Should I go tubeless on my bike?

A conventional tyre holds an inner tube, and the tube holds the air. A tubeless tyre seals directly against the rim, with a liquid sealant inside that plugs small holes as they happen. That is the whole idea. Everything else — the benefits and the annoyances — follows from removing the tube.

Step by step

1. Check whether your wheels and tyres can do it at all.You need a tubeless-ready or tubeless-compatible rim, which has a bead-lock shape and a sealed rim bed, and a tubeless-ready tyre. Rims marked simply as hooked clincher and older box-section rims can sometimes be converted with a proper tubeless rim tape and valve, but a rim that is not designed for it can blow a tyre off, which at road pressures is dangerous.
2. Be honest about where you ride.The benefit scales with how often small sharp things get into your tyres and how much you want low pressure. Off-road, gravel and rough rural lanes: clear benefit. Urban commuting on glass and metal, where cuts tend to be larger: much less so.
3. Weigh the low-pressure benefit.Without a tube there is no pinch flat, so you can drop pressure for grip and comfort on rough ground. On a mountain bike this is the main reason people convert and it makes a genuine difference to how the bike rides.
4. Understand the maintenance that comes with it.Sealant dries out and needs topping up every few months, more often in warm weather. It is messy. Tyres can be difficult to seat and sometimes need a compressor or a tubeless inflator with a pressurised chamber. Setting up a stubborn tyre by the roadside is not realistic.
5. Plan for the failures sealant cannot fix.A sidewall cut, a slit longer than a few millimetres, or a tear at the bead will not seal. The repair is a plug — a sticky bacon strip pushed into the hole — or, failing that, removing the valve and fitting an inner tube with sealant sloshing everywhere. Carry a tube, tyre levers and a plug kit.
6. Cost it properly.Tubeless valves, rim tape, sealant, a plug kit and quite possibly a tubeless inflator, plus tyres that may cost more than your current ones. Set against that, you buy far fewer tubes and patches.
7. Decide, and if you convert, do it at home with time to spare.Tape the rim, fit the valve, mount one bead, add sealant, mount the second bead, then inflate fast to pop both beads into place. It will bang. Then spin and shake the wheel so sealant reaches the whole inside, and leave it overnight before trusting it.

Tips

• Fit tubeless valves with removable cores. It is the only sane way to top up sealant and to use a plug kit.
• Sealant does not last forever. Diarise a top-up every three to six months and note the date on the tyre with a paint pen.
• If a tubeless tyre will not seat, take the valve core out to get the maximum air flow, use a bit of soapy water on the bead, and try again.
• Never use car-tyre sealant. It is a different formulation and it can wreck a bicycle tyre and clog the valve permanently.

Common mistakes

• Converting a rim that is not tubeless-ready with tape and hope — The bead relies on the rim profile to stay seated. On the wrong rim it can unseat under cornering load and deflate instantly.
• Leaving the spare tube at home — Sealant handles small holes, not cuts. Every tubeless rider eventually fits a tube by the roadside, and having none turns a puncture into a long walk.
• Topping up sealant without checking what is already in there — Old sealant dries into rubbery lumps that rattle and unbalance the wheel. Every year or so, take the tyre off, clean out the residue and start fresh.

Alternatives

• Tubes with sealant in them: Self-sealing inner tubes, or ordinary tubes with sealant injected through a removable valve core. Much of the small-puncture protection, none of the setup faff, and no low-pressure benefit.
• Tougher tyres with a puncture belt: A tyre with a substantial protective layer under the tread is the simplest answer for commuting on glass and hedge cuttings. Heavier and slower, and utterly reliable.
• Tyre liners: A plastic strip between tyre and tube. Cheap, effective against thorns, adds weight, and can itself chafe the tube if badly fitted.
• Solid or airless tyres: No punctures ever, at the cost of a harsh ride and poor grip. Genuinely reasonable for a short, slow commute where reliability beats everything.

Keeping on top of it

• Top up sealant through the valve (Every 3–6 months)
• Strip the tyre and clean out dried sealant (Annually)
• Check tyre pressure (Weekly — tubeless loses air faster than a tube)
• Inspect tyres for cuts and embedded flints (Every few rides)

Questions people ask