yannisg

While removing sealant from Shimano RS700 rims the sealant had gotten under the tape, and dislodged a few of the spoke hole SS covers.
Shimano recommends using new SS tape covers once the covers have been removed..
I don't see why you cannot clean the tape covers and glue them onto the rim rather than buying new ones.
I don't even know where to find this SS tape
Has anyone dealt with this problem.

oldbobcat

Why not just remove the remaining covers and tape the entire rim? Or clean and glue the old ones back on with a dab of contact cement?

yannisg

Thanks for responding. That’s what I did, glued them back on. I suppose these covers are to prevent the sealant leaking in to the interior of the rim. I never realised they were there until I replaced the tape.

Duragrouch

I assume this is about a tubeless rim. I am not knowledgeable. But usually anything attached with sticky ("self-adhesive"), the maker will advise against reusing, period. You might be able to clean off the old sticky with solvent and use new sticky of some sort. I think "rubber cement" (Is the old stuff for paper the same as tube patch cement?) is closest to typical sticky, can be peeled off easy. Contact cement, urethane bond, RTV silicone sealant, are more difficult to remove.

The concept of a tubeless rim with 36 potential leak points in addition to the tire bead seats and valve stem, has me scratching my head. Times two wheels.

yannisg

Yes its a tubeless rim.
I didn't know there were covers over the spoke holes until sealant had gotten under the tape and I removed it.
Shimano does say not to re-used the covers, but a set of 24 new ones was appr. 50 Euros. So I glued them back on. Unfortunately I used super glue on the long sides; I should have used rubber cement instead.

Duragrouch

Oh I totally agree with trying to reuse the covers, that's ridiculous price for them. If you need to dissolve the super glue (cyanoacrylate), if I recall, acetone will do that. However, if that is not an aluminum rim but instead carbon fiber, I think acetone may harm the resin matrix that bonds the carbon to each other, I can't recall. Also may be a problem if the covers are plastic, and not metal. If in doubt, best to check first.

yannisg

I will check the rim material before using acetone. You only need to remove the covers if you change a spoke. You can true the wheel from the outside without a problem