Originally Posted by
msu2001la
I do have one more question:
I noticed on my front wheel a small nick in the rim tape right on top of one of the spoke holes. I have a feeling the nick was caused by using a tire lever. I couldn't tell if the tape was actually cut through or if it was just a dent in the tape, but the front wheel was not leaking any air with my previous tires, so if there was a hole it got plugged up with sealant (or the nick was something that happened as I was removing the old tires).
Should I replace the tape? I've never installed tubeless tape and I'm worried I'll just make it worse, but I suppose I need to learn to do this eventually anyway. Also I cannot imagine how frustrating it would be to get the tire finally seated, only to find a leak at one of the spoke holes.
If I'm replacing the tape should I just assume that the width that came pre-installed on the wheels is the correct width? The tape that is on there covers the spoke holes in the center channel, but does not extend all the way to the edges. On the interwebs I'm seeing tape installs that go all the way to the edge, but also some forums suggesting this isn't always needed and narrower tape covering the holes is better.
Any suggestions?
Take the inner width of your rim and add a few mm. 3-5mm extra. Thats the tape width that is best for your rim. The extra width is taken up by the center channel of the rim. Tape should cover the center channel and sit on top of the bead shelf.
As for taping- its straight forward. Clean the rim well to get rid of sticky residue or dirt and let it dry. Just make sure to overlap the valve if you do 1 layer. I do more than 1 layer since Ive read it helps seat the tire(but as I mentioned earlier, that doesnt always work). As you lay the tape down, just guide it straight by pushing down in the center channel. If you veer off to one side too much, pull the tape up a bit and lay it back down. Use a nail to poke a hole for the valve and you are done.
I would definitely use new tape- Its $10 or something at retail and will ensure you dont have broken tape.