A new valve design from Reserve, the wheels division of Santa Cruz Bicycles, promises a better, more user-friendly experience that’s ideal for modern bikes that run on tubeless ...

Instead, their valves work with almost all standard pump heads, and will thread into existing valve stems. No new parts, no new standards, no frustration when you have to air up at a buddy’s house.

In fact, in our extensive research, it’s the only tubeless-specific tire that has tan sidewalls and is available in a 30. It’s supple and provides a shocking amount of grip in a variety of conditions.

Tubeless tires use special valve stems that create an airtight seal on the inside of the rim bed ... thread the wheel skewer or axle through the hub—that provides something to grab as you spin ...

I don't know why it felt like such an achievement to bring my wheel and tire technology up to the level of the mid- to late-'90s. Maybe some of it has to do with the pandemic.

This also helps to make tubeless tire setup easier since the beads are sealed and locked in place. Even better, the system is fairly light with the whole thing weighing in at 97g for a 29″ insert.

Schwalbe claims that when used in place of regular Presta valves on tubeless tires, Clik increases air flow by 50%. This means that a given amount of tire pressure can be reached with half the effort.

The Back Story When I built my Felt FC in 2015, my wheel set of choice was Shimano RS81 C35 (alloy rim with a carbon fairing), which was tubeless ready but I rode it with tubes. Last year, I went to ...