If you’ve got some new tubeless rims and don’t want to buy new tyres for them, you can use your standard tyres on a tubeless rim. But it depends and it’s very important. It can run the gamut from yes to absolutely not. In this article, I will cover road bikes, MTB, and cyclocross as well because the setup can be different. I have also written a whole article on clincher vs. tubeless wheels, so do check it out.
For Road Bike
For a road bike, the short answer is no. You can’t use a clincher or any other standard tyre made for tubes on a tubeless rim. If you mount it any way, which is not impossible, it will blow off the rim before you even get them up to pressure and you may hurt yourself. On the other hand, it is impossible to use a clincher tyre on a tubular rim.
For MTB
With a few exceptions, you can use any tyre on a tubeless-ready rim as long as you use sealant. Keep in mind if you go tubeless, you won’t be able to run the high end of your tyre’s pressure range anymore. If you’ve got wider tyres, you’ll have a difficult time getting that high of pressure.
For Cyclocross
For cyclocross, it’s the same principle that applies to MTB, especially the tyre pressure. You can use any tyre with a tubeless rim but if you want to go above 50psi, you should get a tyre designed specifically for tubeless rims, otherwise it’s not worth the risk.
Cons of using a standard tyre on a tubeless rim
As I mentioned it could be risky to use a standard tyre on a tubeless rim. Nevertheless, it’s possible to do that and there are some limitations you need to be aware of:
- You will not reach the high end of the pressure range
- You can get a snakebite puncture relatively easily. This is because the sidewalls of a clincher tyre are thin compared to a tubeless tyre. However, this problem could be solved with a sealant.
- The tyre can blow off the rim if you turn fast enough at high speed on a plain surface.
- Your tyre will lose air faster universal standard tubeless (UST). This is a problem if you forget to check pressure before a ride.
Conclusion
Yes, it is possible to use a clincher or any other standard tyre on a tubeless rim but you won’t get the maximum performance and it’s risky. But if you’ve got a full-suspension bike and you like to ride mostly on trails and forests, it’s less likely to get a puncture. So there will be more advantages than disadvantages if you use tubeless rims with standard tyres.