OK, with all the negative marks with this rim, I felt the need to pipe up. This rim with WTB Nano's fly. Granted, I'm only carrying 125lbs, and I don't do any drops, just miles and miles of XC with plenty of rock gardens at a pretty high speed, but I love these rims.
Submitted by
Johan Malan
a Racer
from Johannesburg, RSA
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2012
Strengths: Light, strong, EASY to mount tubeless tyres
Weaknesses: None thus far
Bottom Line:
These rims have been great, I can't understand the problems the other guys have had, I've mounted several different tyres ( R Ralphs, Maxxis x mark, Bontrager Team 29-1, Maxxis Ikon ) on these with absolutely no problems, Tubeless, seated easily and well with a floorpump. Fixed and re-seated many tyres out on the trail also no problems.
I'm a heavy 180 pounds and on a rigid SS this means big hard impact on these rims in rough rocky RSA conditions.
Perhaps their builds were not good for the others, I'm super happy.
Strengths: Very light and both of my rims were under quoted weight. BST is the real deal: I have never burped a tire on these rims. Properly wide, ensuring you get optimal volume from your tire (no pear-effect).
Weaknesses: Certainly not the stiffest rims around. Build must be extremely precise to ensure durability (low margin of error for the unskilled wheelbuilder).
These are definitely on the "cheap" and "light" sector of Mr. Bontrager's Cheap-Light-Strong triangle. If you don't mind spending a lot more, the guys at Enve make some rims that are towards the other end.
Bottom Line:
I have these on American Classic disc hubs with the 15QR in front and a standard QR in the back. They weigh 1450 +/-10g grams. Spokes are 32/3x with DT Revolution spokes and ProLoc nipples all around. There are no eyelets on this rim so I strongly recommend brass nipples or grease on every nipple when building. Equal spoke tension is the key to building these rims into a durable wheelset. Stan himself (who is extremely knowledgeable and helpful) sent me build recommendations which I followed and have therefore had no problems. It is critical that the spokes are tensioned to 100 kgF. This means that the wheels must be built by an experienced, competent wheelbuilder with a calibrated spoke tensiometer.
I built these one year ago for a race-day wheelset but I have come to use them for daily training as well. I have re-tensioned the wheels three times. Total mileage is well over 5000 offroad miles including racing and training. I have broken two spokes due to rock impacts but this is the weakness of the Revolution spokes. There is not a single dent in either rim and they are both still laterally and radially true to within .5 mm.
Contrary to some other reviews I've seen for this rim, mounting tires on this rim is no more difficult than on any other tubeless rim as long as you get the beads into the center rim channel. NoTubes has detailed instructions on their website.
If you are under 150 lbs these are fine for an everyday XC wheelset. If you are between 150 and 170, I would use them for race day only and I would use at least a DT SuperComp spoke. I would go with the Arch for an everyday wheelset otherwise.
If you are a rhino and plow through everything, these are not for you. If you want a wheelset on which you can neglect the spoke tension, these are not for you.
If you want to try your hand at building your own wheels, these should not be your first. Hand them to a builder who knows what he or she is doing and you will be satisfied.
If you are an XC racer who rides with finesse and runs low tire pressures and doesn't mind maintaining spoke tension, these are a great option.
Submitted by
skennedy
a Cross Country Rider
from Auburn, Ca. USA
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2011
Strengths: Lightweight
Weaknesses: Not very strong, VERY VERY....did I say Very difficult to mount tires on. If flat on the trail or race good luck.. You might as well pack your Lunch!
Bottom Line:
I was trying to build up a Lightweight/Reliable Racer that was a capable trail bike. Nothing crazy light. With pedals It weighs in at 26 even. The Stan's rear rim is nearly impossible to mount tires on. I have tried Maxxis, Schwalbe, and Specialized tires, just trying to find a tire that I could change without too much problem on the trail. Well I've come to the conclusion that the tire doesn't exist! I'm about 160 lbs and I don't have problems keeping my rims straight until I bought a Stan's Rim. I'm having to straighten it after every 1 or 2 rides. I haven't had to touch my Fulcrum's or Easton's! Needless to say this Rim is headed for the Trash Can...I wouldn't wish this rim on my worst enemy. Because of the Specialized Rear Hub set up I have to run their hub with 32 a 32 spoke rim. Looks like I will be buying a DT or a Mavic Rim and building a new wheel. What a waste of MONEY. If you read the other reviews this is not a new problem! I think Stan makes the wheel slightly larger in Diameter so most tires can be run tubeless without coming off the rim...WOW what a great secret! Did I say don't waste your time or money on this rim! If you do you will be SORRY!
Similar Products Used: Easton,Mavic, Fulcrum, and Shimano
Bike Setup: New Specialized Epic 29er (aluminum)Frame, Custom buildup, Brain Fork, Mostly SRAM parts, Formula Brakes, 1X 10 setup
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
projection
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, On
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2011
Strengths: Weight, Width.
Weaknesses: hard to mount, a bit soft
Bottom Line:
You really have to keep a close eye on the spoke tension as you build them up. And in the break-in period, check true and tension often. Rim is soft by default since is such a light rim, so don't even go near 100kgf of spoke tension, as it will warp the rim, spoke tension has to be a bit lower, and should only use DB spokes to accommodate rim flex.
Topped my list as the hardest tire and rim combo to mount(racing ralph), if you got a flat in a race, you are F*ed. My friend is running ZTR Flow, and he had no problem mounting them. Use an under size tube to make the job easier.
Submitted by
dougifresh1
a Cross Country Rider
from Golden, CO
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2011
Strengths: Light and wide
Weaknesses: Soft. Over-rated for weight max by No-Tubes
Bottom Line:
Notube states 170 lbs max. I'm under this and taco the rim on a medium technical trail. Just a little sideways hop and the rim is rubbing fork. Had to toss it with maybe 5 rides on it. Similar stories from others riding the Rockies. Just too soft for rocks. 2 on value for the weight. 1 on overall because Stans oversells their purpose.
Similar Products Used: Arch, flow both good. Crossmax 29er- very good.
Bike Setup: Turner Sultan, XT drive with 20mm front axle.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
AlexDireito
a Cross Country Rider
from Portugal
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2011
Strengths: Very Light, Really Beautifull. with DtSwiss 240's Sapim CX spokes and aluminium nipples, the pair of 29er wheels are 1525 grs (UAU!!!!)
Weaknesses: Very Very Weak, First time fitting the tires and the wheel needed retouching.
Nearly impossible to fit the tire. It took a professional (from a Stan's Dealer) over twho hours to fit the tires to the rim, and it was necessary to lube the rim with WD40 to make the tire pop into place.
Bottom Line:
Unless you're a Team rider with a mechanic crew behind you with a replacement set of wheels, if you puncture on the trail you'll be going home on foot...
Strengths: super light; so easy to set up tubeless
Weaknesses: light=weak
Bottom Line:
I really liked riding these wheels. The low weight was a noticeable difference from other wheelsets I've tried. There were super easy to set up tubeless. I read the other reviews about flat spots, weak rims, etc., and didn't really believe it. So I bought them. Like I said, I liked riding them. Past tense. I ride xc, no huge drops, nothing crazy; I'm well within the weight limit for these rims. I crushed the rear rim hitting a rock at speed- similar to the millions of rocks I've hit at speed with other wheels with no problems. I give the rim 2 chilis, cuz they were a blast to ride, but they are wicked fragile, and a crap value.
Submitted by
wantwater
a Cross Country Rider
from Salida,Colorado,usa
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2011
Strengths: Light- easy to mount, and have held up well. Still true and no flat spots after 1000+ miles on them. I way 170 lbs ride rocky hard pack trails and performed well.
Weaknesses: The only weakness i have found is that you can over tighten the nut on the valve stem and pull it through the rim. The rubber gasket on the stem is small and fairly fragile.
Bottom Line:
I had these built up by the LBS- Crest rim, King hubs, wheelsmith spokes. They have held up great despite a lot of abuse. I am amazed that have held up as well as they have. I would recommend them to anyone under 170lbs looking for a lite tubeless xc wheel set.
Weaknesses: Great if you like dealing with flatspots after light trail riding. My rear rim is done, so bent out of shape, LBS said it's done, they can't even true.
Bottom Line:
Don't buy the Crest, or any Notubes unless you want a fragile Rim and like to waste money.
Strengths: Light, Easy to Mount up, Good price point
Weaknesses: Super Fragile, flat spots after minimal riding.
Bottom Line:
Flat Spotted Rim with about 40 miles on wheel. Also, spoke completely exploded up into the rim (through tape) leaving me stranded with a flat about 10 miles out. Not very impressed since all of my riding was super light trail rides. Hate to see these things after a gnar race. I have to send the rim back now at my own expense for warranty. Lame!
Bike Setup: Access XCL 29er Hardtail, Manitou Minute fork, XT cranks, deraillers and calipers.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
bbudell
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: August 9, 2010
Strengths: Light and wide
Weaknesses: It is a lightweight rim so it isn't going to hold up if you abuse it or do something stupid
Bottom Line:
Very strong and great width for the weight. Stans seems to have nailed the durability of the 355 but dropped some weight. I am a big guy (195lbs) who rides pretty fast and have been very pleased they have held up. They seem to be a bit more prone to dents from bottoming the tire out than the 355.
