Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
I can repeat the benefits of a hookless rim for road, but is a hookless rim noticably better in practice?
Is a cyclist measurably faster or more comfortable with the smoother interface and ever so slightly different tire shape?...or are those benefits more theoretical because they can't be measured or noticed by amateur enthusiast cyclists and the real benefit is easier/cheaper manufacturing?
It makes the rim easier to manufacture and hence less expensive. Same as rims without brake tracks.
Aero is like weight, any one point of savings doesn't make any real difference, but it all adds up when you have dozens or hundreds of points of savings. In this case it moves all the numbers in the right direction - more aero, lighter, AND cheaper with few if any tradeoffs. That's pretty unusual, and personally I think this is why hookless is the future.