My plastic/nylon rim tape sucks - It seemed super mega strong when the wheel was new, but I noticed yesterday it has now completely deformed pretty deeply into all the spoke holes (causing permanent whitish stretched bulges on the inner tube - not good).
I want to try Velox, but I can't get the old stuff off - It seems to be atomically fused to the rim.
Here's a photo -
Any ideals for getting it off?
I'm scared that even if I do manage to pry/peel it up a bit, it will just start shredding and create a separate nightmare (like old car window tint).
It is an adhesive tape? Then find the end and peel it back. Clean the residue off the rim when you get it off.
If it's a plastic strip that's a loop, then there's no adhesive. Get a small screwdriver under an edge and work it in, pulling the tape up off the rim so you don't scratch it. Lever it up until you can get the screwdriver across the rim with the strip stretched over it. Then angle the screwdriver up and slide along the wheel. That'll peel the strip right off, leaving it in condition to reuse. This one looks like it was too narrow for the rim.
It's not a bad idea to change to Velox, but your concerns are a little overblown. Any tape will be pushed into the spaces by the pressure of the tube, though the less-stretchy cloth Velox will do it a little less. The deformation and discoloration of the tube is insignificant.
The bulges into the spoke holes are indeed normal and mothing to worry about.
However if it was me I'd replace it, or realign it if it's not adhesive. It's not straight on the rim. That exposed edge on the left in the foreground can cut a tube. And if it slides over much more it'll expose the spoke holes, causing flats.
Velox works ok but it's thick. That can make mounting tires more difficult. I prefer good quality plastic strips. They're thinner, lighter and unlike adhesive tape, reusable.
Every one tells me I'm crazy when I tell them I just use electrical tape. Wrap it around the wheel a few times and your good to go. I have used it on lots of wheels for years with no problems. But I also use the thicker more expensive tape.
You're not crazy. It's not the best, but several layers of the thicker tape will usually hold up (at the cost of some additional bulk, which can make some tires harder to install). It tends to stretch and get cut more easily than some other kinds of tape. A better hardware-store solution, IME, is fiber-reinforced strapping tape.
I like to be frugal, too, and I like re-purposing things. But Velox tape only costs a couple of bucks.
All of the suggestions in this thread are useless, because the only correct answer is to start using Veloplugs. Lighter, cheaper, reusable, and spoke holes will never accidentally be exposed.
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