Mountain bike rim tape is an essential component of your mountain biking equipment. It will protect the rim of your bicycle, as well as any other part, from unnecessary road debris and road tar. It is important that you apply the right kind of rim tape for your mountain bike. If you fail to do so, you may end up damaging your mountain bike and its components.

You may also want to consider buying extra rim tape for your bike. This is particularly true if you regularly go on long trips or if you often take your bike on long road trips. Rim tapes are quite cheap compared to other types of bike accessories. And they do not need a lot of maintenance, at least when compared to other parts of your bike. It can keep the rims clean for many years to come.

Rim tapes are usually relatively clear, unless they have been exposed to UV rays. However, if you buy the kinds that don't have any plastic coating, they may also be transparent. These may not have tape around their edges. Tape around the rims will provide more grip and help prevent dirt from sliding along the tape into the rims. And the wider the tape's edges, the more grip the tape has. So you may choose a tape with wide edges, so the edges will help prevent dirt from slipping into the rim.

If you need rim tape that has a little bit of side texture to it, this may also be good for your preferences. You may choose rim tapes that come with a textured surface, or you may also choose those that have no textured surface to them. Rim tapes will generally have a thick plastic film over them, which provides road tar and road debris an easy way to stick to your rims.

Road tar, mud, rocks, gravel, and anything else that can get stuck on your mountain bike will stick to the tape through the tape's Velcro straps. You may be able to remove the tape from one or more of its Velcro straps to clean the bike. Using soap or water to scrub off the dirt from the tape will make it easier to clean the rest of the rim tape, as well. Make sure that the rim tape is completely dry before putting on the new tape, especially if you plan to use it several times while riding.

Rim tape can be an important safety accessory for your mountain bike. It makes a friction-less way to stay on your bike without slipping off. The tape's adhesive backing will keep the tape on the rim even if it becomes wet. Rim tape may be an important investment if you want to make your mountain bike as safe as possible for every ride. As you shop for mountain bike rim tapes, remember that not all tapes are created equally.