Tubeless Tyres: Are You Doing It Properly?

Tubeless guru Malcolm Borg of The Cycle Clinic is a wheel-builder and long-distance cyclist. This is his guide to throwing away your inner tubes

What is a tubeless rim?

Think of a car wheel. When a car tyre punctures and flats, the tyre does not unseat from the rim. This is important because tubeless has to mean tubeless all of the time, not some of the time.

A tubeless-compatible bike rim also should retain the tyre well enough that it can be ridden flat or with very little air (5-10psi). I have done this for 10 miles then reinflated the tyre after fixing it with a plug.

So why do some ‘tubeless’ rims retain the tyre when it’s flat while others let the tyre unseat?