Why ‘anti-tubeless’ arguments really grind my gears

Amongst plenty of other cycling-related gear, I’ve been reviewing road tyres for Bicycling Australia for around 15 years now.

For the first decade or so, it was pretty much all tubed clinchers. Then slowly but surely along came tubeless tyres (long used in MTB circles, of course) with the utopian-like promise of fewer punctures, lower pressures and greater on-road ‘suppleness’.

Trouble was, in the early days of road tubeless, most of the TL tyre options were, frankly, a complete pain in the backside. Terrible compatibility with most rims on the market; it was really a lucky dip as to how much skin I’d have to take off my knuckles trying to mount and seat the things to perform an on-road review.

Whenever my editor said a new set of tubeless tyres was on the way, I used to dread it.

But things are very different nowadays, and if you haven’t tried them for a while, I’d urge you to maybe consider giving it another go.

As bead technology and rim compatibility issues have been gradually addressed by manufacturers, and sealants and valves have become so much better, my own tubeless-ready, or TR, experiences have been fundamentally transformed from ones of inevitable swearing and frustration to almost always ones of ease—irrespective of the brand.

Now it’s worth noting here that the vast majority of tubed tyres are also pretty darn good in 2026—especially when run with lightweight TPU inner tubes. (My only real gripe is how fragile TPU tubes can be during installation, but that’s another article.)

Like so many things in cycling—think brakes, cleats, head units—ultimately what you run is a matter of personal preference, which almost certainly comes down to your own experiences.

For example, if you and your mates once got sprayed in gooey sealant on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, chances are you’re still wary of tubeless and are happy to stick with tubes. Fair enough too.

But I’d suggest you were probably just unlucky.

The big thing I’ve learned over the years is that to get the best tubeless experience, you need to install the things properly the first time. Watch a few YouTube videos. Speak to someone who knows how it’s done. Make sure you have the right gear (a high-pressure ‘airshot’ was one of the best investments I’ve ever made) and don’t rush things.

Not dissimilar to waxing your chain, this will take a bit more upfront effort. But it’s so worth it. Because barring catastrophic slashes and epic punctures—which will be just as problematic if you’re running tubed set-ups anyway—you can expect thousands of kilometres of trouble-free riding with the only real maintenance being a top-up of air once or twice a week and a bi-monthly top-up of sealant.

Easy as.

Footnote: In case you’re wondering, no, I’m not being paid a dollar to promote tubeless tyres for road bikes here. It’s just that I love the things and am happy to recommend going tubeless to anyone who will listen to me.