The hookless, wired-on tyre and rim dates back to 1892 when Dunlop bought Charles Welch's patents. Dunlop had invented the pneumatic bicycle tyre in 1887 but was in a tyre war with three rivals, all having different tyre designs. Dunlop's original design had used a tyre that was cemented to the rim using flaps that extended over the rim. Welch's system of two continuous wire hoops encased in rubber beads greatly facilitated mounting and repair.

At this point the story diverges, depending on the market. In Canada and most of Europe, the wired-on tyre was the preferred choice for the non-competitive cyclist. However, in the USA, there was no clear winner until the bicycle industry crashed in 1899 as result of market saturation due to increased competition. With the tyre companies suffering cash flow issues, the Rubber Goods Manufacturing Company took the opportunity to acquire the American patent rights for three of the four major players in the tyre industry, including Dunlop's wired-on. They effectively killed the wired-on, instead promoting the single tube tyre, which was cheaper and provided better long term profits. The single tube tyre used an inner tube that was vulcanized to the casing, which was then cemented to the rim, There was no method to remove the inner tube for repair, instead relying on plugs, glue injection or returning the tyre to the bicycle shop for vulcanization. The wired-on would not regain significant market share until the maverick Schwinn company re-introduced them in 1933, in balloon tyre form.

Hooked, wired-on rims started appearing in the 1970s with the introduction of high pressure tyres. However, a definite trend started with the 1976 Mavic-Michelin collaboration to introduce high performance 700C as a sports bicycle alternative to tubular rims and tyres. Hookless, wired-on slowly lost market share from that point onward but can still be found on some entry level and children's bicycles with medium pressure applications.