When you slice the cross and push the valve down into the rim, don't the sharp points of the cross just contact the metal valve stem? I don't think it even contacts the latex.

Plus, the tube is extra thick around the valve. I personally would not worry about this.

Have you had any tube failures/punctures right at the valve before?

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Alex Arman

Strava

I heated up an old valve stem with a lighter and melted a hole through the tape. Has worked for me.

I use 2 layers of Stan's tape over the valve hole. Start taping near the hole, pass over the hole and then go all the way around until you pass over the hole again. I make the tiniest incision I can for the inner tube valve. As others have posted, the inner tube valve area is already reinforced so you ought to be fine. David K

I like that :)

I've used screw drivers or anything metal, small enough and hot will give a nice clean hole. I've only done it for tubeless setups, so smaller is better. But you do end up with nice clean edges on the hole.

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Pactimo brand ambassador, ask me about promo codes

That's my technique too. That, or a 5mm Allen key and I open the hole with the heat.

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MS: Exercise Science
Your speed matters a lot, sometimes you need to be very fast, where sometimes you need to breakdown your speed.

I run the Stan's tape right up to the hole but not over it. Zero issues for the 6 years I have been doing this.

We found in testing that cutting an X at the hole can lead to leakage in tubeless assemblies as the X rips when the valve is forced through. This is less critical if you're using tubeless tape with an inner tube, but for larger holes that rip can expose some hole edge that could lead to a cut or puncture over the long term. The best method we've found is to use an awl or something similarly round and sharp to make a nice puncture and then use the valve to enlarge the hole when you push it through. This results in the tape being pushed into the hole by the valve stem and gives extra protection around the edge of the hole. Also note that there is no real size standard for the rim bed hole and we've seen holes as small as 6.5mm and as large as 9mm..so having the tape flow into the hole to protect the edge can really save you if your rim hole is on the larger side.
Josh

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