Stan’s NoTubes are one of the pioneers of tubeless-ready wheel and rim systems and haS now launched the S1 wheels. These lower priced options have an emphasis on durability and strength and sit below the MK3 range of wheels in Stan’s range.
Words: Sean White Images: Ieuan Williams
STAN’S NOTUBES S1 FLOW WHEELS
We’ve long been fans of Stan’s wheels and rims, always finding the rims a good blend of strength and realistic weight with excellent tubeless compatibility. The BST (Bead Socket technology) that Stan’s NoTubes has developed works on most of the tubeless-ready tyres we’ve tried and creates a reliable seal. Running a tubeless tyre set up is common place in 2017 and is certainly an upgrade worth considering on a trail or enduro bike.
Stan’s latest Neo hubs are a definite upgrade over the early lightweight 3.30 series models (and the latest Dynasync freehub bodies improving things further) – an area where some riders felt there was room for improvement. With good spares back up from Paligap.cc here in the UK and various rim width options (in both 27.5″ and 29″), we felt this brand now offered a well sorted wheelset. We picked the Stan’s MK3 Flow wheels for the 2017 Dirt 100 line-up.
So, why are we only now looking at these S1 wheels, many months after their launch? Well, the Stan’s MK3 wheels sell at £520 a pair. That’s a great price for what’s on offer, but a touch more than the Hope Hoops and starting to head towards the DT Swiss XM1501 wheels.
There are also some incredibly high priced carbon rimmed wheels out there and it’s easy to think that pricing has spiralled out of control.
If you’re running an affordable trail bike, maybe a Vitus Sommet, then a wheel package that is between 25% and 50% of the bike’s price may not make sense. You need tubeless compatibility, wide rims (for a high volume tyres), cartridge bearing hubs, great durability – all at a sensible price. Step forward the Stan’s S1…