UCI announces ‘preparation of new measures’ regarding hookless rims and tubeless tyres

The UCI released a statement on Thursday issuing its first set of guidelines on the subject of hookless rims and tubeless tyres for the short, medium and long term.

The sport’s governing body has commissioned a safety group to suggest potential improvements and guidelines that could be worked into the rulebook, while also urging riders and teams to report any incidents involving hookless rims.

This move has come after concerns were raised by road cycling stakeholders regarding rider safety and the use of hookless rims and tubeless tyres inside the peloton. There have been two high-profile incidents this year, with Thomas de Gendt suffering a high-speed crash as a result of an impact to the rim that saw the tyre blown off, while another Lotto Dstny rider was seen carrying their bike at Strade Bianche with the front tyre completely detached from the rim.

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In the statement, the UCI “reminds teams and riders” that its regulations call for compliance with the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), which issues guidelines for rim width, tyre width, and tyre pressure in hookless set-ups.

“These standards provide a framework for the compatibility of tyre and rim widths on bicycles. The UCI notes that the norms defined in these ISO standards have not always been respected and does not rule out the possibility that this may have been a contributing factor in some of the incidents encountered.

“The UCI also recognises that compliance with the ISO standards by teams and riders is made more difficult by the fact that manufacturers base their recommendations for compatibility between tyres and rims on the recommendations provided by the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO), which have not always been aligned with ISO standards.”

In the medium term, the UCI has commissioned SafeR, the new road cycling safety taskforce set up last summer, to investigate the issue of hookless rims. The group will consult with teams, riders and manufacturers to provide potential improvements and clarity around the guidelines, with the scope to include these in official UCI regulations.

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The SafeR group will detail its findings and recommendations for application ahead of the 2025 season. This will be included in a report aimed at continuously improving rider safety.

In light of this new group, the UCI has asked teams, riders and race officials to report incidents involving hookless rims with tubeless tyres to allow for a detailed analysis of the incident to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Beyond this, the UCI has announced that it will carry out “an in-depth analysis of the appropriateness of the current requirements for the use of different types of equipment in competition, in particular wheels.”

Concluding the statement the UCI said that this would be, “to ensure that these requirements guarantee the safety of riders, are adapted to professional cycling, and do not rely exclusively or for the most part on the diligence and internal processes of manufacturers.”

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