Joe's No Flats Tubeless Ready Kit - Eco Sealant

The Joe's No Flats Tubeless Ready Eco Sealant Kit contains all the bits and bobs you need get your tubeless-ready hoops up and rolling. It may not be as flashy as some, but this simple yet well-equipped selection is decent value and has been trouble-free on my gravel wheelset for over 1000km.

Whether you're a fan of tubeless technology or not, it shows no signs of going anywhere soon – more and more wheelsets are tubeless ready. Most arrive not actually that ready, though, leaving a little work to do before you can take advantage. As a minimum you'll need sealant, some appropriate rim tape and a pair of tubeless valves.

The Joe's kit includes all these things, plus a valve key for removing the core (makes application and top up easier), a spare core and a Presta-to-Schrader adaptor (useful for some pumps).

The tape here is 25mm, though Joe's also do this kit with 21mm. As a rule of thumb, I go 3-5mm wider than the inner width of the rim, so this was ideal for my 21mm internal width gravel wheelset. It's very similar to Stans No Tubes tape, and not just because it's yellow – even pulled tight, the tape did not want to adhere.

Clean rim

Happily, after cleaning the rims more thoroughly with isopropyl and a green scourer, it stuck without issue.

The kit is suitable for most 29in, 27.5in and 26in wheels, and I finished wrapping of my 700c rims with plenty of tape to spare.

The valves here are only 32mm long, but 48mm is an option too. They may not look as flashy as Muc-Off's Ultimate Tubeless Kit but they seal well and get the job done.

Glass holes

The Joe's kit is also available with two types of sealant: either Super Sealant or this Eco Sealant. It's Latex-free, ammonium free and protein free whilst still claiming to fix holes up to 6mm – which it does. I've been pleased with its performance, as it's successfully sealed multiple thorn and glass holes.

It is quite thick, which usually means it's suitable for lower pressures, and when it says to 'shake well' it really does mean it. It takes about a minute of vigorous shaking to get the gloopiness off the bottom of the bottle and mixed in.

The spout can fit into a valve, although when it's this thick I find it easier to dump it straight into the tyre.

Although my tyres inflated fine with a standard track pump, the Presta to Schrader adaptor means you could use pumps or compressors designed for car tyres if necessary.

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Once set up my test wheels held air well over time – the tape is obviously effective. Over nearly two months of use and over 1000km of mainly off-road and cycle path riding, and multiple punctures, the kit has worked perfectly.

Sticky balls

A rock strike that ruined the sidewall (no chance of anything fixing that one) offered a good chance to inspect everything, and I found the tape still firmly stuck and the sealant still a fluid, rather than a ball of stickiness.

At £32.99 the Joe's kit is priced very competitively. Cheaper options such as the Orro Road Tubeless Kit (£26.99) contain significantly less sealant (120ml against Joe's 250ml), while it beats the likes of the Muc-Off Ultimate Tubeless Kit (£40) – although that does have those fancier valves.

Overall, the Joe's kit is a simple and cost-effective way of setting up tubeless, though the width of rim tape – and the thickness of sealant – means it's best used with wider wheelsets and gravel/XC applications.

Verdict

Cost-effective and simple way of getting tubeless-ready wheels rolling, but best for lower pressure tyres