Originally Posted by
Kontact
So, is the hook on carbon rims just harder to make and a few grams heavier, or does it actually make the rim less strong?
For a given weight, and assuming the same materials the hooked rim is going to be less strong. The hook has to be strong enough to withstand the pressure of the tire, and tire irons used to mount the tire. It takes some material to make the hook sufficiently robust.
That’s material that otherwise could strengthen the rim overall. So a hooked rim is either going to be slightly heavier, or slightly weaker ( or use better materials and therefore more expensive). Whether the marginal difference is enough to matter is debatable.