Velox 51

Price Paid:  $3.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Tail wind

Bike Setup:
Vitus 979 600EX SIS, on MA40 rims

Summary:
Tube protection...pretty simple, put it on, to prevent nipple or spoke holes from puncturing or abrading the tube.

Strengths:
Stays put works very well and applies easily.

Weaknesses:
A minor gripe. Try taking it off after an extended time to replace a stripped nipple. The adhesive that stays behind on the rim is. :( Who wants to clean that, it is a PITA so you just apply another or use a non-adhesive competitors. If the leftover adhesive is tacky enough, it will cause the competitors woven rim strip to fray some if you have to remove it. May be the best of both, the adhesive keeps the competitors strip from shifting. IDK...;)

Similar Products Used:
Specialized rim strip

Price Paid:  $3.00 at Colorado Cyclist

Favorite Ride:
MO rolling hills and curves

Bike Setup:
Lemond Poprad set up for road riding, CXP-33 rims on 36 spoke Ultegra hubs, Avocet 35mm Cross K tires.

Summary:
Rim tape has a pretty simple job, it protects the tube from the spoke nipples. I've not had good luck with some of the things used, like the rubber strips that can move around and leave your tubes exposed for a potential flat. Velox tape is the best thing I've found. It stays put and is thick enough to keep the sharp edges of the nipples from poking through. It's also very durable, mine's been in more than three years and is just as good as new. All that and it's cheap to boot, definitely a five star product!

Strengths:
Protects the tube very well, economical, durable.

Weaknesses:
I've heard its' extra thickness can make it hard to put on a tight tire, but I've not experienced this myself.

Similar Products Used:
Rubber rim strips, Michelin plastic strips, duct tape.

Price Paid:  $3.00 at Lots of bike shops

Favorite Ride:
The ones when I was thinner and faster!

Bike Setup:
Trek 5500, Campy Record, Ksyrium wheels, Look pedals.

Summary:
Sometimes the original is still the best.

Strengths:
No one has mentioned what I think in the best feature of Velox. Asides from always working and being completely forgetable, Velox is white!! That means that when you're fixing a flat on the side of the road at dusk, dawn or at night, you can see if your tube is well placed and not subject to being pinched by the tire. You just can't do that with the dark red competitor. (I know, I tried. I ripped out the other stuff and replaced with Velox the next day.)

Weaknesses:
Low tech, but works perfectly.

Similar Products Used:
Black crap that came with stock wheels, red plastic stuff that came with some other stock wheels.

Price Paid:  $4.00

Summary:
Good old Velox. I use this on all my rims, unless the rim is oversized and makes mounting tires difficult. Velox lasts a long time, and doesn't crack or splinter.

Strengths:
Cheap
Widely Available
Adhesive prevents it from moving around and causing flats

Weaknesses:
Thick, Makes Mounting Tires More Difficult
Cannot Reuse

Similar Products Used:
Michelin Rim Strips
Other Plastic Rim Strips
Performance Brand Cloth Rim Strips (terrible)

Price Paid:  $3.00 at LBS

Bike Setup:
~ K2 Enemy cyclocross.

Summary:
Not the absolute lightest rim strip on the market at 15-20 gms./roll, but it does the job it's supposed to do.

Strengths:
~ Sticks well to the rim.
~ Doesn't tear or crack.
~ Sold everywhere.

Weaknesses:
~ Can soak up water, creating more weight.