I swore by cloth rim tape for years. However, I've found that my newer carbon rims are wider with a less deep channel in the center. What's that got to do with anything? Well, it has to do with mounting tight fitting tires and preventing pinch flats. This rim tape is just that much thinner than cloth rim tape that mounting tight tires to new carbon rims is a bit easier. I am relieved that in the process of mounting tight tires I won't accidentally scoot the cloth tape over so that a tiny sliver of spoke hole is exposed. This will lead to a flat (hopefully before you set out on ride). Also, when it is so difficult to mount a tire that you end up using a tire lever to pop that last four inches of bead over the rim, you increase the risk of pinching your tube - or worse yet, damaging your rim.
The fabric is very stiff and takes a little muscle to get on the rim but I do like the peace of mind I get from knowing this tape feels so durable. My new tubes are holding air and I can't complain.
I was looking for rim tape for a restoration project of wheelset built with RR1.1 rims (15mm wide). The Zipp Rim Tape stretches just enough for installation and creates a great fit in the tire bed of these older style rims.
I needed tape for a couple of wheelsets that I built using Velocity A23 rims - these 23mm rims need 21mm tape. I am not running tubeless, so do not need the time-consuming adhesive tapes. The Zipp tape was very easy to install and is, as it says, ultra thin which makes tire installation easy. So far, no issues with durability.
When I received these in the mail, I was somewhat skeptical if the 700x18mm rim strips were going to fit on the wheels of my 1980's Takara Sport 10 touring bike. But, with some effort, they fit like a glove. I bought these so that I could replace the 30 year old rubber rim strips, because I have bought two 27x1-18 Continental SuperSport road tires from this website that have to be aired up to 102 psi since I am a heavy rider. But I'll have to wait until it's springtimesummertime.