If you purchased a new cyclocross race bike recently, it was almost certainly delivered to you with tubeless tires, or even traditional clincher tires with an inner tube inside (quite a dated technology.) Yet tubular tires remain the gold standard for elite-level racers and teams, even though they're almost never included with new bicycles. Why is that?
Let's examine the state of tubeless vs. tubular tires in 2025, look at the pros and cons, and help you decide which is right for your bike.
Tubular and tubeless - the terminology is often confusing
New riders are often confused by the vocabulary needed to discuss this issue: tube, tubular, tubeless, tubeless-ready, etc. - there's quite a bit of jargon and slang used. For example, you'll sometimes hear riders or mechanics refer to "tubs" as a shorthand for "tubular tire".
A tubular tire has no bead that fits into a hook or cavern on the rim. Instead, the base of the tire is glued (or taped) in place on a matching tubular rim. In contrast, a tubeless tire has a bead (usually something like kevlar) that nestles into the rim sidewall, which in combination with liquid tire sealant, keeps the interface airtight.
It's important to note that these technologies do not interchange. You cannot mount a tubular tire on a tubeless (or traditional clincher) rim, nor can a tubeless tire be used on a rim designed for tubulars. It's all or nothing.
Tubular tires are the gold standard for cyclocross performance
Despite all the challenges and pain points associated with tubular tires and rims, they are still the gold standard for cyclocross performance, considering rolling resistance and cornering grip. As a result, nearly every sponsored athlete bike you see when watching Elite races like the Superprestige, World Cups, Exact Cross and so on uses tubulars, with very few exceptions.
The real heavy-hitter pros have the luxury of traveling with multiple bikes and tubular wheel/tire combos to suit every possible terrain and weather combination, and their mechanics (or the riders themselves, depending on their level) have invested serious time and energy in gluing them up.
Even at your local amateur races, or those for serious enthusiasts (like the USA Cycling cyclocross national championship) tubular tire equipped privateer bikes are common. Despite the expense and complexity, serious riders find it worth it for max performance.
Tubeless tires are the gold standard for cyclocross ease of ownership
Tubeless tires and rims easily win the "total cost of ownership" battle, when time, ease of installation, and ongoing maintenance are considered. It's a commitment to choose tubulars instead.
Generally, tubeless tires are less expensive, more durable, easier to repair, and installing and maintaining them has less of a learning curve compared with tubulars. As a result, tubeless tires and wheels are a popular upgrade for amateur riders.
Pros and cons of tubular tires for cyclocross
Pros:
- Offers the ultimate in cornering and handling performance for cyclocross riders who take racing seriously
- Capable of running very low pressures with less risk of puncture
- In an emergency, can "run flat", such as finishing a race when you've already passed the pit
- Tread shapes and casings have been refined over many decades and they "work" for dry, wet, and mud conditions
- Provide the very best on-bike feel (for example: I'm a bad bike handler compared with many of my peers, and I feel that tubulars significantly help me with that challenge. My bike feels so much better when I switch from tubeless training wheels to race-day tubulars!)
Cons:
- Requires knowledge and technique to install correctly
- Punctures aren't easily repaired (although sealant can repair some)
- Tire can't be changed "on the fly" in an emergency, because time is needed for prep and for the glue to dry
- Requires a dedicated tubular rim. It's not doing to do double duty on your gravel bike...
- Less selection of tire makes/models is available in tubular, both on the tire side and rim side
- Because the tire can't easily be changed, tubular cyclocross wheels can't be re-purposed for road use without significant work and shop time
- Because the glue/tape covers the spoke holes, you can't easily replace a broken spoke - the tire must be removed to access the spoke holes
Pros and cons of tubeless tires for cyclocross
Pros:
- Tires can quickly be changed out by most casual mechanics in the home workshop, and even on-site at events if you have the right tools
- Sealant can repair many small punctures, such as those from thorns "on the fly" without stopping
- Huge selection of rims and tires available, so more choices in hub and axle compatibility, spoke count, rim material and so on
- Tubeless wheels can easily pull double duty in the cyclocross off-season for use on gravel or road bikes
- Tires and sealing tape can be removed relatively easily for repairs, for example, in the event you need to replace a broken spoke
- Tubeless rim technology is advancing rapidly, for example, you can now get tubeless rims with built-in tire pressure sensors
Cons:
- Despite advancements in technology, tubeless still doesn't offer quite the ultimate in cornering performance and feel compared with tubulars (although the best tubeless tires, such as the Challenge Team Edition - are getting very close)
- Can be difficult to install and seat the tire bead, especially if you don't have access to an air compressor and inflator tool. Sometimes it works with just a floor pump, sometimes not, and can vary based on the rim, tape, and tire used.
- Can't run quite as low pressure compared with tubulars
- Arguably heavier than tubulars when considering the total weight of the rim, tire, sealant, tape, glue, etc.
What about other disciplines, like gravel, road, and MTB?
Every discipline of cycling has unique requirements and equipment to match.
Gravel cycling is dominated by tubeless tires and rims, with other technologies almost disappearing completely. Tubeless is ideal for gravel because it allows you to run lower tire pressure compared with inner tubes, tire sealant offers some protection against puncture protection, and in the event of a catastrophic tire failure, can usually be repaired by home mechanics.
Like gravel cycling, MTB is almost completed dominated at the mid and high-end by tubeless tire and rim technologies. For a few years a tiny fringe of athletes used tubular MTB rims and tires, now pretty much extinct due to the increasingly better performance of tubeless. Only tubeless is worth any consideration today.
Road cycling, like cyclocross, is a discipline in transition. Historically, every professional road team used tubulars, in search of the best possible performance and low rolling resistance, despite the time and expertise required to glue them correctly. That's changed a bit over the past few years, tubulars are still very popular, but an increasing number of teams (perhaps due to sponsorship obligations) are racing top-tier events on tubeless tires and rims.
Finally, tubular tires and rims remain in common use for track (velodrome) bikes. Because punctures due to road debris are almost impossible on the track, the need to change a tubular quickly almost never occurs. Tubulars are ideal for the track where the surface is pristine.
Tubular tires are about history and tradition
It's not a secret that tubular tires tend to be used by more experienced (er, older) riders, especially those who got their start cycling in the 1970's or 80's. Tubulars are familiar, like an old friend. I'm about to turn 50, as of this writing...
Personally, I love the ritual of pulling my race-day-only tubulars out of their protective bags, carefully checking the rim/tire interface to make sure they are still firmly adhered, and pumping them up to test pressure for a cyclocross course inspection lap. It's just one step on the mental checklist I use on race day to get ready.
When a new set of tires are required due to damage or wear, gluing or taping a fresh set in the run-up to the coming 'cross season is a sure way to get in the right mindset for the upcoming races.
Younger riders, in contrast, almost certainly grew up with tubeless and sealant on their cyclocross bike, and very likely use that same technology on their gravel, road, and MTB as well. Many younger riders have never even ridden (let alone owned) a bike with tubulars. Their comfort level with seating tubeless tire beads using an air compressor is much higher. It's OK to go with what you're comfortable with!
Riders with multiple wheelsets
Perhaps more than any other discipline, owning multiple wheelsets is ideal for cyclocross riders and racers. Multiple wheels come with several key benefits:
- Quickly swapping in a backup wheel in the event of damage, loss, or mechanical problem, so you never lose a day of training
- The ability to have multiple tread shape options to suit different courses or weather conditions
- Changing wheels (if not an entire bike) on-the-fly during cyclocross races is so exciting and can be race-saving
- Using a less expensive, heavier wheelset (like with a tubeless setup) for training, and reserving a high-end, more expensive set (perhaps tubulars) for race-day-only use.
Wheels and tires are one of the best upgrades you can make to improve the performance of your race bike, and I'd recommend this option before investing in lighter handlebars, seat posts, or other "upgrades" that don't have nearly as much impact on performance compared with wheels and tires.
What about safety?
Riders of all types are justifiably concerned about safe cycling.
On the tubular side, riders (or their mechanics) must understand how to correctly glue/tape tubulars to the rim, to prevent the tire from rolling off under high cornering load. Tubular adhesion also declines over time, as glues dry out and if the tire gets wet (as it does on a cyclocross bike, which are often pressure-washed many times in a single season) that process can accelerate. As a result, riders must carefully inspect the rim-tire joint for proper adhesion on a regular basis (I do this before every single race.)
Tubeless tires come with their own challenges. You may have read in the news about "blow off", where the tire bead escapes from the rim, especially when tubeless tires are used on hookless rims at higher pressures on road bikes. These concerns largely apply to road cycling, not to the lower tire pressures common for gravel or cyclocross, but it's still something to be aware of, and blow-off is still possible on cyclocross bikes. You should pay careful attention to the tire pressure recommendations and installation instructions provided by your wheel and tire brands.
Ultimately, you, the rider, are responsible for understanding and checking your equipment before use, regardless of the technology.
The final word from the author
Still wondering whether you should choose tubular or tubeless? Here's my summary and recommendations:
Most casual cyclocross riders and beginner to mid-level amateurs are likely best served by racing and training on tubeless cyclocross tires in 2025. You can't go wrong with the excellent, top-end tubeless options like the Challenge HTLR "Team Edition" models (red sidewall) which come very close to tubular performance, and even the "Pro" HTLR line, which is less expensive, is still quite good compared with tubeless tires from the past.
Top-level amateurs and pros may prefer tubulars, but they only make sense if you have the knowledge and/or resources to have them properly installed. Despite the drawbacks tubulars still offer the ultimate in performance.