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Rim tape blows out in the same spot

Bicycles Asked on April 27, 2021

The rim tape on the rear wheel has blown out a couple of times in the same spot. Luckily, while parked. Is there an issue with the rim that needs to be fixed? What can be done to avoid the problem from reoccurring?

The wheel is a Giant SR2. Always run at 100psi, the recommended PSI range is 85-115. The first time it blew it was tubeless. After that it has been run with inner tubes.

The only puncture of the inner tube is at the spoke hole that has lost its rim tape.
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One Answer

I would suspect that your rim tape isn't up to the job of spanning those nipple holes against the pressure of your tubes. Tubeless's big selling point is lower pressure, but your tube is double that pressure.

Additionally, those holes do look quite large - visually they are almost out to the ledges. It may be worth searching the web to see if this brand/model of rim is known for puncturing here. It might be a model that uses plugs over the nipple holes, but they haven't been fitted.

After you peel off the old tape, I'd suggest deburring the holes with a fine needle file or deburring tool or similar, for peace of mind if nothing more. It doesn't take much effort.

My personal preference would be for the rim tape that comes as a loop, not in a roll. Most of the major tube manufacturers make rim tape, and it should be sized for your rim diameter and width. This stuff is stretched over the rim and will shrink back down to a tight fit, so it can't slide around the rim. You can stack rim tape to a point as well, as long as it doesn't interfere with the tyre bead.

Example (not a product rec):
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Correct answer by Criggie on April 27, 2021

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