rim strip

1216 Views 7 Replies 5 Participants Last post by KERRY, Apr 8, 2009

hillbillymike

Discussion Starter · Apr 5, 2009

I was changing the front tire for the first time and discovered that someone had used electrical tape in place of a rim strip. The tire is all I like having the bike ready to ride. My question, is the tape a safe alternative or should I order a strip and wait another week before I ride? The weather is perfect and I'm chomping at the bit to take a ride.

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Bird76Mojo

· #5 · Apr 6, 2009

If you insist on not spending a couple bucks for another strip then make sure to wrap that tape opposite the direction of rotation. So it self tightens. Quite a bit of heat can build up from friction between the tire, tube, and rim, resulting in the tapes adhesive getting warm and releasing. Wrapping opposite of rotation helps to counteract this.

Gorilla tape or a $2 rim strip... Or the before metioned innertube cut down to fit.

GB :mrgreen:

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Bird76Mojo

· #7 · Apr 7, 2009

KERRY said:
Incidentally, if your new front tyre is a little off being perfectly round, your front end will sort of "hump" at a certain speed. You can fix this by setting your motorbike on the main stand and rotating the wheel against an index block. Loosen spokes at the low point, tighten them at the high point. Progressively less tightening or loosening in both directions from those points, and adjust for an even "ping." The "hump" will disappear by the time you're down to about 1/8 inch out of round - tyre flex can handle that amount.

That's one thing I'd never do. Once that wheel is trued those spokes should be left alone. 1/8th out of round on a bare rim seems pretty excessive to actually be safe. To each his own I suppose.

GB :mrgreen:

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