[Steve]

No and no and yes.

Tubeless-ready tires and rims help, but aren’t necessary. There’s a lot of different versions of “ghetto” tubeless, and there’s always Skinny Strippers/Fatty Strippers, those have never failed me.

If you can get a good seal, you can seat the beads with a hand pump. Not likely though. You can get special tubeless floor pumps with air reservoirs, or a cheap air compressor, or just take your wheels down to the gas station/neighborhood mechanic and use their air. Worst case scenario, hit up your local MTB web forum or Facebook group and holler for help, somebody will hook you up. Best to just get a little air compressor though, you can find 3 gallon 1/2 HP units in your local want ads for cheap, and they’re handy to have for more than just bike tires.

And yeah, absolutely worth it. Besides the sealant plugging small holes, you lose a little bit of weight right where it matters most and you can run a little lower PSI for smoother ride/better traction without as much risk of a pinch flat. You improve your rolling resistance without a tube too. Go for it.

[Maverick]

It helps to have tubeless ready wheels. You’re going to need valve stems, rim tape, and tire sealer. Its well worth doing. I haven’t had a flat in two years