illusiumd

So I've fouled up the rim tape on my A23 and am looking at their site which says they recommend their Velotape.

Is there a comparable thin tape that folks use for this rim? It's freakin 16 a roll plus 8 to ship plus I have to set up ANOTHER dang accout on a place where I'm only going to order 1 thing.

It says that a roll 10 meters of transparent Velotape, enough to set up two 29” or 700c rims. But it also says Use two layers of tape for high (>45psi) pressure. They really want you to wrap it twice?

Confused - any help appreciated.

cale

So their advice is to use two layers if you're going above 45 PSI? Why not go with a roll of rim tape from the LBS? I'll bet you can find stuff that only needs to go once around. Haha

Kopsis

Are you looking for something that will work tubeless? If not, whatever your LBS stocks will be fine. If you want tubeless, kapton (polyimide) tape is a good alternative: Amazon.com: ProTapes Pro 950 Polyimide Film Tape, 7500V Dielectric Strength, 36 yds Length x 1/2" Width (Pack of 1): Industrial & Scientific . Note that you may need a different width (measure what you have on there now).

berner

Velocity's new A23 rim is a PITA to get rim tape on. I use regular ole Velox tape which has to be trimmed with a razor knife for exact width. There is still a strong tendency for the tire to lift and move the tape when installing the tire, no matter how careful I am. I've been using hobby type rubber cement which sticks the Velox down just enough to successfully mount the tire without messing up the tape. No more Velocity rims for me.

gear64

Has anyone noticed that if the tape is a little wide it will create friction and interfere the tire seating properly? I was considering trying to trim it like post above. I had a terrible time with one particular tire set, then tried a different set which was easier, but still more difficult than normal. Then i realized the tape was new and maybe a little wide. Curls around the inner corners and up the inner wall slightly, but not actually up on the bead seat.

Kopsis

This is a "feature". A23s are designed to support tubeless. The rim tape builds up the shoulder of the tire channel so that tire bead fits snugly as it moves up onto the shoulder. This give you the air seal you need get the tubeless tire inflated. Any significant gap between the bead and the shoulder and air just blows past instead of forcing the bead to seat.

If you're not running tubeless, this "feature" just gets in the way. In that case, running a much narrower rim tape (just wide enough to cover the spoke holes) is a good idea.

Earl Grey

Has the A23 design changed ("new")? I have two sets of A23s (700c), of which the youngest is about 18 months old. Both have regular untrimmed Velox tape and no extra adhesive. I haven't had problems with Paselas, T-Servs, or Cinder X tires.

I'm not particularly expert at changing tires, or strong of thumb. Just curious that my experience would be so different.

If you're talking about tubeless then disregard.

rccardr 

Stan's yellow tape, two layers, worked best for me. I tried several different things including their plugs (now not recommended) and Velox before the Stan's. Also chamfered the spoke holes on tire side with a grinding stone to alleviate any tendency for the tube to get cut by a sharp edge (yes, even through rim tape). Kind of a huge pain looking back, but they are nice wheels once you get them sorted out, and the thin tape makes it easier to mount certain tires like new Vittoria SC's that tend to be pretty tight.

Also, this experience turned me on to kaptan tape, which is available in many widths and is what I now use exclusively on all of my wheels. Simple, inexpensive, flawless.

JanMM

Not familiar with Kapton. Do you use a single layer?
(Have had no problems with Veloplugs on Aeroheat rims.)

Infinity2

Do Veloplugs not work for tubeless?

rccardr 

Veloplugs should work fine on Aerohead rims. Velocity does not recommend them for A23's.

I use 2 layers of Kapton tape.

chriskmurray

Stans tubeless tape in the same width works just as good as velotape. If you do not have either and have no desire to go tubeless you can use any rim tape you have laying around. Velocity claims the velo plugs do not work on the A23 but I had good luck with them on mine.

berner

My original A 23s are from Australia. These were fine. At some point manufacturing switched to US and the rims were also tubeless compatible with the bead lock being quite different. The new rims are the ones which I found to be a problem.

breezwhey

Resurrecting this older thread as it seems to apply to an issue I'm having. I have 650b Velocity A23 rims, and tape keeps moving and puncturing the tube on the eyelets etc. I've already tried everything in this thread, except using 2 layers of Stans No Tubes tape. Sounds like this is a fairly common problem, although I've built 3 sets of A23s this Summer, and this one rim is the only one doing this. Rims were not all bought at the same time so could be I have 1 that's older/newer, plus 2 sets were 700c with 32mm tires and may just work better. I've gotten my best failed result using Stans No Tubes 21mm tape, one layer, although it still moves. If this helps, I'm using 650b X 28 Continental Grand Prix 5000 (Not TL), and Schwalbe SV12B tubes, which are for 28-584. Tube seems correct and tire seats fine, but just sitting on the truing stand, the tape will move and puncture the tire in a matter of hours after fully inflated. I guess I will try 2 layers of Stan's tape tonight, unless I get a better suggestion.

rccardr 

Hunh.
I’ve been using a set of DA hub/Velocity A23 650b wheels for several years without any of the problems you describe. Using two layers of 17mm Kapton tape, Schwalbe tubes, and 38mm Compass tires.
Nary a flat or any problem whatsoever. Rear is an offset rim, but that shouldn’t make a difference.

Never seen or used a 650b X 28, maybe it squirms around too much on the rim? Maybe the tape runs too high up the rim valley? Maybe take,off all the tape and use some solvent to remove all residue.
Is it a polished rim?

breezwhey

Ï’ve never seen anything like this. There’s really nothing obviously wrong. I’ve cleaned the rim thoroughly between tapes each time. I even tried tape that only filled the center channel, as well as 4 different brands. Braking area is polished, but that's it. I’ve never had any issues with any tape before, and this is my 3rd set of A23s. Weirdest part is that the front wheel with identical set up is fine with the Velox tape I used from the start, and it was the least sticky of all the tapes I tried on this wheel. There’s a really good chance this particular wheel is 5 or more years old, and this thread is from 2015 when others were having the same issue. If doubling up the Stan’s tape doesn’t work, I’ll probably just get a new rim and put this behind me. It’s just too odd of an issue.

breezwhey

Following up for any future readers. I put 2 layers of Stan's No Tubes tape on, including the inner sidewalls like someone recommended above, and that appears to have solved the problem. I'm thinking the sidewall wrap may have been what fixed it, rather than the double wrap; as my theory is the tape was moving as the tire was seating, and as someone wrote above, this might help that process. That or the tire bead now never engages the edge of the tape, therefore making it harder to move the tape.

Still not sure why all the other Velocity A23s I've build worked fine with just 1 layer of Velox, like just about every other wheel I've ever built except for some tight wheel/tire combinations, which this was not. One thing I will say is a 650b X 28 on an A23 has a lot of room when deflated on the rim between the tire beads and the rim walls. I have 700X32s on all my other A23s, so maybe that's the real issue here? It probably takes more effort to get the beads seated, and they push harder on the tape during seating, so the tape job is more critical? On a related note I contacted Velocity about this and were very responsive and asked for pictures to help solve this. They replied within 15-30 minutes of all my emails, and were very helpful. I'm extremely happy with their customer support.

randomgear

On the pair of Velocity A23's I bought in Fall '20 I had good luck with using 2 layers of 21mm Stan's No Tubes rim tape. The Velocity recommended tape wasn't in stock.

BHG6

I use this tape on my tubeless rims at 85-90 psi It’s both strong and it’s easy to apply plus you get 50M instead if 10 so it lasts a long time

Effetto Mariposa Caffelatex Tubeless Tape (Shop... https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00OD5DZ...ing=UTF8&psc=1