How can I tell if my tire is equipped with a tube? I have a puncture on my MTB tire. It says tubeless ready, but how do I know if it has a tube in it? Rims are sealed, it is a new bike around 6 months old.
First you may check whether sealant fluid came out of the punctured tyre. It could indicate a tubeless tyre, though it is not always the case. The sure way to tell is by checking the valve.
If your valve is held by a thin screw-on collar that you can screw off with two finger or no collar at all and that you can easily push back into the rim-bed your tyres have inner tubes. Same if your valves have no threaded shaft,
Tubeless valves will look like those in the picture.
They are tightly screwed on and require tools for removal. And as you also see in the picture, the core, the silvery bit comes out. Although this my also be be the case with traditional tubes but not always.