How to Inflate Tubeless Bicycle Tires

Tubeless bicycle tires have been around for quite some time and provide a variety of benefits over their "tubed brethren." Tubeless tires work as a system with the bicycle rim as the lip of the tire is glued to the rim and then inflated. Tubeless tires provide the opportunity for cyclists to run either very high pressures not achievable via tubed tires or very low pressures, which are also not recommended for tubed tires due to the possibility of a pinch flat. As tubeless tires rely on the tire's casing to hold air and provide stability for bike, the only possibility for a flat is either a long, sharp object, or blowing the tire off the rim (this is much more common). Changing or inflating a tubeless tire is a bit more complicated than changing a normal tube/tire.

Things You'll Need

  • CO2 inflator
  • CO2 cartridge
  • Tubeless tire and rim
  • Tire irons
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Instructions

    • 1

      Begin by mounting the tire. Use a tire iron to slip under the lip of the tire and pop the tire onto the rim. The lips of the tire will fit down inside the middle rim track. Make sure the valve stem is firmly attached as well.

    • 2

      Turn the wheel so that the valve stem is situated at the top of the tire, pointing towards the ground.

    • 3

      Spread liquid latex (Wheel Milk is a good choice) inside the tire.

    • 4

      Unscrew the valve and lock the CO2 inflator onto the valve stem.

    • 5

      Depress the trigger of the CO2 inflator to allow a quick burst of gas to enter the tire. This should pop the lips of the tire out of the middle track and onto the lips of the rim.

    • 6

      Once the lips of the tire are seated, depress the trigger of the CO2 inflator again to inflate the tires to your preferred level.