And of course the UCI has now weighed in on hookless rims

Remember the disc brake saga a few years ago? Thankfully that is behind us…sort of. But now, ta-da! We may very well have a never-ending debate on whether or not hookless rims are safe. On Friday, the gang in Switzerland put out a statement about the usage of the wheels.

“In light of a series of recent incidents involving the use of hookless rims and tubeless tires (a combination commonly referred to as hookless) in professional road cycling, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has decided to study the situation as a matter of urgency with a view to taking a rapid decision in the interest of rider safety.

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The most notable incident they refer to is Thomas De Gendt’s crash during Stage 5 of the UAE Tour.

De Gendt had a weird crash at high speed, where his tire had become dislodged from the rim. Additionally, the tire insert had become entangled with his fork. The Belgian was unsure what caused the crash and posted on social media about it.

“A special thank you to the Soudal–Quick-Step team for the help after my crash. They gave me a new wheel, fixed my bike and did the concussion protocol. Our car was behind the break and unable to help at that moment,” he posted. “And if someone has the images. I would like to know what I hit with my front wheel.”

Following the crash, riders union president Adam Hansen of the CPA, weighed in on the potential danger of them. Hansen said the CPA is very much against them.

“This crash is why the CPA are 100 percent against hookless rims.“Tires should not come off a rim. The maximum psi these hookless tires can have put in them is 73, and if you hit something for sure it goes above the maximum 73 psi rating on impact. That is why tires are coming off,” he said. “We have heard from some teams that they have put tires on before, they left them out in the sun and their tires just pop off.”

The brands involved in the crash were quick to respond, in an attempt to distance themselves from the wheel and tire failure.

The tire maker, Vittoria, blamed the rock he hit, not the rubber. “In the aftermath of Thomas De Gendt’s crash during the UAE Tour last week, there has been some discussion about the hookless system. It is crucial to clarify that the rim’s failure resulted from an impact with an object, in this case, a rock, and is unrelated to the hookless rim design,” the statement from read.

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A spokesperson from Zipp, the Lotto Dstny wheel sponsor said that, “Zipp takes the performance and safety of its products very seriously. Regarding the recent WorldTour incident, we are looking into it and working directly with the teams and riders to make sure we understand exactly what happened.”

The statement from the UCI concluded by saying that, “The UCI shall continue to work closely with the stakeholders of cycling and equipment manufacturers to ensure that appropriate measures are taken both in the short and long term. This review and the decisions that will follow are part of the UCI’s policy to promote rider safety, one of its major concerns.”

It’s unclear just what the international cycling body has in mind for the future of hookless rims in pro cycling, but that measures will be communicated as soon as possible.