Talking to LBS guy and he was surprised that I was surprised that the tubeless-wheeled road bike he wanted to sell me actually came with tubes in it and if I wanted to convert it to tubeless I’d need to buy tyres AND the valves. Quite surprised this is the case as it doesn’t seem that the price for tyres + tubes would be much different to just tubeless tyres.

My Mondraker came with a tubeless wheelset and also without tubes so it’s a bit of a puzzle that this wouldn’t

was it billed as ‘tubeless’ or ‘tubeless-ready’ ?

No mention at all other than the word “tubeless” on the rims.

More common than you’d think… typically if it’s sold as tubeless with UST, it will be ready to ride. If it’s ‘tubeless ready’ 9/10 there’ll be some form of aftermarket something needed, normally an actual tyre or a rimstrip kit.

Tubes are more stable (ie they hold air better) over the long periods of time that a bike spends between leaving the factory and leaving the shop.

That’s not to say some manufacturers don’t sell bikes set up tubeless to begin with.

Yes

My Trek mtb came with “tubeless ready” wheels but tubes fitted. All that’s needed was a cheap bontrager kit which the shop fitted FOC and converted it to tubeless.

So cannondale say “tubeless ready” but that doesn’t mean they supply valves with the bikes (their definition of ready differs from mine but okay). I asked DT Swiss where I could buy some valves and they said “some shops or online stores will sell them”. Swiss efficiency at its best.

My 2007 Trek came tubeless ready, but this was not true. I had to buy rim strips, so it wasn’t ready at all. Almost ready, but not ready.

Or alternatively set up tubeless but with no sealant.

My Spicy had XT wheels and Tubeless RQs on it, no rubes.

I bought a bike and the wheels were set up tubeless.When I said I wanted to run tubes they said I’d have to buy my own inner tubes.
I bought another bike and the sealant had gone off because they hadn’t changed it every couple of months whilst it was on the shop floor.
Can’t please everyone eh![

I’m now praying that nothing goes wrong with the wheelset as DT Swiss are striking me as uncommonly unhelpful, even for a bike company.

Me: There are no dealers in my country, can you recommend an online seller in France, Germany or Belgium
Them: There are probably dealers in those countries you could look up on the internet

Oh well, back to CRC for parts then… or it would be if they had them in stock. Balls to it. I’ll stick with the tubes then until I find some