00:00So usually when people write like trends and prediction pieces in the bike industry, it's like an indicator of what
00:07is going to get shoved down consumer throats in the next year.
00:11And I did that piece, but a couple things I'm actually going to, I predicted we're going to see less
00:18of, and one of those is road hookless.
00:20I think like two to three years ago, it was sort of predicted as it's going to be the future
00:25of road wheel technology because it took over on mountain bikes, it took over on gravel bikes.
00:31And actually, I think we're seeing brands step away from it.
00:35Like Envy has been a proponent of road hookless for the last 10 years.
00:40In 2025, they launched a wheel with hooks.
00:43And granted, they bent over backwards to give reasons why that wasn't to do hooks, but it was something to
00:52do with weight saving.
00:53I'm not exactly buying it.
00:55But my point is, I think we're kind of seeing the end of road hookless.
01:02Outside of Zip and Kadex, most brands have wheels with hooks.
01:07I think that's a great thing for consumers.
01:11You know, the thing about hookless was it was supposed to be lighter, it was supposed to be cheaper, and
01:16it was supposed to be a stronger wheel.
01:19And a couple years later, I think we've just discovered that we can do all those things and have hooks,
01:25eliminating the tire compatibility issues, the pressure restrictions,
01:30that all added friction to the consumer process of buying wheels or maintaining wheels.
01:37And I think that's a great thing.
Comments