Disc only/32-hole/Black only/Weight: 347g/Rim width 23mm
Contact: Freeborne 01403 251252

There are two reasons No Tubes’ ZTR (Zero Tube Rim) Olympic rim doesn’t have a bead hook. First, it’s tubeless and the bead of a UST tyre seats in a concave shape on the inside of the rim. Second, removing the hook reduces the height of the sidewall by 2-3mm, making the rim 50g lighter than a Mavic XC717. Removing the bead hooks increases the internal dimension and in theory exposes more of the tyre, allowing a larger air volume and resulting in better traction.
You can configure the rims for tubeless use in two ways — either with Stan’s lightweight yellow sealing tape and a Presta valve stem, or with a thicker rubber rim strip with built-in valve. The tape is much lighter but we’ve found it doesn’t offer as good a seal with some tyres and does need renewing if you’re swapping tyres. The rubber strips are 35g each but they’re more reliable. The only caveat is you have to drill the rims to accommodate the strips, and once done you can’t swap back to the tape.
No Tubes recommends running its Solution tyre sealant with either arrangement, not only to seal thorn flats but also to help the bead seat.
We fitted three different tyres to the rims and found that a dedicated tubeless tyre worked best. A non-tubeless Kenda seated first time but ours had a very thin sidewall, which leaked air, even running a couple of scoops of solution. We reckon you’re better off fitting a dedicated UST tyre, like the Maxxis UST shown in the picture — it didn’t seat very well on a Mavic rim but it did on the Olympic.
Built on a set of trick hubs and fitted with a light UST tyre you could end up with one of the lightest disc wheelsets on the market.

MBR RATING: 9/10