Submitted by
Slackadaisical
a Weekend Warrior
from London, England
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2011
Strengths: Crashing at speed into a large, high visibility concrete road barrier is an effective way to test the integrity of your rims. They passed with flying colours, leaving the fork to absorb the brunt of the impact, shortening the wheelbase by two inches. The wide profile of the ZTR Flow 29er provides a large contact patch, important for a mountain bike. These rims are well finished and can be configured as tubeless or tubed.
Weaknesses: Weight, maybe. The width of the ZTR Flow limits the choice of narrower tires. These rims are only available in black or white. The white rims are fractionally heavier. Price could be a bit lower.
Bottom Line:
I was after 29er XC rims for disc brakes and prepared to pay for something that would last. I read positive reviews, saw their wide profile and immediately ordered them. I failed to notice, however, that in fact these were rated as downhill rims, albeit on the light side. Surviving a hard impact unscathed, these rims have validated my choice, as they have always remained true. It follows then, that in my finite wisdom, I am running them tubed. Would I buy these again? More than likely, but this time in white. Theses rims have been a sound investment.
Similar Products Used: Mavic XC 717 Disc [26”]. These weren’t impacted tested.
Bike Setup: Singular Swift, Rohloff Hub, Hope BB, Mono Mini’s & Pro II Hub, Raceface Deus XC cranks, Blackspire Big-Slim pedals, Thompson Elite stem, On-One Mary bar, Cane Creek Thudbuster, Selle SMP saddle, Chris King No thread set, ZTR Flow’s with Racing Ralphs and lots of ‘copter tape.
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Submitted by
TheFCuddy
a Cross Country Rider
from Philadelphia, PA
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2011
Strengths: Very rugged, tubeless made easy!
Weaknesses: None for me
Bottom Line:
I am 6'6" 245lbs suited up and I have issues destroying wheels. I found Prowheelbuilder.com and built up a set of 36 spoke niner wheels. Two weeks later I put my Nevagals on, dumped in the Stans Juice and inflated with a floor pump. It was amazing to run 28-30psi compared to the standard 38psi required to not pinch tubes. Tubeless is real mountain biking, I can feel the earth now! The Flows are holding up very well for me, I hammer them into endless log overs at Belmont Plateau and smash them into rocks at Wissahickon. I try to be smooth but the fact of the matter is a man of my size and heft is hard on equipment. These wheels are as solid as the day I received them with about 4-5 rides a week for three months now.
Bike Setup: ZTR Flow Wheels 36H, DT Swiss 14 Gauge straight pull spokes and brass nipples, XT QR Hubs, Kenda Nevagal 2.2 Tires
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Submitted by
xjpart2
a Cross Country Rider
from Sandy, Utah
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2011
Strengths: The set up to tubeless could not have been either. These wheels also stay true very well and take a beating.
Weaknesses: Price, but you get what you pay for 9 times out of 10.
Bottom Line:
I basically narrowed my choices down to the Velocity Blunt 29er rim and the Flow 29er rim. I was looking for a little wider tire to get a wider footprint out of some cushy tires (front tire widening was my main objective). I needed wheels and a front fork with more power and travel, I was also on a budget. Durability was also a concern.
I chose the Flow wheel, Hope Pro II's, and run a 2.4 Ardent up front. It helped me hang with my friends riding all mountain and downhill bikes, most of the time.
This now rides in a Fox fork up front, and could not be a better combination.
Similar Products Used: All sorts of rims set up ghetto tubeless
Bike Setup: have run predominately on a GF ht 29er, but now on a GF full suspension 29er
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Submitted by
masterofnone
a Weekend Warrior
from hopwell junction new york
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2010
Strengths: Strong without adding too much weight, spreads out tire for better traction and tire stability, tubeless setup is a cinch
Weaknesses: Price is a little higher than some rims but the ease to set up tubeless was worth it
Bottom Line:
The stock rims than came on the bike were way too narrow, the tire squirm bothered me, so I went shopping. I looked at several rims and decided to go with the tried and true flows, especially since I intended to go tubeless. I had my LBS build up a pair of white rims with basic xt hubs and silver spokes. The tires are more stable with increased traction, I don't notice the weight increase, and setting up tubeless was the easiest I have ever done. No rim strips, no packing tape, no PITA foam rubber weather stripping needed by some rims, just yellow tape and the tubeless valve. I have been converting rims and tires tubeless for years and this was the easiest by a long shot. Even the first time the beads effortlessly pop into the hook with a floor pump and I have done it without soaping them up. The "bead socket technology" sounds like marketing hype but it's the real deal. The rims have not needed truing since they were built and they get rammed into rock gardens on a regular basis. For those that think they are too heavy you need to ride a road bike, get into shape and grow a set. I know it's a bling thing but the bonus is the white rims and old school silver spokes match my bike perfectly (I'm bored with black rims and spokes) and really "pimp" it out.
Similar Products Used: round and some not so round rims after I was done with them
Bike Setup: '08 kona hei hei 29er
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Submitted by
dosman45
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson, AZ USA
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2010
Strengths: Super easy to build up and make tubeless with only stans yellow tape and olympic valves and fluid
Weaknesses: a little heavier than others, but not too bad
Bottom Line:
The Flows seem very strong and burly. The hubs are not too bad, they seem a step below the Hope Pro 2's I was using, and are very similar to XT's as far as quality (which in my opinion are below the Hope's). But at $340 for the set they will do the job. I am running them on my Salsa Dos Niner and total bike weight is right at 24.5lbs. I will probably keep the rims and replace the hubs eventually with either Hope Pro 2's, King's, or something of that quality. But so far I am very pleased.
Similar Products Used: Hope Pro 2's, DT Suiss 4.2d's, Mavic, Rhyno Lite
Bike Setup: With the new SRAM X9 hubs, DT Suiss spokes 2.0/1.8 and brass nipples. Set up tubeless with stans tape and valves
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Submitted by
ozzybmx
a Cross Country Rider
from Adelaide
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2010
Strengths: Super strong , stiff and wide.
I have just got all the parts to build another set for a new bike.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I already have a set of Flows/hopes and they have performed beautifully for the past year , im in the process of building up another set .
At 210lb loaded up its a no brainer . Also if you like to ride big tyres you need a wide rim or you will end up with higher pressures to combat tyre roll, i currently run a 2.4 and 2.25 at 22psi tubeless with no roll.
Awesome rims for trail riding and a good price too.
Similar Products Used: Many DT, Mavic and Fulcrum wheels
Bike Setup: Pivot 429 & Vassago Bandersnatch
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Submitted by
BeerBikeBerm
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2009
Strengths: Wide, strong, light for it's strength (550g by my scale), easy tubeless setup (with Weirwolf LT).
Weaknesses: Like all Stans rims, can be slightly difficult to build up to be as true as standard rims (not an issue for disc rims). Possible to over-tension (I've done it to Olympics, doh!).
Bottom Line:
My previous rims were too narrow and soft. They dented every single time I bounced off of the rim, the bead would pop off when I hit off-camber too hard, a couple bad crashes ONLY because of the rims. Yes, I was asking a bit much of Weirwolf LTs on XC width rims, but I needed the cushion for the fully rigid ride.
Now I can run 18-20 psi up front and 20-22 psi in the rear tubeless with no issues. At the lower pressure I bounce off the rims a few times a ride and always expect to see dents.
No dents! And the weight is low enough where I don't find myself wishing for the 355s or Arches (140lb rider).
Bike Setup: 29er HardTail, Wide tires, 5" Fork-20mm thru axle, King Headset & Hubs, Stans Flow Rims, Stans Kit, SRAM X-0, Carbon Post & Bars, Disk Brakes
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Submitted by
Rainman
a Cross Country Rider
from AU
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2008
Strengths: Light, well made, strong, can be run with tubes or tubeless.
Weaknesses: Price. Too expensive.
Bottom Line:
These rims have revolutionised the bike industry as far as running tubeless tires go for the majority of riders everywhere. The Stans Flow rim makes it easy to set up a tubeless system using stock folding bead tires like never before. The rims are strong enough to withstand heavy XC and light to medium AM riding without breaking.
I have ridden the snot out of my two wheelsets for a year with no problems, a light tune with the spoke wrench after they break in was all that is needed.
These are very good light strong rims, but their greatest asset is the fact that you can easily set them up to run tubeless with ordinary folding bead tires using Stans sealant, a valve and some Stans yellow rim tape.
I use Panaracer Rampage tires on these rims and have had no problems with burping or flats running tubeless, at all.
I chose these rims as Product of the 2007 Year simply because they make running tubeless so easy for everyone.
The bottom line?
A great product, over priced but reliable. Set them up with a good hub and strong DT Swiss spokes and thrash them. They certainly deserve high praise because they are a great product..
Submitted by
Julius
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 3, 2008
Strengths: Light for a FR specific 29er rim, very strong
Weaknesses: Graphics, expensive
Bottom Line:
I destroyed my rear rim (Alex) so I needed a light but very strong rim so I went to Notubes.com Flow 29er. Many LBS recommended this rim for my tech XC style and boy they were right! Since I had a hardtail the rear wheel was taking a major beating so 36h was a must. I'm glad I went in this direction. I feel absolutely no flex even on tight corners, small drops, and adds more tire volume for kick ace traction. The rim was expensive but worth every penny.
Bike Setup: Soma Juice w/LX hubs and Flow 36h on rear only
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Submitted by
Ed Mondello
a Weekend Warrior
from Wilmington NC
Date Reviewed: March 18, 2008
Strengths: Light for a free ride wheel gives the tire a wider foot print can run regular tires tubeless (Kenda Nevagal)
Weaknesses: No yet
Bottom Line:
I have done some free riding and light downhilling with these built up with Hope 2 hubs and had no issues . drops 4 ft DH on Sugar MT NC . Light enough to climb strong enough to descend.
I need to build a wheelset for my pending Lenz Behemoth, and Im looking at the Stans ZTR flow 29er due out in January. Website says 525 grams, 28mm wide, 18.6 high. Any thoughts o Read More »
dear all,
quick question, anybody knows what spoke lenght to go for a ZTR Flow 29er (!) rim and Hope II Evo hub for front?
Thanks a lot,
Björn Read More »
