Without rim tape you can't go on the ride. Don't get caught without the little things.
I bought my son a new pair of wheels. It was finally warm enough for him to go out on a bike ride with his group. They all met for the ride and he asked his coach to help him put the tube in the tire. The coach comes over and takes one look at the wheel and says, "You don't have any rim tape, you can't use this wheel."
My son's heart sank. He was really hoping to finally get out on the road after being couped up all winter training indoors. No one had an extra wheel he could use so he couldn't go on the ride.
We learned an important lesson. Just because you bought something for your bike it doesn't mean it's ready to use. We bought the wheels online so we didn't have a sales person to tell us about these things.
Going to a bike shop and buying your bike racing or riding supplies from an experienced rider is the best way to go.
