The tubeless world can be hard to wrap your head around. Much of this confusion comes from having to consider both your rim and tire beforing knowing if they will work together. In this guide, we hope to clear up any confusion you may have about riding tubeless.


Is this combination of tire and rim tubeless compatible?
UST Tire Tubeless Compatible Tire Tube Type Tire
UST Rim Yes, No Sealant Yes, Sealant Required No
Tubeless Ready Rim Yes, Sealant Required Yes, Sealant Required No
NoTubes BST (Bead Socket Technology) No Yes, Sealant Required Yes, Sealant Required
Other Rims ? ? ?

UST (Universal Standard for Tubeless)

UST Universal Standard developed by Mavic, Michelin and Hutchinson in 1999. UST is the only standard in the tubeless world, meaning both rim and tire must comply to specific shapes and dimenions to be compliant. UST is unique beacuse when used correctly requres no tape or sealant and is completely air tight. UST rims feature a deep center channel and square shaped tire bead for a secure fit. The down side? Heavier than a Tubeless Ready setup.

Tubeless Ready / Tubeless Easy / Tubeless Compatible / TCS (Tubeless Compatible System)

tubeless ready A growing number of mountain bike, and to a lesser extent, road bike tires and rims are now labeled as Tubeless Ready, Tubeless Easy, Tubeless Compatible, or something similar depending on the brand. These are rims and tires that imitate or come close to the UST standard but choose to not license the technology from Mavic.