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Gravel tires with hookless rims

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wayold

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I have some wheels coming for my gravel bike - 22mm IW hookless. I'll be running 40-45mm tires, more on road than not, but a fair bit of fire roads and some mild single track too - typically hardpack dirt, dry conditions. At the moment I have the 38mm Pathfinder Pros that came on the bike - set up with tubes. They're not bad - quiet on the road, but lose a little bit of traction on steep dirt.

Anyway, I'll be switching to tubeless with the new wheels and I'm leaning toward the 43mm Gravelking SS. While it's approved for tubeless use with hookless rims I wonder if others around here have had good luck with them. Also looking for recommendations if anyone has tires they particularly like for my projected use: Tubeless on hookless rims, 40-45mm, dry hardpack.
 
#2 ·
Gravekings are one of the worst tires to set up tubeless, the beads are really loose on most rims. They also have poor puncture protection, but I never had any issues out on the road/trail with them. My favorite tire for all road riding is the Pirelli gravel H. They roll fast, have good puncture protection and good volume. They are a little heavy though.
 
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#3 ·
I too run the pirelli gravel h
No issues on my hookless rims. Set up easily. I also ride a lot road vs dirt. Just more of it than unpaved here. Running 40c. So far great tire. Whatever you do my experience with the GK in the plus version that has extra protection they rode awful. Very non compliant.
 
#4 ·
I also wouldn’t recommend gravel kings. Mine felt slow on the road and didn’t hook up at all in the loose over hard conditions I have locally. If you are mostly on road why not something faster rolling? I am liking the maxxis receptor recently.
 
#5 ·
I have run 35mm gravel king slicks on hookless 23mm internal rims with no issues for at least five years now. I use an air compressor to seat all my tubeless tires, so I can't really comment on how well they setup without one, but they aren't much of a challenge to get popped onto the rim with sufficient airflow.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
matt.s67 said:
I'm running Tufo Thundero 40c tires on Zipp 303 Firecrest (25mm internal) and love them. Very easy to mount, roll quick and grip predictably...they've also held air flawlessly and hardly show any wear after 1700+ miles so far.
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Are those Thunderos true to size or do they run a little small? They're definitely one of the alternatives I'm considering.
 
#9 ·
Many better tires out there now than anything in the GravelKing line.

Really love the Tufo Thundero tires I have been running for around around 10-12K miles now. The rolling resistance is very low, they are supple, grip is fine, and they last a long time (around 4K for a rear). Only downside is puncture resistance on tough terrain with sharp rocks like the Flint Hills of KS (Unbound) or NW Arkansas (Sugar Bottom). The Specialized Pathfinder Pro is another great tire that trades a little rolling resistance and more weight for a lot more cut resistance for that type of stuff.

I am not sold on hookless for road, and not really for gravel either. It's safe in the design parameters but all tires stretch a bit over time, and the consequences of having the tire blow right off the rim are too high. Concerns me a little with the Tufo tires that are labeled hookless compatible because they do fit a tad loose, and are hand made...so some questions on tolerances.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
zen_ said:
I am not sold on hookless for road, and not really for gravel either. It's safe in the design parameters but all tires stretch a bit over time, and the consequences of having the tire blow right off the rim are too high. Concerns me a little with the Tufo tires that are labeled hookless compatible because they do fit a tad loose, and are hand made...so some questions on tolerances.
Click to expand...
How much difference is there really between running hookless for MTB at 25 psi vs hookless for gravel at 35psi? The sketchy thing about hookless for road is the much higher pressures you have to run on skinny road tires. I never intend to put tires less than 40mm wide on these wheels and hope the pressures are low enough that hookless isn't a problem (at least for hookless approved tires). I guess if my tires blow off the rim during a 40mph descent I'll have about a second to regret my decision, but I've been running tubeless on hookless rims for thousands of miles on my MTB without a problem.
 
#12 ·
Another Thundero fanboy here. I have them in 36, 40 and 44. For rough events I use the 44 HD, they still roll out like nothing in it's class.

'Almost all' modern gravel tires will work FINE on the 22mm hookless rims. It took way too long, but finally the different factories are converging on the right fit between rims and tires. Other than my personal loathing of GravelKings, they should work fine too, even a little loose, riders aren't blowing tires off the rims like 10-15 years ago. Starting last Saturday, I do a TON of gravel events every year, I have not heard of a single tire peeling off the rim JRA.

DT
 
#14 ·
SlipperyToad said:
I have run 35mm gravel king slicks on hookless 23mm internal rims with no issues for at least five years now. I use an air compressor to seat all my tubeless tires, so I can't really comment on how well they setup without one, but they aren't much of a challenge to get popped onto the rim with sufficient airflow.
Click to expand...
Same positive experience for me with Gravelkings.

Mine:
GK SS tubeless, 35mm, on hooked 23mm internal rims. Zero flats ever and I get about 4000 miles on the rear before replacement is necessary.
 
#15 ·
Rene Herse makes nice tires, as do Challenge and a few others. I tend to stick with those brands though my current favorite is the Terrene Elwood. They are a bit harder to find now since Terrene was bought out. The Elwood is a fast-rolling softer-feeling tire that I moved to after years on the Graveling SK, WTB Resolute, Maxxix Rambler, etc. I have mainly dabbled in knobbier gravel tires, with the Elwood being the smoother tire (and the fastest) though still sawtooth type. Anyway, the Rene Herse Barlow Pass is a nice smoother tire and probably the best-riding smoother gravel tire. They are hookless compatible.
 
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