stuff because it sticks as well as gray duct tape but peels off much more cleanly and doesn't leave nearly as big a mess of gummy adhesive residue behind. It's cheap and readily available. Handy around the house for protecting white wall corners from being dinged by bikes, wheelchairs, cats, etc. Probably strong enough to temporarily patch a sliced tire to get back home.

Drew Eckhardt 

Cheap bikes have single-wall rims so the strip is only preventing abrasion by nipple heads.

Better bikes have double-wall rims so the strip needs to be strong enough to resist tube incursion into the socket holes.

dwmckee

I used the plugs on a set of 29er wheels a couple of years ago. They were a royal pain to install. I think a shop would probably charge an extra half hour of labor to install them. They are supposed to save weight, but were not worth the hassle at all. They do not go into the holes nicely, jam sideways, have to be levered out and reseated, etc.

Drew Eckhardt 

1 mil Kapton tape (5/8"/16mm for classic rims and 3/4"/19mm for wide) uses less space so tires are easier to mount, weighs less, installs easier, removes easier, allows single spoke/nipple replacement without re-installation, and costs far less than even Velox (under $1 a wheel).

Kinlin XR300s x Continental tires were the tightest combination I encountered over 28 years of riding, as in I needed tools to mount tires and with Velox those tires wouldn't rotate with just the first bead on. Velo plugs fixed that problem but proved insufficient for powder coated Velocity Fusion rims x Continental tires so I looked for the thinnest tape possible until loogi turned me on to 1 mil Kapton which made the difference between hand-installation/removal and cussing at tools for both.

Two wraps total .005". That's half Rox Ultralight at .010", two wraps of Stans at .011", or two wraps of Scotch 898 Filament tape totaling .013". It's a quarter Velox at .020".

It has a weak adhesive which stays put fine but comes off easily without noticeable residue.

You can cut a hole for spoke replacement with an Xacto knife then cover it with two squares when you're done.

Moe Zhoost

I've been using Neubaum's rim tape lately and like it a lot as a (maybe better) substitute for Velox. That said, I don't think either of those products give any more reliability than a few layers of glass reinforced strapping tape. The wheels on one of my bikes still have the strapping tape treatment that I applied in the 1980's. A few years ago I considered new rim tape when I replaced the tires but the strapping tape still looked good so I kept it. Has anyone had a failure with strapping tape?

Cost is immaterial. It's nice to have good rim tape on hand, but if you don't, then take advantage of a multi-use material that performs just as well.

Aubergine 

I also have used threaded strapping tape as a rim strip. It worked fine, but as Retro Grouch said, getting it off the rim was a pain. For that reason alone, I'd stick (ha) with proper rim tape unless I was stuck (another ha).

CannedPakes

One layer of electrical tape worked well for me. I only did it because I didn't want to wait for rim tape to ship here and didn't feel like going out and finding some.

Just realized how old this thread is too lmao

jgedwa

I don't suppose I am obligated to defend a trivial claim I made about rim tape in 2008, but here goes.

The strapping tape I was referring to does not have the fiberglass strands more commonly seen. And its sticky glue is different too. the glue holds just fine, but is not a mess to remove at all.

For what it is worth, I have been using this stuff exclusively in the years since then, on flip-bikes and all of my own. It works perfectly. Dare I say, better than real rim tape. Its cheaper, holds better (but without sticky residue), is thiner, and I always have roll of it on hand.

Don't make me come back here in 2023 and duke it out with all of you again.

jim

ltxi

KD5NRH

Same here; I forgot about a repair done that way and rode on the tape for over a year before I noticed.

Frankly, I'm tired of giving $4 for a piece of rubber strip barely glued together at the valve-hole overlap when a frickin' properly made tube is only $3.88. They could at least use something with a strong bond for the overlap and reinforce around the valve hole for what they're charging.

CliffordK

I use velo plugs + electrical tape on my OC rims. I wish they would just drill the holes down the center of the rims.

79pmooney

One drawback to a lot of improvised rim tapes is how much of a hassle they are to get off if they have been on a few years. Velox tape comes off cleanly after many years and can often be reused allowing you to replace spokes and nipples with no spare tape lying around. On my winter bike, I often reuse the tape after replacing the rim. It's not magic but it is the right tool for the job.

Ben

AlexCyclistRoch

I always have a big roll of black, cloth friction tape around. It works well as rim tape on wider rims, and the adhesive keeps it in place, too. Also works well as a base layer on bars; hold cable housing in place before the bar wrap goes on. For weight-weenies, it might make a good wrap on it's own. Your hands would never slip off of it.

rjhammett

I have used this stuff which you can get on eBay for $1 per strip.

rmfnla

Why tape with the plugs; they seem to work just fine for me without it...

jgedwa

Still using the fiberless black tape I was back then. So nanner nanner

CliffordK

Maybe a little overkill, but with the OC rims, the plugs seem to sit slightly to one side, and can leave a gap. It probably isn't an issue with the typical center drilled rims.

rmfnla

They make VPs in two sizes; maybe yours are too small...

Reynolds 

Maybe this belongs to C&V, but for my old single wall rims I like to make rim tape from old inner tubes. Cut a strip, measure on the rim, glue and overlap 5cm, hole punch - ready in 5mins and a tube recycled.

Looigi

Still using two layers of 1 mil Kapton tape. Super thin and lightweight (5gm), sticks well, comes off cleanly leaving no residue, can poke through to replace a spoke and patch with a couple of 1" pieces, inexpensive via Amazon or eBay.