When it comes to the tubeless rim tape size, it depends on two factors.
Rim tape width
The tape width has to be at least 3 to 5mm wider than your rim’s internal width. The additional width allows the rim tape to run 1 to 2 mm up the rim’s sidewalls to provide better coverage. You can get the internal width information from your wheelset manufacturer’s website.
Generally, tubeless rims for road bikes have an internal width of 17, 19, 21, 23, or 25mm. Newer wheelsets usually have wider internal widths to accommodate wider tires.
For example, the latest Zipp 303 Firecrest has an internal diameter of 25mm and thus would require a rim tape width between 28 to 30mm.
Rim tape length
Rim tapes come in lengths of around 10m. Each 700c rim (622mm in diameter) has a circumference of 1.95m.
Each rim would require around 2.1 to 2.2 meters of rim tape, considering some overlap between both ends of the tape. So, you can apply up to four rims for each tape.
There is also a workshop variant of the rim tape with lengths up to 60 meters.
Rim tape brands
The common and popular aftermarket rim tape brands are Stan’s and Muc-Off. They offer various widths for cyclists to choose from.
- Stans NoTubes : 21, 25, 27, 30, 33, 36, 39mm
- Muc-Off : 17, 21, 25, 28, 30, 35mm
Alex Lee is the founder and editor-at-large of Mr. Mamil. Coming from a professional engineering background, he breaks down technical cycling nuances into an easy-to-understand and digestible format here.
He has been riding road bikes actively for the past 12 years and started racing competitively in the senior category during the summer recently.