Quote:
Originally Posted by AngryScientist
My guess is that the vast majority of people who go into a bike shop and buy a complete bike dont really know the technology too well.
Baron, do you tell your customers who you sell hookless wheels explicitly that they have hookless wheels and that they need to adhere to a certain pressure band and type of tire? Seems like when buying a complete bike that bit could get lost.
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I think you're incorrect about the vast majority. My experience is that the vast majority is over-informed and under-experienced, which equals being A) overwhelmed by information, much of which is conflicting (see this thread, I rest my case), B) unable to prioritize which information is more concretely true or simply more important than another piece of information (weight or aero, tubed or tubeless, electronic or mechanical, function or form, boutique or big name, endurance or race, deep dish or shallow or mid, hookless or hooked, wider or narrower, lower psi or higher, frame or components, D2C or B&M, Orange Seal or Stan's, Gatorskins or GP5000's, integrated or exposed, one piece or two, Dura Ace or Ultegra or 105 --or maybe Sram? Or maybe Campy?, buy nice or buy less nice and upgrade later, etc etc.)
I actually just had an experience with a customer yesterday who is building up a Dogma F12. She ordered Princeton Carbon Peak 4550 for it. She received the brand new ones instead of the 'old' model she thought she was getting. She immediately went online to research the differences (aside from the funky profile). She saw that the new ones were hooked, and was worried that the wheels had regressed back to old technology, because the originals were hookless.
Anyway, yes, we do inform all of our customers about the nature of their hookless wheels, when applicable. Assuming all shops are equally conscientious (I'm being generous here, just roll with it), it's that for you, me, my coworkers, and most everyone on Paceline, the explanation of what hookless is and what care must be taken with a hookless system, is perfectly understandable First Language. For many people, though, it's not. And while they might nod their heads in understanding in the store, they might not entirely comprehend; and if they do, they might forget, because how often does a casual cyclist replace their tires or think about their wheel/tire system? I know every time I need to know anything about anything that's not a bike or a toy, I have to look it up --because I'm like a cow, everything goes in one ear and out the udder. Most people are the same.