What Does Tubeless Ready Gravel Bike Mean?

Gravel Bikes suit running Tubeless Tyres and at Westbrook Cycles, with those of us who ride gravel bikes here not running anything but tubeless tyres. Many Gravel Bikes on the market are sold as Tubeless Ready - and in this post, we look at what this means whilst making the argument for switching to a tubeless tyre setup.

Why Should Gravel Bikes Run Tubeless?

Gravel Tyres tackle pretty gnarly terrain with tyres that are designed to work both on and off-road. This makes riding gravel bikes off-road much smoother and more pleasant with lower tyre pressures. Running low tyre pressures on gravel bikes, however, does carry some risks - running low tyre pressures mean there is a higher risk of having pinch flats. Running a tubeless tyre removes the inner tube completely from the equation, meaning that pinch flats do not occur.

How Do Tubeless Tyres Work?

In simple terms, tubeless tyres work with a liquid sealant inside the tyre. This liquid sealant solidifies and seals small punctures and leaks. Larger punctures can usually be easily fixed with tubeless tyre plugs. In the field, tubeless gravel tyres mean more time riding and less time repairing punctures from low pressures, thorns, rocks and debris.

Tubeless Tyre Maintenance

Although offering many advantages over using tyres with an inner tube, tubeless tyres require some maintenance. Over time, the sealant used within tubeless tyres can dry out and needs replacing/topping up. This is, in our opinion, a small price to pay for tubeless tyre benefits, and the increase in the price of running a tubeless tyre setup is also a small price to pay!

What Does Tubless Ready Really Mean?

Unfortunately, there is no industry standard definition of how a tubeless-ready gravel bike will arrive. Not surprisingly, budget plays a large part in what tubeless ready, actually means. On budget bikes, you can expect tubeless ready to mean a rim that is tubeless compatible, with a tyre that is not tubeless compatible.

On more premium models, and with brands such as Cannondale - almost everything is included to run tubeless tyres, it’s just that the bikes are shipped with inner tubes for logistics and presentation in bike shops. In the cases where everything is provided for a tubeless setup, simply add the valves, remove the inner tubes and you are about done.

What Are Tubeless Ready Tyres?

Tubeless ready tyres usually have some identifying information, somewhere on the tyre - meaning the tyre is re-inforced and has a stretch resistant bead. The markings will be something like TLE, TSS or TC.

What Are Tubeless Ready Rims?

A tubeless compatible rim will be marked as so. The markings will be something like TSS or TC.

Can You Get Carbon Tubless Rims?

A number of carbon wheels are available as tubeless compatible/ready. These rims operate a hookless system, on which the inner sides of the rim are straight edges, without the old school style of rolled over tops which holds the tyre.

Tubeless Rim Tape, Valve And Sealant

If you have a tubeless ready setup, and have identified it as such - now comes the messy part! Some tubeless rims are not airtight as standard, so need additional sealing with tubeless rim tape. You can expect some higher end tubeless rims to come as standard with smooth and fully enclosed rims, that do not need rim tape.

Mid range rims will usually have rim tape already fitted - meaning the rim should be airtight and ready for use. For those needing to buy rim tape - there are plenty of choices on the marketplace - choose one which is 1 to 2 mm wider than internals of your rim. The next step is a tubeless tyre valve, which often is already included. Ensure that the valve is long enough to reach the depth of your rim, and also elong enough to attach a pump to.

The next purchase is tyre sealant, again there are plenty of choices on the market - with comparable quality.