How to install tubeless tyres: from rim checks to the first ride

A tubeless setup starts with compatibility, not a bottle of sealant. Sealant does not turn an unsuitable tyre or rim into a tubeless system. Follow the sequence and checkpoints below, using your components’ instructions for tape size, sealant quantity and pressure limits.

Check the complete system first

Confirm that both rim and tyre are approved for tubeless use, with matching bead-seat diameters and permitted widths. For hookless, also check approval for the actual combination. Do not use an old tube-type tyre simply because you managed to inflate it without a tube.

Prepare suitable tape and a valve, compatible sealant, a pump with a gauge, clean cloths and approved fitting fluid. Difficult seating may require a reservoir pump or a compressor with controlled delivery. System requirements are listed in Schwalbe's tubeless guidance.

Prepare the rim and tape

Fully deflate before dismantling. Inspect the rim, bead seats and tyre: a damaged bead, crack or deformation needs attention before fitting. Some wheels have an airtight bed that needs no tape; for others, use dedicated tubeless tape as specified by the rim maker.

Remove old tape residue and dirt using a method approved for the material, then let the surface dry. Tape width, layer count and overlap depend on the rim profile and instructions. Cover every spoke hole without wrinkles or air channels. Ordinary cloth rim tape for inner tubes does not replace an airtight tubeless layer.

Fit the valve

Make the valve opening using the method recommended by the tape and wheel manufacturers. A large cut can let air underneath the tape. The valve base must suit the rim profile, and its length must allow a pump connection. Fit the seals and tighten the nut as instructed rather than trying to cure every leak with pliers.

Air escaping near the valve can originate elsewhere in the tape: it can travel through the rim cavity and emerge at the valve hole. Tightening the nut repeatedly is not a substitute for checking the airtight rim bed.

Fit the tyre and check both beads

Check rotation direction and keep the beads in the rim's centre channel while fitting, following the tyre instructions. This creates slack for the final section. If levers are needed, use only permitted tools and avoid damaging the tape or bead.

Do not force an obvious size mismatch. If a bead will not seat or the tyre comes off the rim, fully deflate and recheck the combination. Adding arbitrary layers of tape changes the fit and is not a universal solution.

Add sealant and seat the tyre

The sequence depends on the system: some instructions call for seating without sealant first, while others add it before inflation. Confirm sealant compatibility with the tyre, valve and any insert. Shake and measure the quantity specified for your tyre size; there is no single dose for every wheel.

Watch the gauge during inflation and stay within every applicable limit, including a separate seating-pressure limit if specified. Check the bead reference line for even seating on both sides: a popping sound alone does not prove correct seating. See the hookless guidance.

Check before riding and plan maintenance

Distribute the liquid by rotating the wheel as instructed, check accessible joints with an approved soapy solution, and record pressure. Measure again later with the same gauge. If air escapes quickly, do not start riding in the hope that it will seal; use the leak diagnosis guide.

Refit the wheel, confirm the brake works correctly and choose a riding pressure within the permitted range. Make the first check on a short familiar route near your service location. Record the sealant type and date, then inspect it at the manufacturer's interval, accounting for storage conditions. Carry a compatible tube and pump: tubeless does not eliminate tyre damage.