Why vinyl rim tape is a bad idea.

[SamR]

Not doubting you, but are you certain that the rim tape didn't have those 'bobbles' on it from new? My friend had a rim tape that was like this and the 'bobbles' actually sat in the holes in the rim. I have no idea what the rim tape was as it's been a fair few years now. Probably just some generic/OEM rim tape.

They were almost completely flat when they were new.

Can we see a photo of the other side of the tape, as I also have seen tape that looks like that when new.

It was just the other side of the bobble.

If you are tempted to use fabric rim tape as a substitute...it's a blooming nightmare to work the tyre rim bead round the wheel well when you try and put on a tyre.

When we put my tyres and tubes back in I had no problems.

This seems to be an effect produced by proximity to Settle, which is alarming to me as I live here :-\

I snapped my chain cycling out of Settle about a year and a half ago! Something is definitely going on here...!

 

[screenman]

I would really like to see a picture, I also still feel it could have been the conversion tape.

 

[Pale Rider]

I think the idea of a conversion tape is for it to be softer so that it seals spoke holes etc, just like the one in the picture has.

I find the Stans conversion brilliant.

I've heard widely varying reports about Stan's.

It may have something to do with the skill of the converter.

Looking at it from a car tyre perspective, using tape to seal holes sounds a bit of a bodge to me.

I saw some bike wheels the other day which had paired spokes fixed to external eyelets, meaning the only hole in the well of the rim is for the valve.

Similar to a tubeless wheel on a car, and an all-round better job.

Not cheap, no doubt.