Mountain Bikers have been well aware of the benefits of tubeless bicycle tire technology for years. Now some technological advancements have been made which promise to bring tubeless tires to the cycling masses. What do you need to know about this? Is it a good thing? Why bother? It’s just for racing, right? These are some questions that many cyclists ask when tubeless tires are brought up.

First off, it must be said that things are just getting off the ground in regards to this tubeless “revolution”. Road cyclists will likely be the next group to embrace this technology with the rest of us to follow. Why tubeless and why now? Well, for those answers, let’s look at the technology and how it can benefit your cycling experience.

We are all familiar, (I hope!) with automobile tires and the fact that there is no tube inside a car tire anymore. The casing of a car tire is made to hold air pressure and to have its bead seat into your cars rim so it stays mounted and safe during regular use. Bicycle tubeless tires are similar, but the demands for lightweight and strength meant that bicycle tubeless tires had to take a divergent path to become accepted amongst cycling fans.

Instead of relying 100% on the tires casing to hold the air,(which a lot of mountain bike tires still do), most recently tire manufacturers have developed a system of casing plus sealant to help seal the casing and provide puncture protection. This gives the rider two distinct advantages. First, your overall rotational weight can remain close to, if not the same as a tire and tube combination, and in many cases the overall weight can be less than a tire with a tube. Also, you have sealant which allows the tire to heal itself of punctures, often times while you are still riding, and not lose a significant amount of air pressure.

Not only that, but the benefits of running tubeless extend to rider comfort and economy of effort. A tire that is tubeless can be ridden at a lower pressure without fear of “pinch flatting”, which is what happens when a tire with lower pressure with a tube installed hits a sharp bump, compressing the tire/tube to the rim bead, and cutting the tube. A tubeless tire doesn’t have this problem, so a more comfortable and higher traction ride can be realized. Furthermore, rolling resistance is reduced when the tube/tire interface is removed from the equation. The inner tube causes friction with the tire casing when the tire tries to deform over road/trail obstacles. This friction causes higher rolling resistance and thus robs the cyclist of energy.

Finally, the system had to be made “user friendly”. This is the biggest challenge facing marketers of tubeless technology. Cyclists want to know if they can use the system easily and repair the system easily, should the need arise. A couple of newer developments are going to take tubeless tire technology for cycling a long ways towards this goal.

Tire and rim manufacturers are working closely with each other, guaranteeing that the tire bead/rim interface, which is critical for success, is comaptible. Rim manufacturers have also developed rims with no spoke hole drillings in the inner rim well, or have developed special rim strips to seal off the inner rim cavity. This means no rim strips and makes tire mounting/removal all the easier. Tire manufacturers are working on new materials and technologies for tire beads. Carbon is being used in road tubeless tires, as an example, to get a high strength bead that is yet still small enough that a road cyclist can change out a tire, or install a tube in the field with ease, if need be. The mounting and bead seating of tubeless tires is also getting easier. For example, I have mounted all of my mountain bike tubeless tires with a floor pump. No longer will a trip to the compressor be necessary with the newer tubeless tire/rim designs.

Fixing tubeless tires is becoming easier as well. Road tubeless had to overcome the field serviceability tests which allow a road cyclist to install a tube if necessary without special tools. However; that said, a tubeless road tire does have the ability to be ridden flat, much like a tubular, and also loses air if punctured at a slower rate than a tubed tire. These things will help assuage road cyclist that are apprehensive about tubeless road tires and wheels.

Tubeless tire technology is still evolving, but it is coming to all facets of cycling. In time, it may become the dominant system in use for cyclists everywhere. Certainly, the benefits are promising: lower rolling resistance, less chances for flatting, and more comfortable rides with less weight. If the manufacturers and marketers of tubeless tire technologies continue to make advancements, I see a time coming that a bicycle tube might become as scarce as an automobile tire tube.

Only time will tell, but it can’t hurt to get ready!