Whats the real benefit of tubeless-ready wheels? Are they just a marketing gimmick to get us to spend more money on wheels that can supposedly run tubeless, or is there actual engineering behind it?
Ive seen some wheels that are specifically labeled as tubeless-ready and others that arent, but what exactly does that mean? Is it just a matter of the rim being wide enough to accommodate a tubeless tire, or are there other factors at play?
From what Ive gathered, a tubeless-ready wheel typically has a special rim bed design with a specific profile to secure the tire, as well as reinforcement to handle the higher pressures involved. But cant you just use a tubeless conversion kit on a non-tubeless-ready wheel and get the same results?
And what about the claims of improved reliability and reduced flats with tubeless-ready wheels? Is that just anecdotal evidence, or are there actual studies that back it up?
It seems to me that the term tubeless-ready is being thrown around a lot these days, but what does it really mean in terms of performance and functionality? Is it worth the extra cost, or are we just paying for a marketing label?