Rider’s union worried about hookless rims in the pro peloton after Thomas De Gendt crash

The CPA (Cyclistes Professionnels Associés) president Adam Hansen is speaking out about hookless rims after Thomas De Gendt’s crash during Stage 5 of the UAE Tour.

The Australian former pro said the CPA is “100 per cent against” them.

De Gendt experienced a strange crash at high speed on Friday. After the race, photos showed that the Lotto Dstny rider’s tire had become dislodged from the rim. Furthermore, the tire insert had become entangled with his fork.

The Belgian posted to social media about the crash, unsure of the cause.

“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.”

Hansen, in an interview with Velo, said he is greatly concerned about the rims.

This is true. The @cpacycling is not happy with riders racing on Hookless system in the peloton. There have been concerns from riders and teams with this new system.https://t.co/4bEJ0x2Q2G

— Adam Hansen (@HansenAdam) February 25, 2024

“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.”

However, manufacturers favour them greatly because producing the rim is considerably easier, requiring fewer molds, Hansen explained. The Australian said that these rims are also lighter, streamlining the production process, and manufacturers are actively promoting their use.

Hookless rims don’t have the small notch for the tire bead to hook onto, relying on the tensile strength of the tire bead and tire pressure for stability. However, it is recommended that tire pressure for hookless rims should not exceed 73 psi for safety’s sake.

Escape Collective confirmed that Thomas De Gendt’s Zipp wheels were equipped with 28mm-wide Vittoria Corsa Pro tires, falling below the ISO-recommended 29mm minimum width for a 25mm internal rim. While this suggests a deviation from ISO standards, De Gendt’s Lotto Dstny team defended their choice to cyclingnews.com, stating that they use 28mm tires on a 23mm or 25mm inner rim as mandated by the UCI, Zipp, and Vittoria, ensuring compliance with all regulations.

Either way, this, like the disc brake debate of a few years ago, the conversation about hookless rims is most likely going to be here for a while…