Velox - there's a reason its still used
02-04-21, 08:52 PM
#26
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02-04-21, 09:18 PM
#27
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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.
02-05-21, 08:00 AM
#28
Senior Member
I like the non adhesive fabric rim strips. Kind of a thick burlap weave made with soft cotton. Very French, very tactile, every bit souplesse.
02-05-21, 09:19 PM
#29
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I moved away from Velox rim strips on my mountain bikes in the 90s when I observed they appeared to retain moisture for a long time, like weeks. i used to do a lot of wet mtb rides in the Winter. The non-adhesive plastic strips seemed to allow the wet to dry out faster. Keeping the rim wet promotes corrosion at dissimilar metal interfaces. If you ride a lot in the wet I’d reconsider Velox.
I’ve tried the Continental strips mentioned above on a modern bike and had the strip shift from covering the holes and had one flat that I attribute to that exposure. I am not sure the strip was the proper size for the rim. I switched to Kapton tape and it works well. I’ve run tubeless and experienced the pluses, but the prospect of having to remove a very tight tire out on the road in the event I needed to fit a tube led me to abandon tubeless.
I’ve tried the Continental strips mentioned above on a modern bike and had the strip shift from covering the holes and had one flat that I attribute to that exposure. I am not sure the strip was the proper size for the rim. I switched to Kapton tape and it works well. I’ve run tubeless and experienced the pluses, but the prospect of having to remove a very tight tire out on the road in the event I needed to fit a tube led me to abandon tubeless.
02-08-21, 12:29 PM
#30
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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.
Jim
02-08-21, 05:18 PM
#31
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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.
However after using Velo Plugs in a set of velocity rims, I will give progress its due.
02-08-21, 06:53 PM
#32
Full Member
I see Velox as a time and place tool, some of my wheels use Velox tape the rest use Ritchey snap strips. I find the thinner material helps with tire fitting.
02-08-21, 10:51 PM
#33
Full Member
Living in the past
Hey, I must be way behind the times. Years and years ago, like 40, I used a sticky fabric tape that I called Velox to fix my 'tubular' tires to my Fiamme Ergal rims. I didn't really know what the check I was doing, or even if I was sticking the tires securely enough to ride them safely.
I only mention this now, not to admit I'm an old dope, but because I thought this discussion was about the familiar product that I lovingly and stickingly applied to my rims just about to the point of recalling the smell of creosote.
I only mention this now, not to admit I'm an old dope, but because I thought this discussion was about the familiar product that I lovingly and stickingly applied to my rims just about to the point of recalling the smell of creosote.
