Tubeless Bike Tires

Tubeless bike tires are the demand of the today's customers. Yes, they are a little expensive than traditional tires but they are worth every penny. They don't get punctured often and you are not stuck on the road with nothing but a flat tire. A tubeless bike tire must have an air tight rim to work properly. Almost every bike in the US is fitted with a Universal System Tubeless (UST) which was originally developed by three companies; Mavic, Michelin and Hutchinson. Tubeless tire technology was introduced way back in 1903 by GoodYear. With its growing popularity it became a norm in cars and motorbikes, after it started selling in the open market since the 50's. It was brought in the cycling world in the year 1999 and since then has been a preferred choice for avid bikers for their long road trips.

How do Tubeless Tires Work

Tubeless tires work by sealing off the spoke well of the rim, with specially made spokes or with a plastic strip. The valve of the tire is sealed with a ring and the tire is also air tight. The tire is made air tight by adding the rubber to the tire or by coating the inside of the casing with butyl rubber. Tubeless tires are expensive but they also save you the cost of continuous incidents of flat tires over and over again. The best thing about tubeless tires is that you can run your bike comfortably with low pressure. They give you a better grip on the roads. With low pressure in your tires the ride becomes more comfortable and the good grip is an added advantage, as they are ideal for rough roads. It can be the best feature of your bike as there is a lesser possibility of a flat tire.

Tubeless Tires Repair

Tubeless tires are a great way of commuting, especially for mountain bikers. If you love going for mountain biking then tubeless tires are the best thing. Mountain surfaces can be a little bumpy sometimes and it is possible that your tire may get flat. Tubeless tires go well with mountain bikes because they offer a low PSI rating which is great for harsh terrains that you are bound to explore. Unfortunately these harsh rocky mountains may cause a flat tire very often because of the rough surfaces. So here are some tips on how to repair a flat tubeless tire.

• With a permanent marker, mark the hole by drawing a circle.
• Rotate the tire and make sure that the valve is pointing directly up. Let your tire stay in this place for few seconds to make sure the sealant gets drained away from your valve.
• Again rotate the tire and the valve should be pointing downwards this time. Drain the air from the tire so that the sealant doesn't leak out of your tire.
• Now, we have to loosen the air locking system. To do that, squeeze your tire walls in the center of the rim.
• With the help of the tire lever, pull one tire wall off the rim. Now pour out the sealant from the tire into a container and set it aside.
• Wipe out and dry the area of the puncture with a paper towel. Remember to dry the puncture area by exposing it to the sun.
• Stick the patchy glue around the area of the puncture and let it stay for few seconds. Now, press the patch tightly over the hole and let it stay for 5 minutes so that it sticks properly.
• Pour back the sealant in the tire and attach the tire wall back over the rim by hands.
• Now inflate the tire to see that the puncture has been properly fixed.

In the end it's totally your choice if you want to use tubeless tires or not. Most people avoid it because they are expensive, but they forget that they spend the exact amount fixing traditional tire punctures often.