Rim strip for old 27" road bike wheels?
 

I'd like to find a source of rim strips for 1970's vintage 27-inch road bike wheels. I use 27 x 1 1/8 tires, so it is a narrow rim. I have four wheels in this size.

I'd like a simple low-cost stretch-on loop but I guess they are not made to fit my rims. So I thought to try a roll of adhesive rim tape and cut it to length.

Then I thought about trying the tape used for tubeless tires. It is overly expensive but bike shops just don't seem to sell self-adhesive rim tape I could cut to length.

Would anything made for 700cm rims work? Can it be cut and glued?

This is not something I use much. I replace the rim strips about every 10th time I take the tires off to fix a flat.

Obviously, with 27" rims, I'm a casual/fitness rider. I ride about 60 to 100 miles a week.

It depends on the type of rim. If you have single-wall rims like below, I prefer Velox cloth tape that is narrow enough to fit the lower channel. Usually that's the 10mm wide size:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...50751ce0c2.jpg

For a double-wall rim with this type of profile, I prefer very thin tape that is wide enough to span the whole bottom. Tubeless tape is great, but you can buy the same thing cheaper in generic form:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...uerschnitt.jpg

Looks like I have single-wall rims. I thought the old Volex tape only came in 16mm. Got a source for the narrower Velox? There is an Amazon seller who has 13mm for $9 per wheel which seems too high.

Here's a listing for the 10mm: https://www.amazon.com/VELOX-Rim-Tap.../dp/B005MK0AXU

IIRC, it's available in 10mm, 13mm, 16mm, and 22mm. :thumb:

27" rims are only around 1% larger in diameter than 700c, which for those stretchy rubber strips is practically no difference at all. A "rubber band"-style rim strip that's labelled for 700c works pretty much the same on a 27" wheel.

Absolutely do not buy cotton cloth tape like Velox unless you get it narrow enough to fit within the center channel. You can force too-wide cotton cloth to work in a pinch, but it's not ideal, prone to slippage and developing roughness.

In a pinch, I might even try a 26 rubber liner.

Ever try to stretch a rim strip 8+" over its intended length? It'll rip by the valve hole.

Many years ago, I used a couple layers of electrical tape because I needed something "now". (Sat. night?)
I never did switch it out. I built a new set of wheels for it eventually and the old steel wheels are hanging in the garage with said tape.

Gorilla tape always works for me. In fact, I find it tougher than standard rim tape.

Kapton tape is cheap, works well, and typically leaves no residue. Use 2 wraps of the tape.

Cut an old 26" inner tube. a 26 1 3/8 will make 2 but a 26 BMX tube will make 4.

Rubber rim strip in 27" or 700c will work for a single wall. They will run you a couple bucks and work fine for a wheel like that.

I'm a fan of Schwalbe rim tape which can be had from Amazon in 50m roll -- about enough for 25 wheels -- for $30 to $35 a roll. It's thinner than Velox and seems tougher. I've used it on single wall rims and haven't had any problem though it's about 15mm wide. Others' experience, apparently, is different. For rims like the Super Champion depicted above, the original solution may have been rim rope.