Accessories

If you haven't made the conversion to tubeless, especially for gravel and MTB, you're missing out on fewer flats, better traction and reduced rolling resistance. Yes, set-up has in the past been a bit of a hassle but, with dedicated tyres and rims, it's now pretty pain and mess free.

In the early days of DIY tubeless, we'd make our own sealant out of EVA glue and glitter but now, there are a host of ready made products which are far more convenient and effective. This vibrant pink product from Muc-Off is definitely one of the best I've used. During this test I was lucky enough not to suffer a single flat on my gravel bike that I was aware of but, running it in my mountain bike, it has sealed some impressively large tears and holes. Apparently it contains cutting-edge microfibre molecules which improve its sealing ability and it has definitely worked on gashes which other sealants would probably have failed on. It seems to have lasted well in my tyres and, after a couple of months of the UK summer, I can still hear it sloshing around. It's biodegradable, ammonia free, smells amazing and, unlike many sealants, isn't affected if you use a CO2 canister.

In this handy kit, you get a 140ml pouch of sealant, plenty for two typical gravel tyres. It's also the perfect size to pop into a jersey pocket or rucksack in case you're on an epic ride and need a top up after a puncture. Having removed your valve core with an included tool, you can squirt the sealant straight in from the pouch. Also, the valve core tool, which have an annoying habit of going missing, can be neatly stored on the valve; genius! You also get a scoop if you don't have valves with removable cores. Finally, you get a little UV light as the sealant glows under it. Personally, I could always see the vivid pink ooze with the naked eye but it's a neat idea for finding any small nicks in tyres.

You can also get the pouch on its own for £7.99 and, for environmentally friendly such refilling, a litre for £29.99 and 5 litres for £120 - https://muc-off.com/collections/tubeless-presta-valves/products/no-puncture-hassle-tubeless-sealant?variant=12146751897716