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Velox Jantex Tubular tape

7
£3.50

VERDICT:

7
10
Easy-to-use solution for sticking your tubs on. Could do with a stronger backing tape
Weight: 
0g
Contact: 
www.velox.fr

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Tubular purists look away now: we had good experiences of using Jantex tub tape. It was easy to fit, the tyres didn't fall off, and, erm, that's about it. There's plenty of people that'll tell you that it's not as strong as cement and they may well be right, but it was plenty strong enough during testing.

The tape is essentially carpet tape, so far as we can tell. It bonds to the rim (always clean it thoroughly with degreaser and leave to dry) and the cotton base of the tub and keeps everything in line. The most common method of using the tape is to apply it to the rim with the backing strip in situ, then part-inflate the tub on the rim, centre it and pull out the backing strip. this is fine in theory but in practice the backing tends to rip quite a bit, making it a faff at best. A non-tearable backing strip would make a world of difference.

There's other ways to use the tape though. A friend of ours who has decades of experience in the trade recommended soaking the cotton strip before fitting: that way the tyre slips on easily and as the tub dries it sticks in perfect place. You'll need to allow a few days for the tub to dry, so it's not an option for by-the-car emergency repairs at your evening ten, but if you're organised it's the best way to get the wheel just so.

Once it's time to take the tub off the tape doesn't leave too much residue, so cleaning up the rim is fairly straightforward. All in all it's about the easiest way to get your tubs on. If you're a hardcore track racer you'll probably want to opt for a stronger cement, but for time trialling and general use you should be well served by Jantex. One roll does two wheels, so it's decent value too.

Verdict

Easy-to-use solution for sticking your tubs on. Could do with a stronger backing tape.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Velox Jantex Tubular tape

Size tested: n/a

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Not really something you enjoy

Would you consider buying the product? Yes, easier than cement and we had no problems with function

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, fairly fuss-free

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 190cm  Weight: 96kg

I usually ride: whatever I\\\'m testing...  My best bike is: Genesis Equilibrium with Ultegra 6700

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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2 comments

Avatar
charliesanders | 12 years ago
0 likes

I've been using Jantex for over a year in the UK, with no problem.

However this week I have been in the Alps, and it has been especially hot. Daytime air temperature 40c+, and road temperature even higher.

Jantex tub tape melted and both front and rear tubs failed in the midday heat. There was no adhesion whatsoever between the tub and the rim - just a sticky white mess.

I am now using Tufo Extreme and have got through 800kms with no further problems in the same conditions including 1,000m vertical descents on hairpins.

Don't mess around - pay the price and get top end tape. The cost of binning 2x new Conti tubs is fqar more expensive than a couple of pounds saved on tape, even before considering the risk of tub failure.

Avatar
JonMack | 14 years ago
0 likes

Agree with this review completely, I fitted a new set of tubs the other week for the first time, decided to go with Jantex for convenience sake, what filled me with hope was that when I pulled off my shop mounted tubs, they had been fitted with it too, and they came off very easily leaving hardly any residue on the rim, I then popped the new tape on, put the tyre on, and started pulling the backing away.

I also had problems with the backing tearing, but as my tyres had gone on so easily, I found it easiest to push a section of the tyre off the rim, pull the backing away then put the tyre back on, seemed to work okay for me and the tyres haven't budged a bit, plus they went on almost perfectly central, no faffing around with centring them for me!

I'd definitely give this 4/5, the only flaw for me being that the paper backing rips a little easily, and that it won't hold your tyre as solid as a "proper" glue job.

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