I was wondering what tape is the best for covering up the valve stem hole disc wheel? Duct tape seems like it will leave a mess.
I cut a shaped piece in black bristleboard or a thin plastic material and tape it with black electrical tape.
Cool, What type of floor pump do you use? I just got my Renn disc in the mail today.
i have been using black duct tape on a renn disc for over 3 years, works well. make sure you are applying it to a dry surface. morning dew or driving to the race site can cause the tape to not stick well and i would hate to have the tape rubbing on the brakes or worse clog up the brakes.
Peace,
RF
Thanks, Same question: What type of floor pump do you use?
Duct tape will leave a mess. Don’t use it. Clear packing tape (NOT strapping tape) works great and it comes off clean.
-jens
Any floor pump with proper valve will work. I’ve got a Joe Blow and a Specialized. Can’t remember which models.
I got some nice nice Disc Wheel Stem Covers from www.LungMonkey.com 281-828-2400. 100% water proof & doesn’t leave a sticky mess. Easy removal fold over tab if/when one has a flat.
Barb
There’s a product that looks a lot like duct tape, but much less adhesive. I used to be in pro audio & we used it to tape down cables as well as a million other applications. We called it gaffers tape. I’m sure it has other names & can be bought at theatrical supply houses & pro audio shops.
the cool kids use a proper disc wheel valve hole sticker.
interesting…
I thought about taping an old baseball card… That’s what the cool kids use to do.
Be careful. At IMFL last year I was in a hurry in transition and didn’t get the electrical tape on neatly enough. It was brushing the frame until I braked at about mile 90. Then tape then got torn off and lodged itself on the chainstay. It was bugging me and I couldn’t reach it, so I stopped and got it off (put it in my pcoket, no litering).
-C
I’ve been meaning to add this to my website but I can do cutout covers at $1.00 each of automotive grade black (or any color actually) vinyl. They are oval shaped slightly larger than the cutout and I can put on a fold over tab if you’d like too. They stick great and remove easily, you’ll get a good number of uses out of them.
I have templates for a few wheels already but I need to get copmletely set up. If you’re interested PM me with your wheel type and desired color.
Aloha,
Tai
At the USAT coaches conference last week the owner of Zipp gave a 90 minute presentation and was asked was it worth while - aerodynamically to cover up the valve hole. - he smiled and said no!!! then gave some research info - that I cannot recall - which said it was really not needed.
won’t debate the aero benefits of taping up the valve hole … but leaving it uncovered produces a whistling sound that will drive you insane.
I use random promotional stickers … found some GU stickers (oval) that fit perfectly. Looks sort of cheesy but …
As to your question on floor pump, any brand will work; you’ll need the attachment (commonly referred to as a “crack pipe”) to inflate a disc.
Doesn’t the weight of the tape negate any aerodynamic advantage you may get from covering that hole?
Doesn’t the weight of the tape negate any aerodynamic advantage you may get from covering that hole?
What is it with all the people on this web-site who think that weight is remotely as important as aerodynamics? Unless you’re doing a mainly uphill race then aero is vastly more important. And the out of balance effect of the tape should be trivial unless you’re using 4" of duct tape.
Having said that, I don’t believe it’s worth covering up the hole, certainly not on *both *sides, because you have to undo the tape each time you blow the thing up, so it gets less sticky. Eventually it will come loose in a race, flap around noisily on the stays, and cost you more aerodynamically that it gained you in every race up to then. Even if you replace it each time, there’s still a risk of that happening. Just one more pain in the butt thing to worry about on race morning. And when you’re rushing to fix a flat in a race, it’s one more delay that you don’t need.
As to your question on floor pump, any brand will work; you’ll need the attachment (commonly referred to as a “crack pipe”) to inflate a disc.
Ah, the indispensible Crack Pipe! I was waiting for someone to bring this up! Just one more thing I love about this sport - you scream for a crack pipe in transition before a race and pretty much everyone knows what you need. Do that in a movie theater and people watch you out of the corner of thier eye the rest of the night!!! 
Crack pipes are a must for disks and HED3’s with most pumps.
I have heard the ‘crack pipe’ requires 2 people to use because it does not stay on the valve. The Topeak ‘smart head’ style appearantly fits so I was going to try that 1st.