What are tubeless tyres? A guide to tubeless bicycle tyres

Are you new to cycling or looking to upgrade your bike? You may have begun to hear the term ‘tubeless’ when people refer to their tyres. But what are tubeless tyres and how do they work?

What does tubeless mean?

Tubeless tyres are tyres designed to work without inner tubes; they require ‘tubeless ready’ rims, specific rim tape, valves and sealant to work. Tubeless ready rims are designed to ‘hook’ the tyre and hold it firm on to the rim, when coupled with sealant this creates a strong seal around the bead of the tyre. Preparing the rim involves wrapping it with a strong tape so that air cannot escape through the spoke holes and fitting a valve to allow you to adjust the air pressure of the tyre.

Why go tubeless?

Going tubeless has several benefits; primarily it is more resistant to punctures and it is lighter! The sealant inside the tyre will heal small holes (up to 6mm with our sealant!) and because there are no tubes you don’t need to worry about those pesky pinch punctures or ‘snakebites’! You will notice the difference in how light your bike is to pedal, that is because going tubeless decreases the rotational weight of the wheels.

Handy tips...

You can go tubeless on your mountain bike, your road bike and everything in between!
Tubeless will not protect you against every puncture, sometimes holes are too big or awkwardly placed. In this case you can use a tubeless plug or in the worst case put in an inner tube.
Tubeless setups allow you to make use of tyre inserts or rim protectors, which protect your rim from damage.
Tubeless tyres will ‘bleed’ air pressure over time, it is important to make sure your tyres are at your preferred pressure regularly. This is especially important with high pressure applications such as road and gravel!
Our Ultimate Tubeless Setup Kit contains everything you need to set your wheels up tubeless, check it out here!