{"id":18282,"date":"2015-11-01T08:21:48","date_gmt":"2015-11-01T13:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nuxx.net\/blog\/?p=18282"},"modified":"2015-11-01T08:39:53","modified_gmt":"2015-11-01T13:39:53","slug":"intertape-polymer-group-ipg-tpp350-as-fat-bike-tubeless-tape-on-dt-swiss-br-2250-wheels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nuxx.net\/blog\/2015\/11\/01\/intertape-polymer-group-ipg-tpp350-as-fat-bike-tubeless-tape-on-dt-swiss-br-2250-wheels\/","title":{"rendered":"Intertape Polymer Group (IPG) TPP350 as Fat Bike Tubeless Tape on DT Swiss BR 2250 Wheels"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Thanks to a fortuitous meeting with a fellow cyclist and tape engineer a few weeks back I ended up with a quantity of Intertape Polymer Group<\/a>‘s TPP350\u00a0(PDF Techncial Data Sheet<\/a> – photo<\/a>) tape in 96mm width (photo<\/a>) for testing. This polypropylene strapping tape, with rubber adhesive, is exactly the product I’ve been\u00a0trying to find for use in fat bike tubeless setups. I have\u00a0very high hopes for this tape, as a narrower and similar tape — IPG competitor\u00a0Scotch’s Strapping Tape 8898<\/a> — \u00a0has worked fairly well on my Mukluk for the past\u00a0year. While similar, the narrower 8898 has been a problem for some setups because the\u00a0width necessitates\u00a0multiple passes which is hard to seal.\u00a0For reliable tubeless setups I prefer that the air-holding part of the wheel have as few seams and gaps as possible, and using tape that’s too narrow requires overlapping passes which results in\u00a0wrinkles and small gaps. These ends\u00a0of the wrinkles and gaps will get filled with tubeless tire sealant (eg: Stan’s<\/a> or Orange Seal<\/a>), but with the side effect of exposing the\u00a0adhesive to sealant. This in turn weakens the adhesive, resulting in larger gaps which eventually the sealant can’t plug. Thus a leak and a flat tire.<\/p>\n

\"\"Fat bike rims effectively come in two styles: those with weight-reducing holes cut in them (eg: DT Swiss BR 710<\/a>, Surly Holy Rolling Darryl<\/a>, SUNringl\u00e9 Mulef\u00fct 80SL<\/a>) and those without (eg: HED Big Deal<\/a>, Nextie<\/a>).\u00a0Hole-less rims are relatively\u00a0easy to set up tubeless, as only a thin strip of sealing tape is needed to cover the spoke holes\u00a0inside the rim., but for a hole-y rim an\u00a0air-tight seal needs to be built up between the tire beads. There are a few ways to accomplish this (eg: split tube, Fatty Stripper<\/a>, oversized vinyl rim strip), but I\u00a0prefer\u00a0a simple, reliable solution that’ll both hold up to repeated tire swaps and allow the locking bead\u00a0prefer something that’s as simple as possible: a rim strip and full-width tape.<\/p>\n

In this case I’m using the stock DT Swiss TRSXXXXS68559S<\/a>\u00a0rim strip and 96mm wide TPP350; a very promising configuration. (The DT rim strips are 61g\/ea and One wrap of TPP350 on 26″\u00a0rims is approximately 20g. Actual tape mass ended up lower,\u00a0as the\u00a0tape was trimmed back to the bead seat.)<\/p>\n

One of the biggest benefits, but also the biggest downside to this\u00a0setup, is the width of the tape. Ideally there would be tape that fits exactly within the rim, bead to\u00a0bead while conforming to the inner shape of the rim, but except for a few cases there isn’t. While a few\u00a0manufacturers\u00a0make this available (eg: SUNringl\u00e9\u00a0with a 78mm tape for their 80mm rims<\/a>) most rims are currently without a solution. Thus, an oversized tape like 96mm TPP350 that can be trimmed to fit is a very good choice. A combination of the lack of stretchyness of the tape and width resulted in wrinkles along the\u00a0inner rim surface, but as the ends of these wrinkles are outside of the formed air chamber sealant will not be able to leak in and thus are not a concern.<\/p>\n

Here are the high-level steps that I used\u00a0to set\u00a0up the DT Swiss BR 2250<\/a> wheels (based on the\u00a0BR 710 rim<\/a>) and Bontrager Barbegazi<\/a> tires\u00a0on my Salsa Blackborow<\/a>.\u00a0Even without sealant this configuration\u00a0held air, a testament to the combination of rim, tire, tape, and valve stem. I intend to use this same process and configuration for other test setups, including Specialized Ground Control Fat<\/a>\u00a0tires on Stout XC 90<\/a> wheels:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Fit\u00a0rim strip.<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Apply tape around entire rim, smoothly along top edge of rim wall, overlapping by a few inches at the valve stem hole.<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Press tape down into center of rim. Do not attempt to smooth the tape by wiping along the rim as this will promote large wrinkles.<\/li>\n
  4. Fit tire and tube, inflating until bead is seated.<\/a> This will press the tape into the bead seat with excess tape overhanging the rim<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  5. Deflate tube, but before full deflation is reached, dislodge one bead to allow air in. (If this is not done, the collapsing tube and air-tight nature of the wheel assembly will pull the rim strip and tape away from the rim<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  6. Remove tire and tube.<\/li>\n
  7. Using a sharp blade, trim the tape at the junction of the bead seat and sidewall. Be sure that tape remains in the bead seat.<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Press tape into place along bead seat to ensure it’s smoothly in place.<\/li>\n
  9. Reinstall tire and tube, inflating until bead is seated.<\/li>\n
  10. Deflate tube, again dislodging one side before deflation is complete.<\/li>\n
  11. Remove tube.<\/li>\n
  12. Install tubeless valve assembly.<\/li>\n
  13. Re-seat loose tire bead and inflate until bead is seated.<\/a><\/li>\n
  14. Add sealant (3oz) via valve stem and reinflate tire. Shake wheel to distribute sealant.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"\"Due to the thin\u00a0rim wall the cone-shaped gasket on the NoTubes Valves<\/a>\u00a0cannot be sufficiently tightened with just the provided locknut. This can lead to leaking, an issue which I experienced on my Mukluk with\u00a0SUNringl\u00e9 Mulef\u00fct 80SL\u00a0rims<\/a>. This is easily fixed by adding a rubber washer inside the rim\u00a0beneath the cone-shaped valve (photo<\/a>) and a nylon spacer to the outside beneath the lock nut (photo<\/a>). Specifically, I used a\u00a01\/4″ interior diameter rubber and nylon washers\u00a0purchased from Lowe’s small parts bin, although any similar parts will work. Another style of tubeless valve, such as those from American Classic<\/a> will not need the rubber washer inside the rim.<\/p>\n

    After a\u00a0few hours of semi-hard riding<\/a> at Potawatomi<\/a>\u00a0(fast, flowing, and occasionally rough Southeast Michigan\u00a0trails) I’m confident in\u00a0this setup and cannot think of a better existing product for making different kinds of fat bike wheels tubeless. It allowed for the usual tubeless benefits (reduced weight, increased tire compliance) on a solid, air-tight setup. I\u00a0expect it to continue reliably\u00a0as\u00a0a solid tubeless setup throughout the winter; a time when I definitely don’t want to be stuck with a flat. I really hope it becomes widely available, as\u00a0there are many fat bike riders who’d love\u00a0access to tape\u00a0like this.<\/p>\n

    Here are my pro\/con thoughts on using IPG TPP350 tape for fat bike tubeless setups:<\/p>\n

    Pros:<\/p>\n