Great question. The short answer is because we don't believe we need to on our road wheels just yet. There are two main benefits to a manufacturer of using hookless rims:
- Cost - you reduce the complexity of the moulding process when you remove the bead hook & therfore the cost of manufacturing. To my mind it's no coincidence that the "affordable" range wheelsets launched by major wheel manufacturers recently all have hookless rims. We can deliver a competitive price point without cutting manufacturing costs, mainly down to our direct sales model.
- Weight - by removing the bead hook you reduce rim weight. Again, we can keep the weight of our rims down by using some enhanced moulding processes (developed in conjunction with our manufacturing partner), so we can deliver a competitive rim weight even with a bead hook
Of course that doesn't mean we don't see a future for road hookless. It's just that we as the rim manufacturers, the tyre manufacturers and the standards agencies haven't yet defined a suitable solution. Until that happens, unlike some others, we don't need to go hookless, so haven't.
I should also add that for our Alta 650B gravel wheels, we have chosen to use hookless rims. Here it makes much more sense as for gravel riding, tubeless is far and away the preferred tyre setup. With 650B tyres, you also would never be running close to 72psi, so the safety limits aren't an issue. The other benefit is that a hookless rim can be made stronger and more resistant to rim impacts without increasing weight. That was a particular benefit for gravel riding, where low tyre pressures and rough terrain can cause you to bottom out onto the rim.