Can I use inner tubes on tubeless wheels?

[Globalti]

Been thinking about buying some better wheels for the new Roubaix as the stock DT Swiss wheels aren't very impressive and Spesh have already had to give me a replacement rear wheel on warranty. I'm a bit of a Mavic fan as I buy into the way they do things and like the strength and stiffness of their wheels. So having sold the old Roubaix I've got £750 burning a hole in my pocket and I've been looking at alloy Ksyrium disc wheels, but most are "UST" meaning tubeless ready. I really can't be bothered with all the faffing with latex as I'm perfectly happy to stop and fix the odd puncture, so can I use tubes with tubeless wheels?

 

[Milzy]

Been thinking about buying some better wheels for the new Roubaix as the stock DT Swiss wheels aren't very impressive and Spesh have already had to give me a replacement rear wheel on warranty. I'm a bit of a Mavic fan as I buy into the way they do things and like the strength and stiffness of their wheels. So having sold the old Roubaix I've got £750 burning a hole in my pocket and I've been looking at alloy Ksyrium disc wheels, but most are "UST" meaning tubeless ready. I really can't be bothered with all the faffing with latex as I'm perfectly happy to stop and fix the odd puncture, so can I use tubes with tubeless wheels?

Of course you can. We TL guys still carry a tube just incase it doesn't seal and too bad to repair.

 

[I like Skol]

Just be warned, it can be a real pig of a job to get tyres on and off the rim when using tubeless rims. Just breaking the bead to get a tyre lever in can be near impossible with some combinations.
I'm a person that often manages to fit and remove most tyres by hand without levers but the current crop of tubeless ready rims have had me sweating profusely even though I have tyre levers and a good technique!

 

[ianrauk]

Yes

 

[Globalti]

Oh. Well that's not going to be much fun trying to replace a tube by the roadside in a cold wind.

Seems like almost every Mavic wheel is UST so they must have re-tooled their rim production. Anybody got any suggestions? I was thinking of the Roval C38 disc wheels that are fitted on higher end Spesh bikes but I'm suspicious of carbon, especially for a bike that's going to be going down gravel tracks occasionally.

 

[Inspector Monkfish]

The stock DT Swiss R470 wheels that come with most models of Roubaix are tubeless ready. So you already know the answer to your question , and assuming you have had a puncture you will already know that it isn't necessarily that hard to change a tube on a tubeless wheelset at the road side.

 

[Justinitus]

Is it not the tubeless tyre’s bead that’s less forgiving and thus harder to get over the rim, rather than the rims themselves?

On a separate note, I had my first tubeless puncture today - a big thorn in the front G-One Allround tyre on the Revolt. Pulled the thorn out, heard a hiss followed by a dribble of sealant and... silence. Rode home and checked, I lost 3 psi. Chuffed!

 

[Milzy]

Why not just Fulcrum 3’s or campag Zondas with the best tires?
Fast and light that won’t cost too much and easy to get clinchers on and off.

 

[Mo1959]

I’ve got

Is it not the tubeless tyre’s bead that’s less forgiving and thus harder to get over the rim, rather than the rims themselves?

yep. I think so. I have Mavic Ksyrium Elite UST wheels on my Ribble and wanted to run my favourite Rubino Pros rather than Mavic’s own tyres that came with them. First time I have ever had to give up and take them to a bike shop. I couldn’t get the Mavic tyres off. The Rubinos went on ok though.

 

[Globalti]

Oh okay, so tubeless tyres must have a much tougher bead?

 

[Domdom1980]

Oh. Well that's not going to be much fun trying to replace a tube by the roadside in a cold wind.

Seems like almost every Mavic wheel is UST so they must have re-tooled their rim production. Anybody got any suggestions? I was thinking of the Roval C38 disc wheels that are fitted on higher end Spesh bikes but I'm suspicious of carbon, especially for a bike that's going to be going down gravel tracks occasionally.

Hopefully I can help here! I've got a specialized roubaix comp 2020 and didn't think too much of the original DT Swiss rims, so picked up some C38 wheels brand new from ebay for £700.

I got Hutchinson tubeless tyres and fitted them at home, couldn't get them to seat properly to start with, so used a tube to get the bead on, removed the tube and job done.

So, not only are the wheels very good IMO, you can fit tubes in with the Hutchinson should you want to. I prefer tubeless, and have done 400km on them so far and they have been faultless.

 

[Globalti]

I've got my eye on these, which I think would suit the Roubaix rather well:

https://roadcycleexchange.com/produ...JsI3sEXpdYv-XA7P6mCuNdYK_vRYN1pxoCz44QAvD_BwE

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I’ve got

yep. I think so. I have Mavic Ksyrium Elite UST wheels on my Ribble and wanted to run my favourite Rubino Pros rather than Mavic’s own tyres that came with them. First time I have ever had to give up and take them to a bike shop. I couldn’t get the Mavic tyres off. The Rubinos went on ok though.

Push bead into well all round the rim. Then you should be able to get the bead over the rim without much difficult. I have the UST rims and it’s what I do. Changing tyres tomorrow so will let you know if it still works!