Don’t know your hand pump from your hookless? What’s the difference between a rim strip and rim tape?
The cycling world is well known for its confusing terminology. This is especially true when it comes to tyres. When 700c, 622 and 29’er all mean the same thing, and with a new vocabulary of tubeless words to read, it’s helpful to have a tubeless glossary that explains it all.
| C02 Canister | A small, hand-held canister with compressed C02 inside, to be used with an applicator to inflate a tyre without needing a pump. |
| Compressor | A powered compressor capable of charging and releasing high pressure air. |
| Hand-Pump | A hand-held pump, designed to be portable and carried on the bike or in a bag. Not usually effective at pumping to very high pressures, but enough to ‘get you home’. |
| Hookless | A ‘hookless’ rim is a rim without the traditional ‘hooked’ bead, which holds the tyre. More common with rims designed for off-road tyres, and must only be used with tyres that the manufacturer specifically stipulates are safe for use with hookless rims. |
| Presta Valve | A narrow, traditional valve used on bicycles since the early 1900’s. Also known as skinny, high pressure, road type, old fashioned, lockring valves… |
| Schrader Valve | A wider valve which works automatically and without any lockring. More commonly used on mountain bike inner tubes, and is the same type you find on car tyres. |
| Inner Tube | A balloon-like rubber tube, placed inside the tyre. This is the traditional method of holding air inside a tyre. |
| Tubeless Ready | This usually refers to a component or group of components (such as a wheel, a rim, a tyre, tape) and means they are suitable to be run tubeless |
| Tubeless Rim | A rim that is specifically designed to be run tubeless if required. Can also be run with an inner tube. See the diagram on the following page. |
| Tubeless Rim Strip | Instead of rim tape, some tubeless compatible rims (typically factory built) will be supplied with a rim strip which fits into the rim and provides the airtight seal needed. |
| Tubeless Sealant | Liquid which you pour into a tyre, which coats the inside of the tyre and seals punctures if or when they happen. |
| Tubeless System | A tyre set up without an inner tube, instead relying on an airtight fit between the rim, valve and tyre. |
| Tubeless Tape | Very thin and flexible rim tape, usually made of plastic, capable of contorting to the exact shape of the rim’s inner profile. |
| Tubeless Tyre | A clincher style tyre specially made to be run tubeless if required. Can also be run with inner tubes. |
| Tubeless Valve | A standalone valve which functions exactly like the ones you find attached to an inner tube. Usually a presta type with a removable core, and with a specially made rubber bung to ensure an airtight fit in the rim. |
| Track Pump | An upright, floor standing bicycle pump. |
| Tyre Boot | A piece of plastic sometimes included in puncture repair kits, designed to be placed inside a ripped tyre to prevent air or an inner tube from escaping through a large hole, one that’s too large to repair. Pro tip: new/plastic style currency notes usually work, in an emergency |
| Tyre Lever | A small tool used for levering tyres off/onto a rim. Usually made of plastic – metal ones are prone to damaging rims. |
| U.S.T. Rim | ‘Universal Standard Tubeless’ – a rim that isn’t drilled underneath a tyre, capable of providing an airtight seal without the need for rim tape. This was developed in 1999 by Mavic, Michelin and Hutchinson. Patent held by Mavic. |
Enjoyed our tubeless glossary? Why not check out our other guides?
