Rim tape
A rim tape is used on bicycles - depending on the design of the rim - to cover the screw heads of the spokes or the spoke holes on the inside of the rim. Without rim tape, a bicycle tube would press against the screw heads or through the spoke holes in the rim and tear. It consists of fabric tape, rubber, plastic (partially fiber-reinforced) or, in rare cases, light latex.
Rim tapes made of fabric tape are glued to the rim base, while the ring-shaped rim tapes made of rubber or plastic are held on the rim by tension.
Double wall rims with larger holes for the spoke nipples to pass through should be provided with stiff plastic straps, as rubber and fabric straps can push through at high air pressure.
By using specially sealed rim tapes, it is possible to convert a wheel to a tubeless system.
An alternative to rim tape are plastic plugs that are clicked into the spoke holes of the rim. They are a little lighter than a rim tape.
literature
- Rob van der Plas: The bicycle workshop - repair and maintenance step by step. 1st edition, BVA Bielefelder Verlaganstalt, Bielefeld, 1995, ISBN 3-87073-147-8
- Michael Reimer, Wolfgang Taschner: Bicycle repair. 1st edition, Bruckmann Verlag GmbH, Munich, 2005, ISBN 3-7654-4063-9