Hello all,
I am getting a new wheelset built for my gravel / bikepacking bike.
My local wheelbuilder is proposing to use a Newmen XR25 rim, which seems to fit all my criteria (25mm internal width, shallow profile, lightweight yet strong). EXCEPT for the fact that it is hookless.
There have been some reports lately of hookless systems failing in races, and the tires blowing off the rims. Even the UCI are investigating. [https://www.bikeradar.com/news/uci-hookless-investigation](https://www.bikeradar.com/news/uci-hookless-investigation)
So I am torn, should I get hookless? Some concerns I still have:
\- I would be limited to max 50psi (Newmen spec). I want to use this wheelset for bikepacking with 36mm tires too. Perhaps 50psi is sufficient..?
\- Can I still put in a tube in case of a puncture on a tubeless + hookless setup?
Thanks!
[View Poll](https://www.reddit.com/poll/1cdfsci)
by PeerensClement
10 Comments
I’ll stick with hooked. I also race cyclocross and blue mtb trails. So I really throw the bike around corners do a lot of skidding etc. knowing that I can barely remove/unhook most of my tires when trying to change them – gives me a tiny bit more confidence. If I was riding hookless – just knowing how the system works, it would play on my mind (regardless of what anyone say’s). I’m not against hookless, but for me – I’ll just stick with me hooks.
The issue with hookless is pretty much all about pressure limits. The wider your tire, the lower the pressure, the higher the chance that you’ll be below the limit.
>I would be limited to max 50psi (Newmen spec). I want to use this wheelset for bikepacking with 36mm tires too. Perhaps 50psi is sufficient..?
Simply check an online tire pressure calculator: [https://silca.cc/pages/pro-tire-pressure-calculator](https://silca.cc/pages/pro-tire-pressure-calculator). 36mm is wide enough that you can probably reach the weight limit of your wheels while still staying under 50 PSI.
>Can I still put in a tube in case of a puncture on a tubeless + hookless setup?
I principle that can work fine, but you’ll be risking pinch punctures by running the lower pressure.
next time put option for “just want to see the results”
i HAVE to…since i recently got a Cube Nuroad with those exact wheels…wouldn’t have been my first choice, as it seems to be a pain to find compatible tires…but that’s what Cube spec their bikes with now…
Hookless is not an issue off-road. You aren’t riding 30mm tyres at 4.5bar.
can someone who voted (and i guess has experience with hookless unlike me) mention the vote tally? gracias 😉
I have hookless carbon rims on my mtb and have ridden with too low pressure and have never had an issue.
Also, hookless rims on gravel bike and ride tubeless and if riding pavement will over inflate my 43 panaracers and have never had an issue
There’s noway I’m going to ride something with even a slightly increased chance of the tire blowing off the bead just so the rim brand can be cheap with their manufacturing process.
i’m running hookless with innertubes this winter (new bike, DT Swiss GRC 1400 SPLINE) and will be switching to tubeless soon when i switch to my summer tires.
[https://i.imgur.com/Y0ncfR8.png](https://i.imgur.com/Y0ncfR8.png)
I don’t think it’s an issue with gravel tires & lower pressures, also we are far from putting out the power the pro’s are 😉
I was concerned about this because I bought hookless gravel wheels before I knew the distinction existed or mattered. Since then I’ve been listening to the Escape Collective’s podcasts and they pretty much preach: HOOKLESS ARE DANGEROUS. So I reached out to James Huang about this and he said he would have no problem with hookless gravel wheels running a wide tire like my 38s. It’s only road tires at road pressures where they are seeing the safety concerns. Also, mountain bikers have been running hookless for a long time now with no issue. You just need to make sure you are running a tire where it makes sense to run 50 psi or lower and not anywhere near the blow-off levels of 75 psi or whatever.