I had a chance to connect with Vittoria at CABDA a few weeks ago, and their representative mentioned that they were planning to release a hookless compatible cotton road tire similar to the Corsa Speed, but not with Speed branding. So it wasn’t entirely surprising that Continental was working on what could be a sea change tire for wider adoption of hookless road rims.
Given the caveats, so of which I included in the image above, are heavy, but it’s definitely a start. While I still wouldn’t recommend buying a new set of hookless road rims if you’re planning to ride 25C tires, it’s not the massive hardship it once was, and I wouldn’t have any issues grabbing a set of 28C/30C tires to roll on my hookless gravel rims if I wanted something a bit more plush over the winter.
All that hookless stuff out of the way, the other advancements seem enticing as well. Massive claimed improvements in weight, rolling resistance, and puncture protection; which if true, means I need to grab a few pairs of these ASAP. Well, once they hit volume and I can find them at a reasonable price ;).
Also, I’m kind of ashamed to admit that those “transparent” sidewalls look amazing.
