Tubeless and Tubeless Ready Tires: Pros and Cons

What is the difference between Tubeless and Tubeless-Ready Tires?

In recent years, tubeless and tubeless-ready tires have been gaining popularity, especially with products designed for wheels. Shimano’s new DURA-ACE and ULTEGRA wheels have also transitioned to tubeless-compatible models, marking a shift toward tubeless and tubeless-ready setups.

It’s important to note that “tubeless” and “tubeless-ready” are entirely different standards. Both are tire standards that can be installed without an inner tube, but the key difference is whether a specialized sealant is required inside the tire.

Let’s compare the differences between tubeless and tubeless-ready tires in the table below.

Both tires and wheels require dedicated products for tubeless or tubeless-ready setups. However, theoretically, tubeless-ready tires can be used on tubeless-compatible wheels.

Some users of tubeless tires, although the tire itself doesn’t require sealant, choose to use it to improve airtightness and prepare for any potential punctures.

What are the benefits of tubeless and tubeless-ready tires?

Improved Ride Comfort with Lower Tire Pressure

A major reason why many users choose tubeless tires despite the extra cost and effort is the improved ride comfort. The reduced vibration and impact from bumps offered by tubeless tires can make them irresistible once experienced.

Why do tubeless tires provide a smoother ride? The difference lies in air pressure.

Traditional tires like clincher and tubular tires, which use an inner tube, require higher air pressure to keep the tire in shape and prevent issues like friction between the tube and tire or punctures caused by the tube hitting the rim.

However, since tubeless and tubeless-ready tires do not use an inner tube, there’s no risk of puncturing the tube. As long as the tire has the necessary air pressure to maintain its shape, it can function properly without needing to be overinflated.

Lower air pressure increases the tire’s cushioning effect, allowing the tire to absorb vibrations from the road, improving ride comfort. Especially on rough terrain, high-pressure tires often transmit vibrations directly to the rider, but tubeless and tubeless-ready tires reduce this effect. They also reduce the “bouncing” feeling over small bumps, a major advantage of tubeless setups.

This is why tubeless and tubeless-ready tires have become popular for MTB and gravel road bikes, which are often ridden on rough terrain.

Additionally, on rainy days, higher grip levels can provide more stability while riding, making the lower pressure and grip benefits of tubeless tires advantageous in these conditions.

Slow Punctures

A common issue with clincher tires is pinch flats, where the inner tube gets pinched between the rim and tire, causing a puncture. Tubeless and tubeless-ready tires do not experience this issue, as they lack an inner tube. Instead, punctures occur only when the tire itself is punctured.

In clincher tires, if the inner tube gets a hole and the pressure drops, a gap forms between the rim and tire, allowing air to escape rapidly. In contrast, tubeless and tubeless-ready tires maintain high airtightness between the rim and tire (or sealant fills any gaps), so air only escapes from the punctured area.

As a result, a puncture in a tubeless tire typically results in a “slow puncture,” where air gradually escapes.

Weight Reduction

Tubeless tires can offer weight reduction by eliminating the inner tube.

However, tubeless tires feature a layer designed to maintain air pressure, so the weight saving isn’t as dramatic as just removing the inner tube. Additionally, tubeless valves are needed, so in some cases, the weight difference compared to clincher tires with a tube may be minimal.

In the case of tubeless-ready tires, there is not only the added weight of the tire and valve but also the sealant. Including these factors, the weight reduction compared to tube-based tires can be slight.

That said, ultra-lightweight tubeless tires like Panaracer’s AGILEST have recently emerged, and with future tire advancements, tubeless tires will likely contribute even more to weight reduction.

Long-lasting with Regular Maintenance

In the case of clincher (tubed) tires, tube replacement is required as the tire degrades over time and with use. However, with tubeless tires, as long as air pressure is maintained and sealant is replenished regularly, theoretically, you can continue to ride with the tires on until they wear out.

Replenishing sealant can be a hassle, but depending on how you view it, “maintaining the tire while it’s still mounted” is easier than replacing the tube, which involves removing the tire from the rim.

What Are the Disadvantages of Tubeless and Tubeless-Ready Tires?

Cost

The biggest downside of tubeless and tubeless-ready tires at the moment is the cost.

Tubeless tires are more expensive than clinchers, and tubeless wheels are also often more expensive than clincher wheels.

Additionally, some wheel manufacturers may specify a particular tire for their wheels. Therefore, unlike with clinchers, you might not be able to use cheap tires.

Tubeless also requires additional parts beyond just the tires, such as special sealant, tubeless valves, and tubeless rim tape. If there are compatibility issues where the bead doesn’t seat correctly, you may also need to purchase a tire booster.

In practice, when you pick up everything necessary for a tubeless setup, you’ll realize that there are more parts required and higher costs than expected.

Maintenance is a Hassle

Both tubeless and tubeless-ready tires require high pressure to lift the bead. In pro shops, special air pumps (such as compressors) can handle this, but if you’re inflating from scratch at home, you’ll need a pump with a booster, a dedicated tubeless booster, or even a CO2 cartridge in some cases.

Modern tubeless tires are designed to make it easier to lift the bead even with a regular floor pump, but there’s still some “compatibility” issue that may cause trouble in some cases.

Additionally, with tubeless-ready tires, sealant needs to be refilled. Sealant needs to be topped off once a year.

Compared to the clincher setup where you just install the tube, mount the tire, and pump air, these extra steps can feel like more work.

Repairing Punctures on the Go is Difficult

Replacing a tube and calling it done with clinchers is much easier compared to tubeless or tubeless-ready tires.

You’ll need to carry a spare tire (not just a tube) and sealant with you. If you’re using sealant, you’ll also need rubber gloves because when a puncture happens, you’ll be dealing with tire replacement covered in sealant, which can be quite a hassle.

When professionals use this setup in races, mechanics from the team will swap out the wheel, so it’s not a major issue. But for hobbyists, it’s not the same situation, so be aware.

Rim and Tire Compatibility

For tubeless tires, the bead of the tire must tightly seal against the rim to prevent air leakage. This is where things get tricky with tubeless tires — even within the same tubeless standards, combinations of rims and tires can show “compatibility” issues.

With so many different wheel and tire types from various manufacturers, it’s not always easy to know which wheel and tire combinations might be problematic until you try them.

The biggest compatibility issue is when the bead doesn’t seat on the rim during setup, leading to the issue of the “bead not lifting.” This can be a common problem with tubeless tires and is one reason why some people avoid them. It’s a real challenge when it happens.

When using combinations of wheels and tires recommended by the manufacturers, compatibility issues are less likely. However, this can limit your tire choices, which is a disadvantage.

This is an area where technology is constantly improving, and we can look forward to further advancements in tubeless technology in the future.

Consider the Pros, Cons, and Operation Before Making a Choice

Switching from clincher or tubular tires to tubeless or tubeless-ready tires significantly improves ride comfort, and the operation surrounding the tires also changes drastically.

The main downsides of tubeless tires are operational complexity and cost, but the benefits often outweigh these drawbacks.

When using tubeless or tubeless-ready tires, you need to ensure you also have compatible wheels, so be sure to consider that carefully when making your choice.