

Hookless rims are back under the spotlight – here’s everything you need to know
Jul 18, 2025
18:48
Josh Poertner, the former chairman of the Bicycle Wheel Technical Committee, dropped a bombshell recently when he issued a powerful rebuttal of the case for hookless road rims – one of cycling’s most controversial topics in recent years.
Specifically, Poertner claims “Hookless rims are a scam”, with “zero performance advantages”, and that they are “a safety risk” with too little margin for error.
In this episode of the BikeRadar podcast, Jack Luke sits down with Simon von Bromley – BikeRadar’s most learned correspondent on this topic – to discuss Poertner’s comments, and why this debate refuses to die.
- "Hookless rims are a scam," claims former chairman of Bicycle Wheel Technical Committee
- Hookless rims explained | How new standards have finally improved compatibility
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