What is Rim Tape?
A rim tape is a type of tape that goes around the rim of your bike and is meant to prevent the inner tube from getting punctured. It is usually made out of PVC or nylon.
What is Rim Tape used for in a Bike?
Rim tape offers enhanced protection for your bike tire’s tube. They can also be present in a tubeless tire but are usually harder to remove. As you might realize, your bike’s wheel contains many sharp spokes and spoke holes, all of which present a puncture risk for the tire tube.
Besides protection, rim tape also supports tires ridden under high pressure so that the tube does not pop out as you ride. A rim tape may not affect your wheel’s performance, but it goes a long way in helping you with unnecessarily frequent tire changing/ fixing.
If you’re already familiar with rim tapes, you probably won’t confuse them for rim strips. However, some riders believe that rim strips are better than rim tapes, and it all boils down to how you weigh their pros and cons.
Rim strips function like rim tapes but are simpler to remove or fix. They are usually made out of rubber, and are less costly. It is possible to ride a bike without both rim tapes and strips, but the downside to that would be exposing your tube to pressure and puncture.Steps to Remove Rim Tape with Ease
If you suspect that your rim tape is faulty, you should inspect and replace it. Doing this would help you save time and repair bills while conserving the strength of your bike’s tires.
Sometimes, you may even want to remove the rim tape to replace it with that of another design. This video shows how you can do it (Credit to MadeGoodBikes):
Steps for Removing Your Bike’s Rim Tape
- Investigation: This initial step determines whether you need to have your rim tape removed or not. Begin by disassembling your bike’s wheel, followed by the tire as well as the tube. If you notice a break, crack, or punctured spot, you have to remove it and replace it ASAP.
- Removing: A rim tape may come in rubber or plastic material. You can use a tool like a flat head screwdriver to remove the tape from your rim through its edges.
- Measuring and Replacing: Measure the width of your rim, and replace it with a tape that completely covers the rim. Even a slight exposure can make the ends of the spokes affect your tube.
Conclusion
The rim tape plays an important role in protecting your bike tire’s inner tube. Removing it is not a complicated task, and can be completed in a relatively short duration.
Credit and useful reference: https://www.bikechaser.com.au/news/bicycle-rim-tape/