Why Mini-Hook Makes a Mega Difference

Confidence equals speed.

When you're not worried about tire pressure limits or compatibility charts or whether your wheels and tires are going to play nice together, you ride faster. When you're not second-guessing your setup in a hard corner, you push harder. That's what the mini-hook does. It takes the headache out of tubeless.

The Hookless Situation

You've probably seen the headlines. Hookless rims are getting called out. Pro riders having blowoffs. The Silca CEO calling it "a scam". The UCI investigating. Brands bringing back hooked rims for their road wheels.

This isn't new drama. It's been building for a while. And it comes down to margins.

The ETRTO spec for hookless says a tire only needs to stay on the rim up to 10% over its max pressure. An 80 PSI tire has to hold at 88 PSI. That's an 8 PSI safety margin.

Your floor pump probably varies by a few PSI. A hot day adds pressure, so does a gain in elevation. Tires vary in bead diameter between batches because they're made in huge volumes with rubber and fabric, not precision machined. Direct sunlight heats up your tires (and expands the air inside) and raises the pressure. And that's all before you factor in rider weights - some riders just can't run a 28mm tire safely. You can hit the limit without trying.

For gravel and mountain bikes running 30 PSI with wide tires, that's fine. For road bikes? It's tight. Too tight for us.

What a Mini-Hook Actually Is

A mini-hook is a partial bead hook. Small. Just big enough to give you an additional safety factor. The ETRTO standard providing just a 10% pressure overrun isn't enough - hooked rims and tubes had to hold at a 50% pressure overrun. Mini-hook gives you extra hold that the standards missed. None of us are running 110psi anymore, but you shouldn't need to worry about going 8psi over either.

The rim bed is still tubeless specific. The tire seats and seals exactly like it does on hookless. The mini-hook only engages in edge cases. The ones that matter.

It adds 5 grams per rim. Ten grams for a wheelset. Less than the difference between a short and long valve stem.

What you get is actual security. You're not riding right at the edge of the spec. You've got more safety than the standards call for. Use any current tubeless tire you want. Corner as hard as you can. Ride all day.

It's not complicated. It's just the way we think it should have been from the start.

Why It Changes How You Ride

No compatibility charts. Any current tubeless tire works. 28mm included. No checking if your tire and rim combo is approved. No wondering if you're within spec. Mount it and go.

No pressure math. Want to run 75 PSI? 85? Whatever works for your weight and the road? Do it. The mini-hook has your back.

No worrying about blowoffs. Hard corner on a descent? Pothole at speed? Temperature swing on a long ride? The tire stays on. That's the whole point.

Setup is still easy. We pre-tape every wheel with a machine jig for even, accurate application. The rim bed dimensions are precise. Tires mount with a floor pump. They seal. They stay sealed.

The tape matters more than you think. The ETRTO standard is tight enough that tape thickness is part of the rim bed calculation. It's not just there to seal spoke holes. It's a structural component. That's why we handle it. Want tires pre-mounted with your OTHR wheels? Just let us know.

The Four Benefits

Comfort. Tubeless lets you run lower pressure without pinch flats. The tire absorbs the road. The mini-hook doesn't change that. But you can run those lower pressures with confidence because the hook prevents burping or blowoffs even if you misjudge or conditions change.

Speed. Lower rolling resistance is free speed. Every test shows it. Tubeless is faster. You get all the speed of hookless tubeless with none of the risk.

Safety. All the tubeless benefits. Punctures seal. Better grip. But also: no blowoffs. The hook catches the bead. You can ride hard without wondering. That's the difference.

Easy Setup. OTHR rims mount easier than anything else you'll use. Part of that is the mini-hook design. Part is our pre-taping. Part is precise rim bed dimensions. It all works together. Tires go on easy. Seat easy. Stay sealed.

No compressor needed for most setups. Just a decent floor pump that actually moves air.

Why We Do This

You shouldn't need an advanced degree to figure out if your tires and wheels work together. You shouldn't need to check compatibility lists every time you buy tires. You definitely shouldn't have to worry about your setup when you're riding.

The mini-hook eliminates that.

Some companies saved 10 grams and went full hookless. Now they're dealing with pressure limits, compatibility issues, riders who don't trust their wheels. Some are walking it back. Some are doubling down.

We saw this coming four years ago when we started OTHR. That's why every carbon wheel we make has had a mini-hook from day one.

What You Actually Get

OTHR wheels are tubeless specific. Wide internal width (24mm). Tested to XC MTB impact standards, even our road wheels. Quality hubs with high spec bearings. Hand built. Pre-taped and ready to go.

This all lets you ride with confidence.

And confidence equals speed.

Questions? We're happy to answer. That's what we're here for. Email us at support@ritteracing.com