The main purpose of a rim strip is to prevent your tube from receiving a puncture from exposed spoke holes in the rim. Putting a layer of rim tape between the tube and exposed spoke holes fixes this issue. There are many widths and lengths of bike rim strips, but they all accomplish the same thing.

It is important to make sure the width of the rim strip you are using matches the internal width of your rim. This ensures that all your spoke holes will be covered and can’t damage the tube. Using a strip that is too narrow would leave some holes slightly exposed and a strip that is too wide won’t set properly in the rim and can bunch up.

Tubeless rim tape is slightly different than standard rim strips, tubeless tape is used to create an air tight seal over the spoke holes if you are running a tubeless set up. Standard rim strips will not work because they do not create a proper air tight seal. They do cover all the spokes holes, just not in an air tight fashion. In order to run your bike tubeless, you must have tubeless compatible rims and tires as well. If one or both are not tubeless ready, the seal can fail.

When installing a standard rim strip, you only need to make one pass with the strip. As long as all the spoke holes are covered, you are good to go. When it comes to installing tubeless rim tape, it is usually important to wrap the rim twice to create the most air tight seal possible.

If you have any questions about bike rim strips, hop on a call or a chat with one of our expert Gear Advisors today at 888-880-3811. They are always happy to help you with any questions you may have.