Road tubeless conversion kits and rim tape

Converting a road wheel to tubeless

This range brings together the two components that make a rim airtight: the adhesive rim tape that seals the spoke holes, and the valve that passes through the rim. Complete kits include both, sometimes with sealant.

Choose rim tape by width

• It must cover the full internal width of the rim and extend slightly up the shoulders. Too narrow, and air escapes through the spoke holes; too wide, and the tyre cannot seat properly.
• Common road rim widths range from 19 to 27 mm — measure the inside of your rim, not the tyre width.
• The roll of 10 m (DT Swiss, Muc-Off) covers several pairs of wheels and works out much cheaper than buying tape by the strip.
• One and a half turns of tape is enough. Adding more layers brings no benefit and makes the tyre harder to fit.

Conversion kits

• Stan's NoTubes Road : tape, 55 mm valves and sealant, in 21 and 25 mm widths.
• Zipp and Enve offer kits sized for their own wheels — 303, 808, SES 2.2, 5.6, 7.8 — with the correct valve length supplied as standard.
• Peaty's covers road and cyclocross wheels in a single kit.
• Choosing a kit from your wheel manufacturer takes the guesswork out of tape width and valve seal compatibility.

What you won’t find in this range

The valves on their own are in the tubeless valves range, and sealant has its own range. A complete tubeless set-up needs all three: rim tape, valve and sealant.

Applying the tape properly

Degrease the rim bed before applying the tape, keep it taut as you lay it down and press out any bubbles with your thumb. Almost all leaks from a failed tubeless set-up come from poorly applied tape, not the tyre.

To find out more: How to choose rim tape for your road wheels

See also: Road tubeless valves · Road tyres · Road spokes