This tiny little strip of tape will keep you from getting flats. Learn more about it and find out why you need it so much.
Here's something you may not know about but is extremely important to the health of your tires. It's called rim tape and it goes around the inside of your wheel, the part of the wheel that touches your tire.
Rim tape, also known as rim strips, is a strip of material with tape on the other side. It goes around your wheel to protect your tubes from the spokes. There are little holes where the spokes come through your wheel. If you don't have rim tape inside your wheels these holes and the ends of the spokes may cause you to have a lot of flat tires because the spokes will be pinching and puncturing your tubes.
When you buy new tires they often don't come with rim tape already on them. If you buy new wheels and they don't already come with rim tape in them you will have to buy rim tape separately and put it on yourself.
Rim tape can be made of many different materials including cotton, plastic and rubber. When choosing how wide the rim tape you need should be consider how wide the area you want covered is. Make sure it is wider than the holes you want to cover.
Also, choose a material that is strong enough to hold back the pressure of your tire. If you are using a road or track tire your tire pressure will be very high so you will need something strong. When in doubt, go to a bike store and ask them what they recommend for your type of riding. Maybe you can even have them put it on for you.
