What Size Tubeless Valve Do I Need? (+ Rim Tape Calculator)

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Take your rim depth, add about 15 mm, and buy the next valve length the maker sells. A 30 mm deep rim needs at least a 45 mm valve, and a 45 mm aero rim needs 60 mm or more. Rim tape goes by the rim’s internal width, not the tire: Stan’s NoTubes says pick tape 1–2 mm wider, so a 25 mm internal rim gets 27 mm tape. If you run around 45–50 psi or more, put on two layers.

Enter your two rim measurements below. The calculator gives you the minimum valve length, what three valve makers’ charts say for your depth, and the tape width under Stan’s and Muc-Off’s sizing.

Tubeless valve and rim tape size calculator

How it works: minimum valve length = rim depth + 15 mm (+5 mm with a valve-mounted accessory, per Muc-Off). The brand lines use the published size bands from Muc-Off’s valve calculator, Schwalbe’s SV chart and HED. Tape uses Stan’s 1–2 mm rule and the bands in Muc-Off’s tape calculator. 1 inch = 25.4 mm.

How to measure rim depth and internal width

You need two numbers, and they’re often already printed somewhere:

1. Rim depth (sizes the valve). On deep wheels it’s often the number in the model name. HED pairs its Vanquish 45 and Jet 4 with the valve for 40–50 mm rims, for example. To measure it, Muc-Off says to take the vertical distance from the spoke hole to where the tire meets the rim. Measure at the valve hole if you can, since that’s the wall the valve actually passes through.
2. Internal width (sizes the tape). Muc-Off notes it’s often printed inside the rim or listed in the wheel maker’s specs. Otherwise measure wall to wall inside the rim with calipers. Don’t use the external width or the tire width. Those two mistakes are why tape comes out too wide or too narrow.

A cheap 6-inch digital caliper measures both to a tenth of a millimeter and switches between mm and inches. Valve and tape makers size everything in millimeters, so read it in mm.

Tubeless valve length chart by rim depth

Valve makers don’t sell the same lengths, so their charts look different at first. Line up each length against the deepest rim it’s rated for, though, and the margin is almost always the same. That margin column is the useful part:

Brand	Valve length	Deepest rim listed	Margin (length − depth)
Muc-Off	30 mm	under 16 mm	14 mm
Muc-Off	35 mm	21 mm	14 mm
Muc-Off	45 mm	31 mm	14 mm
Muc-Off	60 mm	46 mm	14 mm
Muc-Off	70 mm	56 mm	14 mm
Muc-Off	80 mm	66 mm	14 mm
Schwalbe SV	40 mm	25 mm	15 mm
Schwalbe SV	60 mm	45 mm	15 mm
Schwalbe SV	80 mm	65 mm	15 mm
Schwalbe SV	100 mm	85 mm	15 mm
Mavic UST	80 mm	66 mm	14 mm
HED	37 mm	25 mm	12 mm
HED	50 mm	35 mm	15 mm
HED	70 mm	50 mm	20 mm
HED	90 mm	70 mm	20 mm
HED	110 mm	90 mm	20 mm

Why the extra 15 mm matters

The stem has to pass through the rim wall and then leave enough thread outside to take the valve nut and still let you thread or clamp a pump head on. Muc-Off spells this out, and it’s the whole reason for the margin. Schwalbe gives the same rule in words: the minimum valve length is the rim depth plus 15 mm. HED’s three longest valves add 20 mm.

Two things eat into the margin. Valve-mounted accessories, for one: Muc-Off says to allow up to 5 mm extra when you use its Stealth tubeless tag holder, and the calculator’s checkbox adds that. The other is the valve nut itself. Zipp notes that screw-on pump heads can loosen the lock nut over time, so a stem that only just reaches makes that problem worse (Zipp tubeless troubleshooting).

44 mm or 60 mm? The common gravel and trail question

Using the 15 mm rule, a 44 mm valve covers rims up to about 29 mm deep. That’s most alloy gravel and trail rims. Above that, go to 60 mm, which covers rims up to about 45 mm. Muc-Off’s chart lines up: its 45 mm valve tops out at 31 mm of rim depth and its 60 mm at 46 mm.

What most valve-length guides get wrong

• Valves that are too short for mid-depth rims. Some sizing guides pair 44–50 mm valves with rims as deep as 45 mm. Every maker chart above calls for 60–70 mm at that depth. A 45 mm rim plus the 15 mm margin is already 60 mm.
• Measuring the wrong width for tape. Tape is sized to the rim’s internal width. Using the tire width or the rim’s outside width is how riders end up with tape that climbs into the bead seat. Park Tool warns that tape that’s too wide and goes up into the bead seat can interfere with the tire’s seal, and tape that’s far too narrow won’t seal at all (Park Tool, tubeless conversion).
• Treating every brand’s tape chart as the same. Stan’s says 1–2 mm wider than internal width. Muc-Off’s calculator lands 1–6 mm wider depending on where you fall in its bands. Use the chart for the tape you’re actually buying.

Rim tape width chart by internal rim width

Internal rim width	Stan’s NoTubes tape	Muc-Off tape
15 mm	none within 2 mm (21 mm is narrowest)	17 mm
17 mm	none within 2 mm (21 mm is narrowest)	19 mm
19 mm	21 mm	21 mm
21 mm	25 mm (no 22–23 mm size)	25 mm
23 mm	25 mm	25 mm
25 mm	27 mm	28 mm
27 mm	30 mm (no 28–29 mm size)	30 mm
29 mm	30 mm	35 mm
30 mm	33 mm (no 31–32 mm size)	35 mm
32 mm	33 mm	35 mm
35 mm	36 mm	38 mm

One layer or two? Stan’s says one layer for low-pressure mountain, gravel and fat bike tires, and two layers for road and high-pressure gravel. Its rim tape page gives the cutoff as 45 psi in one place and 50 psi in another. If your tires run in that 45–50 psi zone, use two wraps.

Stan’s tape comes in all of the widths above; Stan’s NoTubes Rim Tape lists them by width, so match the number from the calculator. If you’re going with the Muc-Off chart, search for Muc-Off Tubeless Rim Tape in the width it gives. Check the current price on Amazon.

How to install the tape and valve so they don’t leak

1. Clean the rim bed. Stan’s says to use 90%+ isopropyl alcohol and a clean rag, and never WD-40, chain degreaser or mineral spirits, which leave an oily film the tape won’t stick to.
2. Start the tape away from the valve hole and keep it taut. Park Tool starts at least one spoke hole away from the valve. Stan’s starts opposite the valve hole. Either way, pull the tape tight as you press it into the center of the rim.
3. Overlap past the valve hole. Park Tool goes around and over the valve hole again before cutting, so the tape overlaps there.
4. Make a clean round hole. Park Tool uses a seal pick or a small Phillips screwdriver to punch through the tape at the valve hole. Don’t slice it with a knife.
5. Seat the valve and snug the nut. Push the valve through and check that its base sits squarely in the rim channel, then fit the O-ring (if any) and nut. Zipp’s guidance is finger-tight, so the nut isn’t spinning freely. Check it again after using a screw-on pump.

If the tire still goes soft after setup, work through the leak points in order in our guide to a tubeless tire losing air overnight, then top up with one of the options in our tubeless sealant guide. Our how much tubeless sealant chart gives the amount per tire for your size.

Parts and tools for the job

• Valves in your length: Muc-Off Tubeless Valves (30–80 mm, sized by the chart above) or Schwalbe tubeless valves (40–100 mm). Both are Presta. If you’re not sure Presta suits your pump, see Presta vs Schrader valves.
• Tape: the width from the calculator, enough for one or two wraps. Stan’s says a 10 m roll does four 29-inch rims or five 27.5-inch rims.
• A Presta valve core remover for adding sealant through the stem.
• A digital caliper for measuring rim depth and internal width.
• A pump that fits your valve: see our bike pump guide.

FAQ

Does rim tape width depend on tire width?

No. Stan’s and Muc-Off both size tape by the rim’s internal width. A 2.4-inch tire and a 2.2-inch tire on the same 30 mm internal rim use the same tape. Tire width only matters for choosing a rim in the first place (see how to choose tire width for your rim).

Is a 44 mm tubeless valve long enough?

For rims up to about 29 mm deep, yes, using the rim depth + 15 mm rule. Deeper than that, use a 60 mm valve. Muc-Off’s 45 mm valve tops out at 31 mm of rim depth.

How many layers of rim tape do I need for road tubeless?

Two. Stan’s calls for two layers on road and high-pressure gravel, at about 45–50 psi and up, and one layer on lower-pressure mountain and gravel setups.

My valve is too short to get a pump on. What now?

Replace it with a valve at least 15 mm longer than your rim depth (use the calculator above). On very deep wheels, ask the wheel maker whether a valve extension is approved. Mavic, for example, sells a valve-plus-extension kit for its deep Comete wheels.

Sources

• Muc-Off Big Bore Lite tubeless valves: size calculator and measuring notes
• Muc-Off tubeless rim tape: size calculator
• Schwalbe SV tubeless valve chart (Rose Bikes)
• HED tubeless valve stem chart
• Mavic tubeless valves
• Stan’s NoTubes Original Tubeless Rim Tape and Stan’s tubeless guide
• Park Tool: tubeless tire conversion
• Zipp (SRAM): tubeless troubleshooting