Originally Posted by
elcruxio
Are your arguments really
1) The engineer in question is too young and thus can't know what he's talking about (Ad Hominem)
2) Surely "they" have engineered this stuff to be safe and decided steel beads isn't necessary (appeal to authority I think, but could be wrong)
3) You've had plenty of trouble free miles (survivor bias)
?
If you look at the actual Peak Torque video, which has been linked here earlier, you'll notice said young engineer has thought about this stuff quite a bit. Enough to draw two rim molds just to elaborate why companies want to switch to hookless.
My main argument is the stupidity of comparing heavy car and truck tires with exceptionally strong beads and sidewalls to bike tires. They have nothing in common other than hookless rims. He also claims that these tires require huge forces from special mounting equipment to install (not true). Then he concludes that bike tires are too easy to install so they can't be safe.
Testing is the answer. Tire manufacturers should be able to test tire and wheel combinations at pressures that are far above what the heaviest riders need and test at common rotational speeds, with an appropriate weight bearing on the wheel. I've tested my tire/wheel combinations at 150% of the maximum pressure that I actually use (55 psi), but only while stationary, and not weight bearing. To be thorough, tires really need to inflated for a year or two to evaluate bead stretch over time. The Pirelli P-Zero TLR tubeless tires that I use that stretch very little, so yes they have been proven to hold up over time. I used up 6 Michelin tubeless that weren't hookless approved and the reason was obvious - they suffered from bead stretch. I tossed the last one when the bead unseated when the air was let out and couldn't be reseated with valve core in place. If you let the air out of a tire to replenish the sealant and it immediately unseats, I wouldn't keep using the tire.
I take fairly high risks riding down steep mountain roads at high speeds. I have to be extremely vigilant to avoid road damage and rocks that fall from canyon walls. It's not everyone's cup of tea. I've been doing it since 2003 and never had a tire problem.
Hooked carbon tubeless wheels are readily available and buyers uncertain about hookless should buy those and quit whining about hookless. You're not being forced to use them.