Converts your standard rims and tires to a tubeless system. Has the ability to be used with tubeless and non-tubeless tires. This cost efficient light weight system reduces rotating weight for faster and easier pedaling. This Tubeless system will convert 2 tires and rims and includes: 1 pint of Stan's Tire and Rim Sealant (seals approximately 8 tires), a 60g scoop, 2 Molded Rim Strips with removable valve core, 1 roll nylon reinforced tape, and decal.
Do your homework on the site to see if your rims and preferred tires are listed. Watch the videos, again and again. Should you choose to don the Stan's mantle, follow the directions closely.
Biggest tip for me was the CONCENTRATED soap and water solution (rate somewhere on the label). The soap suds aid tremendously in seating and sealing the tire initially. Also, removable! valve stem on Stan's strip really lets you blast the air (walmart compressor) in to seat bead, hold pressure with finger, and quickly screw core back in.
Raced the fabled VT50 (not fast) this year on Geax Marathon 2.1's at 25psi and fared better in the mud than most. Trailriding this fall has been a low pressure gripfest. Spend much time seeking out bull briars to run over. Yippee, lighter setup, faster, more traction, and no more flats!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
meanbeaver
a Weekend Warrior
from vernon Date Reviewed: November 10, 2009
Favorite Trail:
ellison trails
Strengths:
I guess it works
Weaknesses:
Too expensive for what it does.
Similar Products Used:
no tubes, stans
Bike Setup:
Opus Maadh 2 with sram X9 components.
Bottom Line:
Don't waste your money on no tube kits of any kind. You can make your own kit for way cheaper using gorilla tape ($6.00) and some local tube sealant ($5-$9).
Works just as good and you get to keep your savings for beer after the ride!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
youngt2
a Racer
from Hamilton Ontario Canada Date Reviewed: July 10, 2009
Favorite Trail:
just now Hilton Falls Milton
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
On Line & LBS
Strengths:
The stuff for me has done what it says it would do (in proper UST Rims & Tires)
Weaknesses:
Messy as H__L when you have to change or remove the tires.
Similar Products Used:
Green Stuff from Walmart & from an aerosol can (both useless)
Bike Setup:
2 santa cruzes with Crossmax & Mavic 318 UST systems 1 scott road bike with Dur-ace tubless rim with Hutchnsn road UST's-the only Manufctr I can find so far for road Tires.
Bottom Line:
Reading all the reviews from those with poor luck with the Stans sealnt - not sure why. I've run this stuff for about 2-3 years now (winter & summer)& if you are going to go tubless the stan's makes all the difference. I tried to save $ by buying the Green stuff from Walmart etc. & walked my bike home after a thorn puncture & seepage around the rim. Replaced that with Stans (different texture,color etc.) & as I held the wheel under water watched as the bubbles stopped. The whole UST concept is not without its own problems ( I always carry a tube far from home) like if you allow pressure to drop too low & hit an off-camber roack root etc. the rubber will separate from the rim & air will burp out ( cost me a race once)Tubes - no tubes the technology is getting better.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Adam
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO, US Date Reviewed: October 4, 2008
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$70.00
Bottom Line:
Don't bother. If you want to convert to tubeless, buy a 20" tube, fillet it down the center, fit it over the rim and trim it beneath the lip where the tire bead sits. It's the same thing (or better) and costs about $6.00 plus the cost of sealant. Mount a UST tire and seal with your preferred sealant. Thanks to the guys at Mojo Wheels for this tip.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jkoehler
a Cross Country Rider
from Medina, OH Date Reviewed: September 7, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Mohican State Park
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
None that comes to my mind
Weaknesses:
Pretty much everythings
Bike Setup:
Specialized Rockhopper Comp Disc, Rhynolite w/XT hubs, Kenda Nevegal tires, a lot of other extras.
Bottom Line:
I am sure there are people that are using this stuff successfully, however my experience was all bad. I am a bigger rider (220lbs.) and I use Rhynolite wheels. I read through the instructions, did numerous dry runs and felt very comfortable with the process. I consider myself to be fairly savvy when it comes to bikes. I followed the directions to the T, I did the soap, shake, soap, shake, repeat multiple times, give it time to settle. You name it, I did it. I had ZERO leaks. As soon as it would come under fire (out on the trail) I would get slow leaks. CONSTANTLY. The directions online state if you are using Rhynolite rims use their rimtape. I tried with my tape that was originally on the wheels and their rim tape. Same result. If you are a bigger guy forget this stuff. I would be shocked if it would work for you. I talked to several other people who had the same problem. I could have changed 60 tires in the amount of time I spent trying to get this to work. If you do buy this stuff, go online and download their detailed instructions and watch the video.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
smokey422
a Cross Country Rider
from MO USA Date Reviewed: July 6, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Landahl, Rock Bridge State Park
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
notubes.com
Strengths:
For me, none.
Weaknesses:
Won't seal tires in spite of doing everything recommended in the video.
Similar Products Used:
none.
Bike Setup:
Fisher HT, SRAM 9.0, XT hubs, Mustang rims.
Bottom Line:
I tried both of Stan's kits, the original with the tape and the one with the expensive glorified inner tubes (rim strips). Tried it with several tires, including Hutchinson Pythons (which Stan said would work) and Panaracer XC Pros. I couldn't get them to pop and seal even with a big Sears air compressor and yes, I shook the tires all around to spread the sealant. It was a miserable failure, making a big mess and one of the worst products I've used on my MTB.
The ratings show that a lot of riders have had success with Stan's kits and I'm glad for them, but I can only report how they worked for me, which was NOT! If I ever decide to go tubeless again it will be with a set of the UST wheels and tires.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Charlie
a
from Houston, Texas Date Reviewed: April 28, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Bluff Creek Ranch (Warda)
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
On-line
Strengths:
Cheaper way to go tubeless than buying new UST rims and tires.
Weaknesses:
Initial setup is difficult. Costly for what you get in the kit.
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
Cobia 29er converted to 1 x 9, DT Swiss TK7.1D rims, 340 hubs, monkeylite bars.
Bottom Line:
I read the instructions and watched the installation video several times. I followed all instructions EXACTLY. It was still a major pain in the butt to get the tires to seal (about 2 hours worth of shaking, laying on side, re-inflating to 40psi, etc., etc.). The installation video implies tires seal in about 5 minutes and the written instructions say even the most difficult tires seal in 30 minutes. Anyway, my 29er Maxxis Crossmark's on TK7.1 rims ultimately did seal and have been holding air ever since. I have not yet given them a full test by fire, but the tires seemed to do OK on my little backyard obsticle course.
If you don't mind investing time and energy into this project and are pretty handy, then you might want to buy this. Oh yeah, and if you own a compressor. No way this stuff works without getting the tire started with a compressor.
But if you want something simple and clean and don't mind spending some more money, then go for UST rims and tires and skip Stan's.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Robert Bowers
a Racer
from Mt Tamborine Qld Australia Date Reviewed: March 19, 2008
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
through shop I do fill in work at
Strengths:
Reduced flats. Spend more time in the saddle. Improved handling and traction. Improved comfort/rolls better over rough ground.
Weaknesses:
Not for lazy people who neglect maintenance or have all work done by their LBS
Similar Products Used:
My own latex system. Systems used for fixing bladers in footballs. In fact I did this before finding out about Stan's but never hooked on to the potential in a marketing success.
Bike Setup:
NRS carbon. Stan's Olympic wheelset. Yellow rim tape and Continental Supersonic Explorers, a similar wheelset with Maxlite 310s and a AmClassic Sprint 350 wheelset with Hutchys. The Stan's rim strips work only for a little while. I used them on some Bontrager Asym rims that would not inflate and the stems tore out v easily (just put a nut on the thread spin it all the way down and add a nereopene washer and place the strip on and poke the stem through the strip and rim and another nut on to hold it together - problem solved, and I ran this for a year).
Bottom Line:
In my opinion these are one of the top MTB innovations, just coming in behind clippless pedals.
Some people hate the stuff. It is expensive in that it is a simple chemical with some solid particles in it, however, the benefit is worth the cost.
I does take some looking after and during warner times of the year I'll pull the tires off every eight weeks, in winter every three months. Better pulling tires off at home than on the trail. I have perhaps one of two punctures a year that the sealant won't fix when I've had big cuts, but it would be every second ride that I get a flat that self seals and where all I've had to do on a regular 2-3hr ride is add another 5psi (I run about 30psi in a 2.1, 32-35 in a Maxlite 310 and 90-100psi in the road tubless). Sometimes I just see the evidence of the sealant leaking out when I get back to the car or get home without having to put an air in.
I could never go back to tubes as my primary set up. Tubes are a back up for only.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Larry Ginzkey
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, Colorado, US Date Reviewed: January 20, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Monarch Crest
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
Stan's No-Tubes
Strengths:
Stan's works. In over five years riding all over Colorado I have never had a flat. I get better uphill traction and downhill braking by using lower air pressure -- plus the ride is smoother and tires last notably longer, too.
Weaknesses:
Set-up is messy -- don't try it in your living room! May not work with every rim / tire combination. Recommend using high pressure air hose (rather than floor pump) to get tire to seat on rim. Must add sealant every 2-3 months, as it dries out over time. When iinstalling a new tire, must scour rim completely to remove dried sealant before new tire will seat properly.
Similar Products Used:
None.
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz "Heckler" 1999-2005; Ellsworth "Truth" 2005-present. Currently run Mavic 717 disc rims with WTB Weirwolf or Velociraptor tires or IRC Mythos XC tires.
Bottom Line:
Pros: 1. Stan's prevents flats from external sources (thorns, rocks) and internal pinch flats (because you can run tires at reduced air pressure). 2. Running at lower air pressure gives better uphill traction and downhill braking; also gives smoother ride and tires last longer. Cons: 1. At $57 for the kit and $10 per pint refills, Stan's is not cheap. But you don't have to continually buy tubes and tires may last longer. 2. Set-up is messy and there is a learning curve to get it right. Need high pressure air hose to get tires to seat properly on rims. 3. Stan's may not work with all tire & rim combinations. 4. You have to replenish sealant every 2-3 months, as it dries out over time. 5. When you install a new tire you have to thoroughly clean the dried sealant from the rims to get the tire to seat properly.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dick Slessig
a Cross Country Rider
from L.A., Ca. USA Date Reviewed: July 14, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
bikeman
Strengths:
cheap way to go tubeless
Weaknesses:
falls apart
Bike Setup:
Kona Explosif 29er. WTB Dual Duty rims.
Bottom Line:
After 6 months of use, the valves on both rim strips separated from the strips themselves. I managed to fix the first one by putting a nut on the inside and sealing it with epoxy, and now it looks like I'll be doing the same on #2. The system does work, but it's a messy business when you have to remove the tire and put in a tube trailside. I'd be a lot more forgiving if it cost a third of the price, which would be reasonable for what basically amounts to 2 innertubes and a pint of fix-a-flat.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dave
a Cross Country Rider
from boise Date Reviewed: June 12, 2007
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
pricepoint
Strengths:
inexpensive
Weaknesses:
compatibility
Bike Setup:
2005 heckler, 2004 ibex hardtail, 2 sets mavic crosslands with hutchinson pythons, 1 set mavic 717s with python non ust tires and stans conversion kit.
Bottom Line:
I have had it with this system you do not know what a hassle it is until you try a UST wheel and tire setup, my point is UST rim and tires are designed to be compatable with each other stans notubes rimstrips are not compatable with certain wheels and many tires. UST wheel and tires have no install problems or compatibility issues i have used them for years with no problem, I do add stans sealant.Some of the newer UST tires are around 600 grams now so that makes UST even more attractive.Stans system is frustrating, maxxis tires reccomended? I wasted money mail ordering a set of rancheros...they leaked profusely through the sidewalls and despite trying many techniques they still leaked, leaking throuigh the valve stem hole in the rim, tried all reccomended fixes carefully placing rim tape, checking for holes in rim strip ect, the rim strip was brand new,returned them and still had problem with another new rim strip....no holes and carefully soaped up and installed and carefully checking it was seated in rim lip, back wheel no problem whatsoever.UST system was carefully researched and developed and it shows...a bullet proof system that is so reliable..sorry stan I give up.cost is not much of an issue with me since mavic crosslands are only $250.00 for a set.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dave
a Cross Country Rider
from boise Date Reviewed: June 12, 2007
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
pricepoint
Strengths:
inexpensive
Weaknesses:
compatibility
Bike Setup:
2005 heckler, 2004 ibex hardtail, 2 sets mavic crosslands with hutchinson pythons, 1 set mavic 717s with python non ust tires and stans conversion kit.
Bottom Line:
I have had it with this system you do not know what a hassle it is until you try a UST wheel and tire setup, my point is UST rim and tires are designed to be compatable with each other stans notubes rimstrips are not compatable with certain wheels and many tires. UST wheel and tires have no install problems or compatibility issues i have used them for years with no problem, I do add stans sealant.Some of the newer UST tires are around 600 grams now so that makes UST even more attractive.Stans system is frustrating, maxxis tires reccomended? I wasted money mail ordering a set of rancheros...they leaked profusely through the sidewalls and despite trying many techniques they still leaked, leaking throuigh the valve stem hole in the rim, tried all reccomended fixes carefully placing rim tape, checking for holes in rim strip ect, the rim strip was brand new,returned them and still had problem with another new rim strip....no holes and carefully soaped up and installed and carefully checking it was seated in rim lip, back wheel no problem whatsoever.UST system was carefully researched and developed and it shows...a bullet proof system that is so reliable..sorry stan I give up.cost is not much of an issue with me since mavic crosslands are only $250.00 for a set.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dave
a Cross Country Rider
from boise Date Reviewed: June 12, 2007
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
pricepoint
Strengths:
inexpensive
Weaknesses:
compatibility
Bike Setup:
2005 heckler, 2004 ibex hardtail, 2 sets mavic crosslands with hutchinson pythons, 1 set mavic 717s with python non ust tires and stans conversion kit.
Bottom Line:
I have had it with this system you do not know what a hassle it is until you try a UST wheel and tire setup, my point is UST rim and tires are designed to be compatable with each other stans notubes rimstrips are not compatable with certain wheels and many tires. UST wheel and tires have no install problems or compatibility issues i have used them for years with no problem, I do add stans sealant.Some of the newer UST tires are around 600 grams now so that makes UST even more attractive.Stans system is frustrating, maxxis tires reccomended? I wasted money mail ordering a set of rancheros...they leaked profusely through the sidewalls and despite trying many techniques they still leaked, leaking throuigh the valve stem hole in the rim, tried all reccomended fixes carefully placing rim tape, checking for holes in rim strip ect, the rim strip was brand new,returned them and still had problem with another new rim strip....no holes and carefully soaped up and installed and carefully checking it was seated in rim lip, back wheel no problem whatsoever.UST system was carefully researched and developed and it shows...a bullet proof system that is so reliable..sorry stan I give up.cost is not much of an issue with me since mavic crosslands are only $250.00 for a set.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Randy
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland Date Reviewed: December 9, 2006
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Strengths:
Flat protection.
Weaknesses:
Finicky about tires. Burps air too easily. Messy.
Bottom Line:
I've used Notubes systems for about 5 years. The conversion kits are the worst. They are very finicky about tires. I found several tires that sealed well in the workshop but every one of them would burp air if you hit the side of a rock or a punji stick.
The Notubes rims are much better about not burping air but they are still very finicky about tires. The tire will usually seal right the first time but if you remove the tire and put it back on there always seem to be problems. The bead seems to get stretched out and it's hard to get them aired up. A new tire can often be seated with a hand pump but take the tire off and try putting it back on again and you will need a shop compressor.
Two scoops of sealant weighs 120 grams. Add the rim strip to that and you have 170 grams total per tire. Even if you just use the valve stem and not the rim strip you're looking at the same weight as a lightweight tube at 120-140 grams and lots of hassle.
If you're looking at Notubes in 29" be aware that the only tire with a kevlar bead that is recommended is the Stan's Crow. This airs up well on the Notube rim but the tread is almost non-existent.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from OC CA Date Reviewed: August 29, 2006
Favorite Trail:
all
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
NO FLATS. That is for sure. Works very well. Simple installation process.
Weaknesses:
Tedious on some sets of rims and tires according to the reviews here. No problems on mine
Similar Products Used:
none. First tubeless anything
Bike Setup:
Mavic x317 rims and kenda dtc nevegal tires 2.1
Bottom Line:
I have the tires that everyone here says are the problem child, Kenda Nevegal DTC 2.1. I got them to work. I had a few issues with the "zits" on the sidewall. I emailed Mike over at no tubes and he said to put a little super glue on them after they seal with stan's, no issues after. The sidewalls were not an issue. Mine also sealed in less than a day. They would lose a little pressure because of "zits" but once I sealed those... I did drill my valve hole to 3/8 just like Stan advises. I couldn't get the rim strip to flatten unless I drilled it. Some people don't drill. Everyone complaining about the price and not getting much think of a better product. If you come up with your own system charge whatever you want. It's still a free country. Stan can charge whatever. Don't buy it if you can't afford it. Tubes are fairly cheap. Anyway just my 2. Email me if you want detailed installation tricks I figured out.
Great product at a great price.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Marcus Austin
a Cross Country Rider
from Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA Date Reviewed: August 6, 2006
Favorite Trail:
none
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$75.00
Purchased At:
Competive Edge
Strengths:
Does what it says. I've pulled thorns out of my tires and watched them instantly seal. -Does take a while to install but consider the inconvience of replacing a tube on a trail vs. replacing a little bit of air with this kit.
Weaknesses:
-First time installation can be a little time consuming, but do it once and it's a breeze any other time. -Price is a little steep considering what your getting. But the liquid refills are more reasonable. -will not seal cuts as well as punctures. I got a small slit in my tire and it did seal it but on another ride I came down hard on the tire and the same slit blew out. -Liquid needs refilled about ever 3 months(Good news is you can purchase an injector to fill it through the valve vs. breaking the bead)
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
Cannondale Rush 400
Bottom Line:
I would recommend this to anyone who does a lot of riding. Don't let the installation process steer you away..visit this page for video clips on the install as well as demonstrations on the product http://www.notubes.com/support_movies.php I don't know about all rims but I use a floor pump on mine with little problems. Some times it won't take air but smack the tire a little while pumping and it should seal enough to take air.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Gary
a Cross Country Rider
from West Texas Date Reviewed: July 19, 2006
Favorite Trail:
XC
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
online
Strengths:
NO flats since installation. None. Can run lower tire pressure. Lighter system than tubes with slime.
Weaknesses:
Installation a bit messy. Floor pump not adequate for most new tire mounts. Sealant must be replenished.
Similar Products Used:
None.
Bike Setup:
NRS1.
Bottom Line:
Tires successfully used with Stan's: Hutchinson Python, Mosquito, Bulldog. Riding in west Texas means anything green has thorns attached. Lots of rocks. After installing Stan's I have experienced NO flats. That in inself justifies the price and effort of installation. OBSERVATIONS: 1. An irregular cut from glass etc. may not seal reliably - at least not as good as a round puncture from a thorn. 2. Mounting a new tire using a floor pump, especially one that has been folded or rolled, seems easier if the tire is first mounted with a tube for several hours. This "premounting" straightens out some of the kinks.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Larry Ginzkey
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, Colorado, USA Date Reviewed: May 19, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Monarch Crest, Colorado
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
by mail from Stan's
Strengths:
* great thorn protection * much better traction at lower PSI * can ride faster & brake harder * cushier ride because tires don't bounce off rocks * don't rip side knobbies from tire because of lower PSI
Weaknesses:
* expensive for what you get * messy set-up * must replenish fluid in tire periodically * may not work with all rims and/or tires * can be a chore to clean rims to install new tires.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz "Superlite" w Sun Rhyno-lite rims & IRC Mythos tires. Ellsworth "Truth" with Mavic 717 rims & WTB Epic Wolf tires.
Bottom Line:
ENDORSEMENT: I give Stan's a qualified "thumbs up." But as you can see from these reviews, this product is not for everyone. RIDING STYLE: I ride aggressive cross-country trails all over Colorado and around Moab. I ride hard & fast, but prefer to keep my wheels on the ground. I weigh 175 lbs. My bikes weigh in around 27 lbs. EXPERIENCE WITH STAN'S: The WTB Epic Wolf tires were a snap to convert, even using a hand pump. The IRC Mythos were a lot more hassle and required a compressor. As stated, using Stan's can get messy, so don't install in your living room! I used to run my tires at 45-50 PSI to avoid pinch flats (which caused some really painful crashes), but didn't like the way the tires bounced around on rough trails or the fact that I frequently ripped the side knobbies off the tires. Now that I run at 30 PSI, the climbing traction is vastly improved, as is the ride quality. I feel I can ride faster and brake harder. There are trails around Denver loaded with goatheads, and I would almost always get flats riding them. Not any more, thanks to Stan's. Where I used to go through 4-6 tubes a year, now I use none. I have had no problems with tires "burping" or coming off the rims. My tires last longer because I'm not ripping the knobbies off. I have had no problem with the tires leaking air or the sidewalls blistering. Overall, I'm pleased with Stan's, but wish it were less expensive.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John Rantz
a Weekend Warrior
from Lubbock, TX USA Date Reviewed: April 21, 2006
Favorite Trail:
porupine rim - MOAB
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
Stan's
Strengths:
My pals and I switched to Stan's NoTube systems 4 weeks ago with the hope that we would reduce the number of flats and tube replacements we've been experiencing over the past several years. Our trails in West Texas are rocky with quite a lot of cactus and mesquite tree exposure. A bad combination for fallen riders and tubed tires. We've each probably gone thru 6-8 tubes per year (these were heavy tubes with the green stuff in them) and were getting exasperated with the frequency of flats when we heard about NoTubes.com. A week after switching we made our annual pilgrimage to Moab and after riding several of our favorite trails and really punishing our bikes and tires we unanimously agreed Stan's really Rocks. However the real testimonial comes from our ride this past Wednesday. It was a relatively cool day and our group was about half way through our ride when we found our trail blocked by a large Western Diamondback Rattler. As I tried to coax this 5 foot beauty off the trail she struck my front tire not once but twice with her venomous fangs, banging hard against the warm rubber of the tire on my front wheel. In seconds the hefty snake moved from the trail to allow our passage and despite the bites to the tire NoTubes came thru, sealed the holes and kept me going. Not only does your system hold up to nails, spikes, spokes, etc... it will also withstand the wrath of a pit viper should a rider ever be so unfortunate.
Weaknesses:
Difficulty getting the tires to seal completely the first few days after installation.
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
Kona Kikapu
Bottom Line:
Great product so far. Suggested users: those who routinely ride near cacti, mesquite, or rattlesnakes! Time will tell on the longevity of the product.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Orange County Date Reviewed: April 3, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
It Does what it says
Weaknesses:
None Yet
Similar Products Used:
Slime
Bike Setup:
Trek Liquid 55
Bottom Line:
To address the comments below....Gee, why would Kenda or any other tire manufacturer be upset/non-endorsive of a product that makes you buy less of their tires? I don't know. Kenda specifically addresses their concerns on their website, because in Stan's Video Demo's he uses Kenda Tires. They're stating they don't reccomend the product because of threefold: One you but less tires (They last longer now), Two what if you want replicate the results (They don't want anything to do with it), Three Safety liability (They do not want to brought into a lawsuit and disclaimers/disclosure is the cheapest legal defense out there)
Bottom-Line is it works...For those that did NOT get it to work, I'm taking the gamble that they go impatient and did not go through the neccessary steps to make Stan's really seat in properly and then test it with the soap/water.
Great Product, wish it was cheaper.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
BobL
a Cross Country Rider
from Orange County, CA Date Reviewed: March 31, 2006
Favorite Trail:
San Juan, Noble, Merrill
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Less flats, can be lighter than tubes, less rolling resistance
Weaknesses:
$$$, DOES NOT WORK W/ ALL TIRES/RIMS
Similar Products Used:
Slime tubes
Bike Setup:
Blur LT, 519's on Kings; Superlights (2)w/ 717's on Kings.
Bottom Line:
First, as this is a consumer review, it is subjective, just as all the other reviews are. Subject to MY riding style, equipment preferences, local terrain, etc, etc. So for all the prima dona know-it-all's that like to bag on other folks reviews, I have your bag... Now, both my gal and I have been running Stans since the system 1st came out. We tried ghetto versions as well (not all good). We both ran Stans on a 200+ mile, 6 day mtb trip w/ racks and panniers on our Superlights across SW CO into Moab. I got major punctures on rear tire, spun it 'till they sealed, pumped it up and kept riding, (VERY GOOD, considering the rack and pannier sitch). Neither of us had a flat the whole trip.(We both ran Velociraptors F & R) I decided to run a Weirwolf 2.3 later and had major problems with it rolling off the rim, even at higher pressures. Broke my finger (Very bad). Put tire on gal's bike, never a problem. (bottom line: rider weight and terrain MATTERS) I have begun using Kenda tires, because they work good for my style and terrain. They don't work that good with Stans, as I have to run a tube in the Kinetics rear (it just won't stay on the rim w/ stans, even w/ extra rim strip material) Also, if you have a sidewall rupture, things get messy!Stans won't fix it, but a needle and thread with a tube will (I have had several). And when it comes time to change out a tire, it's no easy chore to clean the semi-dried schmegma off the strips, and be careful of certain schmegmalenes: mek and tolulene remove dried latex, but eat skin, rubber and brain cells. Best to use elbow grease, soap and a Scotchbrite pad (and a little Scotch, too) A friend just went with the MAXIS rim strips (5 bucks each!) and my ghetto version of sealant: Modeling latex slightly diluted w/ distilled H2O and a little bit of plastic glitter( all available at a crafts store). It's been working GREAT for him for about 4 months now. I will try the MAXIS rim strips when I waste a Stans (does happen), cheaper AND works with Kenda's. Bottom Line: Stans is a good product, but IMO, way over priced, considering what's on the market (MAXIS strips). The sealant works well w/ UST, but the entire system DOES NOT WORK WITH ALL TIRES/RIMS. And if you don't like following directions, don't bother with it. Most folks (me too) have to view the online video, etc to get it right with certain circumstances. And you will need a compressor or a case of CO2 carts. to get the initial inflation right. Last but not least: if you are over 200lbs and like really rocky steep stuff, it might not be for you. If you are a stick legged NORBA flyweight, it's probably just the ticket for avoiding flats on a course. It's also great for fiance's who hate changing flats ("Honey!!! Can you come back here???") Research this site, and NoTubes.com. If it looks like it will work,get some for you or your gal but read and follow the directions. If not, don't blow the money; 65 bucks is a heckava good bottle of Singlemalt! 2 value flames 'cause imo, it's overpriced.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dewayne Wallace
a Cross Country Rider
from Lubbock, Texas,USA Date Reviewed: March 23, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Porcupine rim Utah
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
Stans
Strengths:
NEVER had a flat yet. Low weight and rolling resistance. Seals all punctures.
Weaknesses:
Non. Weakness is usually the ride not follwing the instructions or letting fluid dry up.
Similar Products Used:
Slime tubes.
Bike Setup:
Bike one: Fisher Sugar; XT, etc. Bike two: Giant Faith; All the goodies.
Bottom Line:
Pay attention to mounting and keep fluid level up. Great product. In the first six months I saved enough in tubes to pay for system.( West Texas goatheads,catus and mesquite thorns.)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dewayne Wallace
a Cross Country Rider
from Lubbock, Texas,USA Date Reviewed: March 23, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Porcupine rim Utah
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
Stans
Strengths:
NEVER had a flat yet. Low weight and rolling resistance. Seals all punctures.
Weaknesses:
Non. Weakness is usually the ride not follwing the instructions or letting fluid dry up.
Similar Products Used:
Slime tubes.
Bike Setup:
Bike one: Fisher Sugar; XT, etc. Bike two: Giant Faith; All the goodies.
Bottom Line:
Pay attention to mounting and keep fluid level up. Great product. In the first six months I saved enough in tubes to pay for system.( West Texas goatheads,catus and mesquite thorns.)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dave
a Cross Country Rider
from boise Date Reviewed: February 17, 2006
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$54.00
Purchased At:
pricepoint
Strengths:
excellent support and installation info online, great sealing capabilitie, much lower costs not buying ust wheels, many more choices of tires.
Weaknesses:
none, if you follow the instrutions.
Similar Products Used:
ust set up with sealant and bontrager sealant with stans rim strips/coventional wheels
Bike Setup:
2005 ibex hard tail with mavic rims and xt hubs.2001 fuel 90 with ust crossland wheels, stans sealant, 2005 santacruz heckler being built up with stans conversion.
Bottom Line:
I have compared the performance of stans tubeless system to a U.S.T. set up for over two years and find that they are both good, I use stans sealant on my ust wheels, there can be substantial weight savings if a lighter tire/wheel is used with stans, it is so cool to use an light race tire with stans conversion on my hard tail, it climbs so fast! the only drawback with stans is that it takes a bit of research to find a tire that does not have a weak bead that could blow off the rim this is really not to much of an issue anyway if you do not inflate over 40 psi, who would want to? the traction is so much better with lower pressures and the wheels are not deflecting because a rock hard tire bouncing off everything.The issue of the sealant ruining tires has not been an issue with me, I put 2500 miles on a set of hutchinson pythons with no issues and so far no failures with the hutchinson spiders with about 1000 miles, I think the tire manufacturers are just trying to push their own sealants. With UST system it is much more difficult to mount tire however I do find they are easier to inflate and the tires are bullet proof and you could inflate over 40 psi if need be, the only ust wheels I can afford are the Mavic crosslands which have held up very well, their other wheels cost way too much for me, I have decided to go with Stans for my new Heckler I am building up and using a really beefy non ust tire.I would NEVER go back to tubes, thorn and pinch flats are a non-issue.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
trail548 trail548
a Cross Country Rider
from l.a. Date Reviewed: February 13, 2006
Favorite Trail:
rocky peak
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
usage of low tire pressure, no tubes , more comfort , better traction, will seal if loss of air.
Weaknesses:
for the time i have been using it , so far , that said i wish i could use my favortie tire fire xc pro 2.1 on website it is not recommended for use with kit.
Similar Products Used:
used tubes
Bike Setup:
giant vt three set up for cross country , manitou fork avid juicy fives , mavic rims with kenda kozmik lite 2.0 xt crank xt front deraillure, xtr rear derailure thompson masterpiece seat post with selle italia 135 gram saddle bontrager carbon handlebar
Bottom Line:
good product , was not sure if i wanted to use this product barring some issues with tire saftey so far so good racers stand by this product they trust stans product and use it with great results and that is enough convincing for me to use it. long term usage will tell me how this product performs
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew
a
from Tucson, AZ Date Reviewed: February 5, 2006
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Light almost no flats
Weaknesses:
VOIDS WARRANTY OF MOST TIRES
Similar Products Used:
Slime?
Bike Setup:
Titust Motolite
Bottom Line:
The stuff works great and it is relativly easy to convert you rims. Be warned though that it contains some pretty strong chemicals that can damage your tires(Causes blisters in side walls), something Stan's does not say nor MBA who is constantly pushing the stuff. Check the KENDA web site for a disclaimer regarding Stan's, most other tire manufacters feel the same way.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dave lynch
a Cross Country Rider
from blue mts australia Date Reviewed: February 1, 2006
Favorite Trail:
oaks fire trail
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$100.00
Strengths:
light works well [if used with UST tyre]
Weaknesses:
tyre can roll off rim has happen to me about 8 times[not ust]tyre loss a bit of air and next time[ 5 mins latter] the same thing happens.on a UST tyre they are ok. maybe ok if you are light [i am 200lbs] on my son bike it works ok [he is about 80lbs]
Bottom Line:
ok if light.or used with UST tyres but not with tube tyres
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Teo Guerrero
a Cross Country Rider
from Pacoima Date Reviewed: January 26, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Virgin River Rim, UT
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint
Strengths:
No pinch flats, Can run lower preasure
Weaknesses:
Some tires are more difficult to seal, but I guess that is expected with super light tires.
Similar Products Used:
UST
Bike Setup:
Scale 30 frame, XTR drive train and disc brakes, 240s hubs on 717’s, Rock Shox SID WC, Egg Beater Ti’s and various other carbon parts from USE, Easton, Woodman.
Bottom Line:
Stan’s works great. I had no problems mounting a new set of Python Lite tires on 717 rims. They mounted and held air perfectly the first time. A couple of weeks later I decided to switch tires to something lighter and mounted a set a Continental Twister Supersonics. These are super light. Mine average 355 grams each. Both the front and rear were easy to mount, but interestingly the rear kept loosing air while the front held air perfectly. The rear had many small leaks along the sidewall that Stan’s was not able to seal. This was probably because these tires have a thinner casing given that they are super light. I tried to seal the holes by shaking the wheel as recommended and laying it on it’s side and when I though it was sealed I put the wheel on the bike and it lost air again.
I finally decided to switch the tires from back to front and vise versa. I would use a tube in the front wheel and use Stan’s in the rear. I remounted the tires and decided to try Stan’s one more time this time with the tire that would not hold air in the front. I did all the steps accept for this time a laid the inflated wheel on it’s side for about a week and a half and this time it worked. Both tires hold air perfectly now. As they say patience is a virtue. This system allows me to use 1.9 tires at 30 lbs giving me a supple ride with traction not possible at higher pressure. Great product.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
flow
a Cross Country Rider
from Vic, Australia Date Reviewed: November 2, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
No more flats, better traction, lighter weight, less rolling resistance
Weaknesses:
None if you can follow instructions
Similar Products Used:
thorn proof tubes, slime, liners (none of these worked for me)
This set up has changed my life. I can now ride anywhere I like with the confidence of knowing I won't get a flat even though there were lots of prickles and thorns stuck in my tyres. I live in a horticultural area with large infestations of California puncture weed and 3 corner jacks. I can attack corners and climbs harder too, due to a bigger tyre footprint created by running lower air pressures. A presta to schrader adapter and a compressor make installation a breeze too.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Aspen, Colorado Date Reviewed: October 27, 2005
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Lighter wheels, better handling, far fewer flats
Weaknesses:
PRICEY
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
Mavic 717's, Conti 2.1's, 180lb. rider, 35psi
Bottom Line:
Every one look down the list and find "Coulson" from October 2004. I just read his review and wanted to say what an idiot he is. Neither of the tire brands he tried were recommended for use with the system. But he went ahead and tried them anyway, then had the brains to write a bad review. What a dumb ass!! Instructions are written for a reason. If more people followed them great products like Stans would get few bad reviews. It's like doubling the air pressure in a suspension for and complaining that the bike rides too stiff. Unbelieveable idiocy!!!!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jon
a Downhiller
from West tx Date Reviewed: October 11, 2005
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$65.00
Strengths:
never left me flat on the trail
Weaknesses:
have to recharge every 3-5 months depending how dry your climate is.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bottom Line:
Stans works awsome. Make sure you know have to read or atleast follow direction before you buy. I have has so many people tell me it does not work, and when I ask them how they installed it, every time they forget to shake the bottle or pour form while the bottle is upside down after shaking it. The directions are there for a reason!!!! I have built over 30 rim sets with STANS and never had a rim or tire that would not seal for me. I have sealed super thin XC to DH and the hardest the DH. Only 3 sets were UST and it works great in UST also. If you cant get your tire to seal, your either did not shake and pour correctly or did not install enough sealant, either way your doing some thing wrong. Sorry Kenda riders, Kenda is the only tire that is not able to handel STAN's. Kenda are good tires but I rather change to another tire so I could continue to use STAN's.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Gustav
a Cross Country Rider
from So cal Date Reviewed: September 22, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
this item sucks: you can do it yourself with DIY item
Weaknesses:
Cost They tryied to steal my money
Bike Setup:
XT grouppo, Chris king headparts and hubs etc
Bottom Line:
Beware if you purchase directly from notubes.com. I found they,KG motors charged twice for one order when I checked my Visa receipt. I mailed to Stan and he said he didn't think so. Finally I got refunded but no apologize at all. ARROGANT AS HELL!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brandon
a Cross Country Rider
from Johnson City, TN Date Reviewed: September 5, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
PricePoint
Strengths:
The kit works great for the rim conversion. I did choose to run ture UST tires rather than standard tires. Standard tires just don't have the sidewalls made to handle the torsion of running tubeless. This has probably been the best upgrade I have made to my bike. It's great to be able to run at lower pressures without risking pinch flats. It also seems like tubeless just rolls better. It's hard to described but I can definately feel a difference.
Weaknesses:
The FR/DH kit only comes with Schrader valves. This kinda sucks but I've gotten over it. I hate Schrader valves but being tubeless is worth it.
Bike Setup:
Heckler with Singletrack rims
Bottom Line:
I think I picked one of the most difficult tire/rim combinations for running tubeless. I'm running Singletrack rims (a FR rim) with Panaracer XC Fire UST tires. Due to my rims being an FR rim, they are wider than your normal XC rim so the narrow XC tires were a pain in the arse to get the beads to seat. Once the beads seat, there are no problems at all. It takes an air compressor with a tank and pretty high pressure to make it happen.
Even running UST tires, I'm still using a couple of ounces of the sealant for some extra flat protection. I would not recommend using standard tires tubeless. The reviews of such a setup are extremely mixed.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew Douglas
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson Date Reviewed: August 14, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Good idea
Weaknesses:
NOT COMPATABLE WITH TIRES, VOIDS WARRANTY
Bike Setup:
Heckler wit all the goodies
Bottom Line:
As some of the other posts say the product is not compatable with most tire manufactures and is way over priced. Below is a E-mail recieved from KENDA: Thank you for your interest in Kenda products! You cannot use ANY sealant, at ANY time, on ANY of our tires. I stress this fact because THIS IS A RIDER SAFETY ISSUE. The combination of sealant on many brands of bicycle tires including Kenda, results in huge "sidewall tumors" that ruin the tire; and can cause serious injury to the rider if the tire is then used. Our tires are not, nor were they ever, designed to have sealants used on them. If you do decide to use a sealant on your Kenda tires, any warranty claims afterward will be NULL and VOID; and any damages sustained to your tires, bikes, or yourself will not be Kenda's responsibility. We encourage you to keep riding with Kenda, and to utilize our products as they were designed. Our main concern is your safety while riding with Kenda and your satisfaction when purchasing from Kenda. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me! Thank you for your continued support!
That makes it pretty clear however what is not clear is why the disclaimer is not found on the Kenda website or included with the tires or why No-Tubes does not inform the consumer or why the bike mags, MBA, do not warn you of this as the promote the product. The answer is probably $. I should have save the 57 bucks and put another 200 towards a tubeless rims.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Edward Hallgren
a Weekend Warrior
from St. Petersburg, FL USA Date Reviewed: July 15, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Alafia River State Park (Florida)
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
University Bicycles
Strengths:
Tactile feel, designed to run low pressure in tires, sophisticated engineering, ideal application to mountain bikes; and great website
Weaknesses:
Limited understanding at LBSs about how the product is properly applied in mountain bike wheel set-up
Similar Products Used:
Tubeless tires on dirt bikes, cars, etc; and UST on the Cannondale line at a promo event, which all had tubes in them
Bike Setup:
2 scoops in each tire, tape, rim strips, nut, cap, floor pump, seal, 18 psi front and rear, WTB Speed Disks, Tioga blue and yellow, on my stock 2005 GT Avalanche 0.5
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent product. It is well thought-out and brilliant in its application to standard mountain bike wheel-sets. It allows you to convert your stock non-UST rims to tubeless with light-weight non-UST tires at home. The benefits of running low tire pressure on a mountain bike are clear; traction, control, shock absorption, speed, safety, etc, however, this feature is not available with tubes, because they pinch-flat when you drop the pressure. Maxing out tire pressure may be fine for a road bike, but mountain bikes operate differently. Efficiency on the trail is generated by riding a suspended line through obstacles and minimizing wheel weight located furthest from the hubs. Marginal reductions in the spinning components of your bike (i.e., tires, rims, pedals, shoes, etc) will significantly increase performance in acceleration and braking, which is critical in going fast on technical trails. I run 18 psi in high-volume stock Tiogas (190 lbs) at 42 psi in the fork. The set-up is simply perfect at the trail I ride (Alafia River State Park, FL) which is technical and has long rooted sections, and I am very pleased with Stan's. I also ride out to the Skyway Bridge on a paved trail and have ridden through a huge mess of broken beer bottles on one of the spans, which have always been there, without incident. That could not have been done with tubes. The product gets 5 peppers, because of reliability, speed, safety, cost, innovation, and the fact that it is the most significant upgrade for a non-UST mountain bike on the market today.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bob Engelhorn
a Weekend Warrior
from Kirkland Date Reviewed: July 13, 2005
Favorite Trail:
barn burner
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
None really
Weaknesses:
Messy, doesn't do what it says it will do.
Bike Setup:
Intense 5.5
Bottom Line:
I have a really hard time recommending this product. I've tried Stan's on four different sets of tires and the results are hardly stellar. Stan's claims the sealant will work on tears up to a quarter inch in diameter but I've found it won't seal a simple thorn puncture. What's really ironic is that it seemed to work best on my non-tubeless Continental Vertical Pro's. Those tires held air for several months and I didn't have any real problems until I got a thorn flat. The Stan's just squirted out of the small hole and wouldn't seal at all. I ended up removing the tire, putting in new Stan's (fully shaken) and re-mounted the tire. Same thing. The Stan's just squirted out when I put any pressure in the tire.
After that debacle, I bought new tubeless Continental Gravity Pro tires and they lasted maybe five rides before those flatted. Again, the tire wouldn't seal so I removed the tire, patched it and tried again. This time I made it one ride before I got another flat. I patched the hole again (very small hole)and remounted the tire, but now the tire leaked around the rim. I held the tire and rim so that the Stan's would congeal around the area, but it still would not seal.
I've also used Stan's on my downhill bike and I haven't had any issues, but those tires are tubeless and are so thick that I can't imagine I'll lose air.
I don't know, I'm just disappointed. I've worked on bikes for a dozen years and know what I'm doing and still have problems with this product. There may be times where this product works, but I've had very mixed results and wouldn't recommend it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Robert Winston
a Racer
from Carlsbad, CA Date Reviewed: July 2, 2005
Favorite Trail:
mammoth mtn bike park
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
website
Strengths:
does seal up small holes and eliminates the pinch flat
Weaknesses:
hard to set up initially. can takes days before it really seals up completely. tire can blow off the rim at very bad times.
Similar Products Used:
na
Bike Setup:
single speed ellsworth, fox f80x, king hubs (the best!) valiant rims.
Bottom Line:
i will abandon stan's after a recent scare. i was bombing down a rocky trail on python airlights sealed with stan's. after a loud "pop" i was riding on the metal rim on the rear. the rim was ruined and i almost crashed. next day, same thing happened to the front wheel. thankfully, i was on a smooth uphill. this mishap never happened to me before and the hutchison next gen airlight tires were only on for about a week before they "blew". it could be related to the tires. can't risk a race or my life for a few grams of weight. bye, bye stan's! it is also a huge pain to change tires for different race conditions. back to tubes for me! last thing, when you do flat in race, it takes longer to fix because of the rim strip and all the white fluid all over the place.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Arizona MTBer
a
from AZ Date Reviewed: May 27, 2005
Favorite Trail:
All Single Track
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$65.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
When you're actually using it on the trail, it works great on small punctures, i.e., cactus, goatheads, etc., and even seals larger holes...."most of the time".
Weaknesses:
ost: In my opinion the cost is the major deterant. The rim strips are way way too expensive for what they are.
Similar Products Used:
MAXXIS tubless rim strips.
*NOTE: THE CHILI RATING IS FOR STAN'S NOTUBES, NOT THE MAXXIS RIMSTRIPS.
Bike Setup:
Kona (HT), Mavic 717 wheelset, Race Face Deus Cranks, Fox RLT 80 Forks, Hope mini disk brakes, Thompson seatpost, etc. etc.
Bottom Line:
Well, here is how I feel about Stan's NoTubes System. In general I think it's a great idea and works pretty well for the most part. The reality that no tire setup is perfect for every and all conditions every or every rider. If you ride a lot (5 to 6 days a week) you well know that tire maintenance and preservation is key to a good ride. I've used Stan's NoTubes System for a year now on my 717's and it works pretty well. Yes, it's messy at times when you flat (I always bring a small rag for cleanup). And yes, if your tire gets a 1/2 inch gash in its sidewall, you can bet it's not going to hold air....Stan's or no Stan's, slime or no slime. Also, if you follow the advice at the Stan's webpage on tire recommendations, the tire should not blow off the rim. I ride mostly Hutchinson's and have had no problems yet (I race xc and ride very aggressively while training).
Is there anything else out there? Well, yes, sort of. As you may know, the Stan's rim strips are way over priced for what you get. It's basically a 24" tube cut down to fit inside of the rim groove. I think that $22.50 each is a bit steep for Stan's rim strips. As for the latex sealant, I’m working on finding a replacement. But in the meantime, I’ll stick with Stan’s Sealant.
Alternative: Maxxis sells their own version of a tubless rim strip, allowing you to convert your non UST rims to run tubless, just like Stan's. The difference is the price. Stan's rim strips are $22.50-$25.00 (this is not including their flat shipping rate of aprox. $10.00...do the math!) Maxxis on the other hand sells their TS (Tubeless System) rim strips for $5.oo each. Yes! That's right! I said $5.00 each, and they work too! Maybe even a little better.
The Maxxis rim strip is a little different in that it completely covers the contact area where the tire would contact the rim. I've been riding on the Maxxis rim strips for two months now on an extra set of rims and they have been flawless. One area that they are superior to the Stan's Rim strips is that because they cover the edge of rim, you are much less likely to get a pinch flat from an impact. It can happen I'm sure, but the rim edge is cushioned by the new layer of material and I think also would allow the tire to slide on the rim a little. OK! I'll end this now.
Bottom Line? You can afford $5.00 x 2. Even if it's to experiment.
Oh! One last thing. I did notice that initially the rim strip seemed too wide to fit snug into the rim. I removed all vestiges of rim tape (bare rim) re-inserted the rim strips and they worked perfectly. However, Maxxis has recently posted better discriptions of what RS works with what rim type. Also, I prefer to leave my rimstrips in, just incase a tube is all you have for backup (i.e., stans goop doesn't allow glue in patch kit to stick.)
Cheers!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Josh
a Cross Country Rider
from Davis Date Reviewed: May 24, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Hole in Ground
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Cambria
Strengths:
Roll great, grip well, seem lighter. Actually fairly easy to set up if you watch the video on the web site and follow directions.
Weaknesses:
Pretty expensive. I didn't fool around with my old tires. Bought new Contis.
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
Blur with nice stuff. Spinergy xyclone disc Wheels. Conti Vertical pro front. Vapor pro rear.
Bottom Line:
Sweet. Very happy with the upgrade. Rode 24 hours of Adrenaline @ Laguna Seca with no worries. Fairly tame track but will race Downieville in July. I now go faster into turns with less fear of a front tire wash out.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andre
a
from Park City, Utah, USA Date Reviewed: May 20, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Local shop
Strengths:
Noticably improved performance. Lighter, more active feeling wheel. Increased grip with lower PSI.
Weaknesses:
Very finicky as to which rim wheel combos will work. Full potential of catastrophic failure (twice in a week with different tire/rim setups). Product packaging does not offer the list of recommended tires etc. available on Stan's website.
Bike Setup:
Gary Fisher 293, XT/XTR, yada, yada, yada.
Bottom Line:
There is the possibility for unparalleled performance and unparalleled catastrophe. The chance you take is serious injury when a tire completely blows off the rim at speed. From experience, it is not fun to try to stop on metal when all your rubber goes away and wraps up in your fork! Never mind the cost of the initial product, wrecked tires, and dented rims. It's your health. I will NOT take the chance again.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise, ID Date Reviewed: April 21, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Whichever I'm on
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint
Strengths:
Not sure yet. Interesting concept, though.
Weaknesses:
Flimsy rim strips/valve cores. Requires drilling out your rims (ouch!). Really pricey when you consider that the bulk of the cost is the rim strips.
Similar Products Used:
Just tubes.
Bike Setup:
Mavic 221 rims with Specialized Roll-X tires.
Bottom Line:
The jury's still out on these. Would have appreciated a little more guidance on drilling out the inner wall of your rims. I put a 3/8" bit in my drill, and opened it up, trying to go very slowly and carefully. It pulled clean through both walls of the rim. I would do this either with a drill press that has a stop before the second wall or with a dremel or a round file. Dremel or round file will take a lot longer, but it leaves both walls of your rims intact.
I was able to finish the rest of the installation without incident. But my front wheel for whatever reason did not seal properly. I reinstalled the tire to make sure everything was OK, and it still slowly lost pressure. Took everything off, removed the factory rim strips and replaced them with the nylon tape that comes with the kit, cleaned and dried all the parts (except tires), and then reinstalled everything a third time, and this time it seems to be holding its air.
Took them out for a test ride yesterday morning. I like the way they roll. There is definitely less rolling resistance. They feel lighter, though I think that is more a function of rolling resistance than weight, as I doubt I saved much, and it certainly was not my primary intention. Not sure on the cornering, though. My initial reaction is that the thinner sidewalls on non-UST tires lead to less stability in the corners. I'm heading to Moab next week, so I'll have ample opportunity to test them there.
Bottom line is that if I had it do over, I would probably not purchase Stan's again. The reason I did it was to have a system that helps prevent flats without adding too much weight. Don't have enough experience yet to say whether it does that or not, but I'm not real happy about drilling through my rims. It's my fault, but would have never happened had I just used slime tubes or another flat-prevention alternative.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jesse Raether
a Cross Country Rider
from Albuquerque New Mexico Date Reviewed: April 3, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$15.00
Purchased At:
Albuquerque Bicycle Center
Strengths:
Seals up road puncture at 120 psi. I am satisfied with this product. I put 25cc of stans sealent into conti tubes with removable calve cored. I have not had a flat in over 200 miles.
Weaknesses:
there are none
Similar Products Used:
airlock
Bike Setup:
Ultegra Trek Madone
Bottom Line:
This stuff rocks.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jesse Raether
a Cross Country Rider
from Albuquerque New Mexico Date Reviewed: April 3, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$15.00
Purchased At:
Albuquerque Bicycle Center
Strengths:
Seals up road puncture at 120 psi. I am satisfied with this product. I put 25cc of stans sealent into conti tubes with removable calve cored. I have not had a flat in over 200 miles.
Weaknesses:
there are none
Similar Products Used:
airlock
Bike Setup:
Ultegra Trek Madone
Bottom Line:
This stuff rocks.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Del Sharp
a Cross Country Rider
from Vail-Breckenridge, CO Date Reviewed: March 30, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Two Elk
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
Stan's website
Strengths:
None.
Weaknesses:
Must air up with floor pump or air compressor, soap and water. (Try that on the trail.) Initial conversion is a pain. Expensive.
Similar Products Used:
None.
Bike Setup:
20" Intense Tracer, Sweet Wings, Manitou Black Super Air, Xyclones, Avid BB7's.
Bottom Line:
I had no trouble converting my tires, but it took me over an hour from start to finish. It's an involved process. Not something you want to have to repeat often.
Aside from dealing with gradual air loss for the first few days, Stan's held up great. I rode Slickrock and Dakota Ridge (Denver front range) without any troubles at all at 27-35lbs psi.
In August, while doing some mountainbiking in South Dakota, I punctured my rear tire. Quickly, I rotated the tire so that the leak was at the bottom and you could hear the hole seal up. Unfortunately, the hole was bigger than usual and so the tire lost quite a bit of air before it sealed.
Using a mini pump, I aired the tire up. I tried to be careful as I pumped the tire, but it didn't matter the stem still separated from the rim strip. Luckily, my buddy had a spare tube. When I lifted the bead of the tire to insert the tube I noticed that the liquid latex had dried inside the tire, forming a skin inside the tire. Apparently, there was enough liquid to seal the puncture, though.
Based on my experience converting my tires and realizing that you have to continually add liquid latex, I can't recommend this product for tubeless conversion. You can't trust the system. Stan recommends using a tube if you need to air up on the trail. Carrying two spare tubes defeats the purpose of going tubeless.
This could work, but the rim strip is the Achilles heal. I went to Stan's website to see what the warranty on the rim strip was. Basically, using a mini pump voids the warranty. When I emailed him my intentions to modify my mtbr.com review, this was his response:
"No if you have problems on the trail you should install a tube. If you have the proper amount of sealant in your tire before starting your ride you should almost never need a pump on the trail."
"Almost" doesn't get it for me.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jeff
a Racer
from columbus, oh Date Reviewed: March 22, 2005
Favorite Trail:
a dry one
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$56.00
Purchased At:
direct from web site
Strengths:
performance wise, the best $ i've ever spent. I haven't had a flat sense installing the system.
Weaknesses:
some tires can be problematic to mount
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
2000 sugar II, mavic crosslink, geax arrojo (fast tire), continental explorer pro
Bottom Line:
I 've saved weight, have less rolling resistance, go faster around corners (espesialy choppy corners), have better grip up hill, a smother ride (better ride over small bumps), better on roots, and haven't had a flat in 3 years. I like that.
I have had some issues mounting some tires though. tires that tend to fit tight, like continentals, can be inflated with a hand pump. but ones that don't fit so tight must be inflated by a compressor with out depressing the valve stem.
Tip on tire inflation: on lose fitting tires, right before your going to hit it with compressed air, wrap electrical tape around the circumference of the tire to tighten the tire's bead against the rim. pull the tape tight to bring the tires bead against the rim. try not to get soap on the tape. I sucsesfully mounted a half worn and very lose fitting tire this way in no time at all. once mounted, the tire held just fine till the end of it's life.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dennis
a Cross Country Rider
from North Conway, NH Date Reviewed: March 8, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Red Tail
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
Price Point
Strengths:
Works as advertised
Weaknesses:
made my fingers all sticky
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
KHS Pro St with Mavic X3.1 tubeless wheels
Bottom Line:
I have been running a tubeless setup for about 2 years and always had some air leakage between rides. I put Stans in and have not had to put air in since unless I wanted to change tires or pressure for a different ride condition. Worth the money.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Thom Patterson
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, Ga Date Reviewed: March 8, 2005
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
spinlite cycling
Strengths:
Rolls great. Easy to install (for my setup). Extremely Durable.
Weaknesses:
I never had any problem on my rims. My setup is CK hubs with CX-Ray spokes and ZTR 355 rims. I've put on three different tires on the rim and used a floor pump to inflate all of them without any problems. I did noticed it doesn't work well on certain rims and tires. I recommended several friends with Stan No tube kit. It took me 20min to set mine up, but I couldn't set theirs up. They tried several tires and finally ended up with Panaracer Fire Pro to finally worked. Overall for them, it took several hours.
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
Cannondale Scalpel 800. EC70 Handlebar and Seatpost. Magura Marta Brakes, XTR shifter, front and rear derailer. XT Crank. Selle Italia SLR Gel saddle. CK hubs, CX-Rays spokes with ZTR 355 rims. TI bolts and fixings. Hutchinson Python air lights.
Bottom Line:
I've been using this product on my bike for over a year now and I love it. I do loose some air, but that's if I don't ride for a week. When I was riding every day, I would pump up my tire once every three weeks. When it does loose air, it would go down to 30psi and hold. I do noticed that they grip and handle better than stocked tubes in there. IMO they roll faster and grip awesome on climbs. Never had an incident with burping. I did have one incident with Stan's no tubes not working, but even if you had any type of tire setup, you would have gotten the same problem. I rode a hard trail in Georgia called bull mountain. They're are a lot of loose rocks all over the place. On a downhill bomb, I must of hit a sharp edge rock. It cause a slice about 1" long on the side wall. I rode for a while and the no tube did it's best from me to go completely flat, but it was inevitible that it would go flat. I put in a tube and the tube was protuding out of the tire. I managed to make it back, but the tire was gone. It would have happened to any tire setup, so I didn't blame Stan on this issue. I got paranoid with the slice and placed a tubeless tire in the rear. Let me tell ya, the extra 150 gram tubeless carries is a BIG difference. It sucked. It rolls slow and doesn't handle great. Using Stan No Tube with a non tubeless tire is the way to go. They just roll faster and handle a lot better. I went a whole summer and never had to put more sealant in there until I replaced my tires. It still had a lot of sealant in it.
As I mentioned, this product worked awesome for me. The reason it worked so well was because I used other products with the no tubes, like the ZTR 355 rims which it was designed for it. As for my other friends, they would disagree.
I would give it 5 chilis across the board, but witnessing unfortunate setups from other rims and tires, I would give it 4 chilis.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin Tx Date Reviewed: March 3, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$65.00
Purchased At:
stans notubes website
Strengths:
Easy to install and saves weight.
Bike Setup:
Mavic 717 rims, Continental Explorer Pro tires.
Bottom Line:
I was suprised how easy it was to install. Took me about 30 min.s for each wheel, and this was my first time trying it. Using soap suds on the bead works great. Important to hang the wheel. Dont try to inflate wheel on the ground. Impressed everything went very smooth with installation. Great!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tim B
a Cross Country Rider
from Cape Town Date Reviewed: February 4, 2005
Favorite Trail:
HArkerville Forest
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$85.00
Purchased At:
notubes.com
Strengths:
light weight, excellent sealing
Weaknesses:
fitting is not easy and instructions ahve to followed to the T
Similar Products Used:
Mavic UST
Bike Setup:
Cannondale Scalpel wit XTR Cannondale F3000SL CAAD4 with SRAM/Coda /Shimano Drivetrain, XTR disc brakes Mavic X517 rims on XTR hubs.
Bottom Line:
Ok so it's been nearly 4 yrs since I started using Stans NoTubes. What can I say, I'm an expert at it :)
Without doubt this system packs a lot of performance into a small bottle. As always the initial set up is a phaff but after you've been at it as long as I have It's really no big deal anymore. The sealant is the best I've used and I've tried a few others in the interim.
Now I think I'll be buying some of Stans lovely new ZTR Olympic rims.
STill a Happy Stans after nearly 4 yrs.
PS: I can review this system continuously against UST because my other bike has that system on it. Stans is the cheaper way to go in the short term.
PSS: If you're using conventional tyres they won;t last as long as designed when converted with Stans. This is because the tyre is nolonger supported by a tube so the casing takes more strain. I only get about 8months to a yr out of tyres now.
PSSS: The sealant outperforms anything else. Removed my UST tyre from the rim and found 7 thorns in there that had been sealed up! Iwasn't aware that Stan' sealant had done it's job. It's that good.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Petaluma CA USA Date Reviewed: January 20, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Two Quary
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$49.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
Seals leaks before your tire dies. Really nice feel with tire at lower psi. Try it you will appreciate it.
Weaknesses:
Can be hard to install if you do NOT read all the tips and hints. It really is easy with a bit of practice.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
05 blur and 2000 litespeed tacoaa w/ full xtr
Bottom Line:
BUY IT!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
darwin
a Cross Country Rider
from new zealand Date Reviewed: November 21, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
it works. tyres seem to roll better
Weaknesses:
expensive especially all the way out here
Bike Setup:
04 stumpy
Bottom Line:
tyres went on easily, filled with air from a floor pump. forgot to read about non recommended tyre types but once that was sorted, all OK. not convinced that they are lighter, but they have this freaky light feeling when you ride them. will post after a few races once i have decided if they really are fast.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Shai Berger
a Weekend Warrior
from Tel-Aviv Date Reviewed: November 12, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Works as promissed. No more pinch flats nor any flats. Exelent client support !
Weaknesses:
If you do it yourself you have to go exactly by the instructions on the site Which are very good- every point is important. If you are a heavy rider expect the tire to "burp" when hitting stuff hard - didn't cause me a real problem yet.
Bike Setup:
Intense Tracer with WTB Rims and Tires - works like a charm.
Bottom Line:
I have anything new to add exept the very good experiense I had with Stan. I had a problem with mounting one of tires after several times I could have done it with no problems. Air just kept sipping out of the base of the valve. I've emailed Notubes.com thinking I'm going to wait along time for an answer. To my surprise, I've got an answer several hours later (I'm in a differenet time zone) from Stan, describing several solutions for the problem. The problem was I had holes in the inner rim stripe wich I didn't even look for. Problem was solved according to Stan's recommandations. I didn't get a replacement frame for an expensive bike or something, but I've got attentions from someone who seems to care about the satisfaction of he's clients from a product he belives in - I think says allot.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Alex Hearn
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO Date Reviewed: November 11, 2004
Favorite Trail:
alex4774@hotmail.com
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
Online
Strengths:
almost entirely eliminates flats, allows much lower air pressure which really improves bike handling. Can save weight over tubes, especially if you forgo the rimstrip (use strapping tape or UST'able rim).
Weaknesses:
There's a learning curve to using this stuff, no one should expect to get it totally wired right out of the box. It works fantastic, once you know how to use it right.
Similar Products Used:
lots of tubes...
Bike Setup:
setup on Bontrager Race X Lites with Bontrager rimstrip (not stan's) and multiple tires - no bead stretch issues this way.
Bottom Line:
Originally set this up in 20 minutes over a year ago. Skeptical at first, but it really works. Works so well that I stopped carrying a tube & pump on the trail. Even tried to flat the tires by riding thru cactus, couldn’t do it – they seal right up.
Using a lower tire pressure has added tremendously to bike handling ability – much more stable on descents, much better grab in the corners.
But like most things, it ain’t perfect. Neither is shifting – it requires some set-up, maintenance & fiddling. Don’t get me started on wheel building. It does everything it’s supposed to do, & does it very well, but it is not idiot-proof. Given all the different rims & tires out there, it can’t be. Keep that in mind when you set it up & use it – there will be a few times when it doesn’t seem to work right, but most likely you’re doing something wrong. You’ll figure it out & be wiser for it.
Stan would do well to put up a web page (or include in the kit) a “advanced tips & tricks” bit. For example – if soap gets into the sealant (from soaping the tires for leaks), it will contaminate it & won’t seal leaks. I’ve learned all this stuff the hard way, and now have COMPLETE faith in my tubeless setup – I wouldn’t use anything else. This is the single greatest upgrade since suspension forks.
But beware - it'll take some fiddling to get it totally wired. If you want something absolutely mindless, stay with tubes. If you don't mind tweaking your bike to get all the performance you can, it's for you. THIS WILL MAKE YOU RIDE FASTER!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Auckland Date Reviewed: November 8, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint
Strengths:
Works as described
Weaknesses:
Fiddly. And have lost the air on nthe front tire on two occassions.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
Specialized Enduro
Bottom Line:
Works as described. BUT I have lost he air on the front tire on two similar occassions. I weigh 200lb, was riding quickly downhill and landed heavily on the front wheel. This was in control and not alarming until the tire lost 70% of its air became unstable and crashed. I have gone back to tubes as have lost the confidence on downhills.Good product for XC but not for heavy riders or free riding.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Robert
a Downhiller
from North Jersey Date Reviewed: November 2, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Mountain Creek
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Strengths:
Works as advertised, holds air well, and pretty easy to set-up if you know how to read directions. Good way to get a feel for if you want tubeless tires without the huge expense of buying new wheels. As many people have said, Stan's sealant goop is the best part of this system.
Weaknesses:
A little messy, and you need access to a compressor to get this thing together. FORGET about even attempting the hand pump method, it's not going to work unless you have super skinny (ie: 1.7-1.9) tires. Also takes too long, when you consider the trip down to the gas station (unless you have your own compressor) and the 30 minute light trail or road ride to get the goop all around the casing. Then, when you factor in the price, I'm not sure why anyone would bother? The weight savings isn't that big when compared to XC tubes (maybe 4-6 oz), and this system didn't really work well for anything more agressive than that, where the weigh savings (1-1.5 lbs) would be more substantial.
Similar Products Used:
Traditional kevlar bead tires with downhill tubes.
Bike Setup:
Agressive freeride........triple clamp fork, thru-axle rear, chain guide, etc.
Bottom Line:
Works as advertised, and I'm sure it's great for the average XC or even an AM rider..............but I'd never trust this system for FR or DH. The two different regular casing tires I tried just squirmed too much for my tastes. Under extreme situations like off-camber, rocky, rooted, and medium-sized drops there is no way I would trust this set-up.
Weighing all the pros and cons, for my style of riding, I think it's easier and cheaper to just stick to downhill tubes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Al
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, Tx, USA Date Reviewed: October 17, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
notubes.com
Strengths:
Better performance on rocky and rough trails (with UST tyres) than traditional tube setup.
Weaknesses:
Needs compressed air to set up all tyre combinations I've tried. Standard tyres not designed to withstand forces on them without tubes. Need to carry two spare tubes instead of one.
Bike Setup:
Hammerhead 100X - Mavic 317s Specialized Team Control, Panaracer Fire XC/XC UST, Maxxis Ignitor UST
Bottom Line:
A good product provided you run genuine UST tyres. OK, you can get normal tyres to hold air (provided you have access to a compressed air line), but I had a rear puncture when a rock put a little gash in the Panaracer I was using at the time. A couple of days later I did a hard brake/turn maneouver and the front Specialized tyre came off the bead and lost all its air completely. Switched to UST tyres and no problems so far, and less worry about the bead stretching or breaking. As for the famed "run less pressure" argument - any serious speed on any serious trail will leave huge dents in the rim. Not great for tyre sealing and a real pain if you have rim brakes. However with only the tyre to flex instead of the tyre and tube combination it does perform better even at realistic tyre pressures.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Petaluma CA USA Date Reviewed: October 2, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$49.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
It works. Zero flats in over 1500 miles this summer. Lots of thorns in our area (goat head).
Weaknesses:
Sometimes tricky installing new tires. More air pressure the better. BUY This Stuff!
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
Blur with xtr
Bottom Line:
Buy this stuff. It works wonders. The tires can be run at lower pressures (like 30#) so they hook up much better and give a plush ride. You will like it. Trust me......
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Coulson
a Weekend Warrior
from Barrie, Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: October 2, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Mansfield
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
stans snakeoil sales
Strengths:
No strength's have been demonstrated by this product
Weaknesses:
It is totally unreliable. A lawsuit waiting to happen. Do you want to be the one on 60 minutes sitting in a wheelchair?
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
Uzzi, Deemax UST Wheels, Kenda Nevagal and Blue Groove Tires, also tried Intense Tires.
Bottom Line:
I put the rim strips on without issue. I tried the Intense tires first even though Stan does not recommend them. They aired up and held 35psi for several days. When I went to install the wheels on the bike one tire exploded off the rim. My hand was black and blue and my ears were ringing for days. Nice. I wrote it off as crap, midnight commercial advertising, you got me Stan, you prick! A friend did have some success on Roll X tires and convinced me to try again with my Kenda's which are endorsed by Stan the Rippoff man. I installed the strips and aired up the tires without issue. Went for a ride. Nice. Next day sat on the bike and the rear tire farted some air out and stopped. Went for a ride and by the end it had lost most of it's air. I added sealant and pumped it up. Topped up the front too. Next morning both tires were flat. Nice reliable pile of crap. How about bombing down the big hill and your tire blows off the rim without warning? Tubes don't do that. If I were a lawyer I would be watching this Stan ass quite closely, and the magazines that support him. Buy this crap and risk your life. It might work for you, but for how long? It's not not set and forget. When something is too good to be true then it usually is. Needs to be in the Hall of Shame, at the top.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Vaughn
a Weekend Warrior
from Oroville Date Reviewed: August 24, 2004
Favorite Trail:
South Fork
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$45.00
Strengths:
No more pinch flats. Used on Nokian NBX for 6 months without a flat, then a rash of thorn flats. Most of my flats seem to be pinch so this does help a fair bit, and I can run lower pressures, which allows me to run at higher downhill speeds without a guaranteed flat.
Weaknesses:
Does not protect against thorns. I have had three small thorn flats, which have just not sealed. No tears, just pinhole flats. Ran a thinner Maxxis Highroller that thorn flatted twice and just would not seal no matter how much sealant placed. A major pain to seat and inflate. First time around I was able to do this with a floor pump, but have not had luck the next few attempts. No air compressor here. Over inflated price. Retail near $60.00 is a joke. Would be a great product if it was around $20.00.
Bike Setup:
Turner 5 Spot
Bottom Line:
I would recommend this with reservations. At first I was quite enamored with it, it seemed I had a flat a month. After installing, I had no flats for six months, but for the next 6 months I had on and off flats, which makes for a sloppy mess on the trail. Sprayed sealant all over the rear triangle and my leg on several occasions. Currently I am not running the system in either tire, trail repair with innertube has just stayed. I can't justify stocking my garage with a compressor just to meet this need. I do not think the price can be justified. Reduce the cost and it is a serviceable unit. After these tires wear out I will try it again.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Droffats
a Cross Country Rider
from Milwaukee Date Reviewed: August 24, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
Corythebikefixer.com
Strengths:
Works great on my Bontrager Mustangs built by Dave Thomas ( Speeddream.com)
Weaknesses:
They do not work on my X517 rims
Similar Products Used:
Just tubes
Bike Setup:
Like the other guy said, yup, it is setup.
Bottom Line:
Works so good I was switching the tires from the Speed Dream wheels to some King/X517s when I noticed the thorn sticking in the tire. Don't even know how long it was there.
The bummer is even though Stan's website says the rim strip may require extra work to get on narrow rims like X517s, that wasn't the problem. They rim strip got on fine after the extra effort, but then blew off the rim twice. Even at 35 pounds the front didn't last. On the Mustangs I pumped those babies up to 45-50 pounds and XC raced them!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rod Angler
a
from Houston Date Reviewed: August 24, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Thought you might like to know:
Stan recommends his NoTubes system for use with Continental, Hutchinson, Kenda, Specialized, and "most other brands".
Weaknesses:
Stan lists these tire brands as NOT recommended: Michelin, Nokian, WTB, Panaracer, Bontrager, Intense.
Quote from Stan's site: "When standard tires are mounted tubeless, strain is put on the bead. The above listed tires are known to have weaker beads in the tire which can cause the bead to severely stretch or snap."
Don't shoot the messenger... see Stan's site (link worked as of 24-Aug-2004):
http://www.notubes.com/recommend.htm
Does that mean if you run the above tires your bead is necessarily GOING to snap? No. Just means that the odds are higher for a malfunction with the above tires. I'd surmise that reports from his customers must've caused Stan, to his credit, to see fit to post this information.
Re-spooging the tires every month or two is a minor hassle, but not such a big deal if you have an air compressor for an easy reinflation.
Bike Setup:
Yeah, it's setup. Thanks for asking.
Bottom Line:
Follow Stan's directions carefully (see his site for a jerky but helpful movie snippet) and use an air compressor to inflate, and no problems.
So far my Fire XC's are holding up, but I won't push my luck much farther with other good tires available for use with NoTubes.
Gotta hand it to Stan for getting this system to the marketplace though.
3 chili's for value (kinda pricey), and 4 chili's for the semi-innovation and for performance.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from Gallup, NM Date Reviewed: August 23, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Hermosa Creek
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Online
Strengths:
Works great on goat heads and small punctures. Has alot less flats then my buddies. Lighter than most tubes, rolls really well
Weaknesses:
Takes awhile to get used to the handeling. Not exactly easy to put on, although I have had pretty good luck with just a floor pump. Need to refill often, I usually forget untill I get a flat that doesn't seal (no sealant!) Take alot of crap from my friends!
Similar Products Used:
tubes with slime (don't work and are heavey)
Bike Setup:
Specialized Epic. Mavic rims, currently Panaracer Fire XC pro tires (I don't recommend these tires)
Bottom Line:
I think this is a good product. I have gotten less flats from your typical things like goatheads, pinch-flats etc.. I did have to patch my front tire becuase I managed to rip a hole in the tire on 2 seperate occasions. (but they worked fine afterwards) Overall its a bit more work to get started, often takes me 30-40 minutes a tire to put on and seal, and you need to remember to refill sealant, it doesn't last forever. I have had a couple of flats because I didn't remember to refill, and that's when my buddies all laugh at me! ("I thought you didn't get flats..." shut up!) Overall I think they are a good investment. YOu can always throw in so tubes if you need to!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jon
a
from Grand Rapids, MI Date Reviewed: August 18, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
online
Bottom Line:
I just wanted to make a correction regarding my earlier review. I said I couldnt run IRC Mythos at low pressure, which I now realize wasnt true. I was able to run them as low as 20 PSI with no problems. I just didnt realize how low a pressure they were until I used a pressure gage. This product really works as stated.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ron
a Racer
from Everett, Wa Date Reviewed: July 27, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Wallace Falls
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
notubes.com
Strengths:
No more pinch flats. Ability to run lower air pressure with lower rolling resistance. No more puncture flats.
Weaknesses:
You have to check the sealant level about every 6 weeks in hot weather. Tires with larger/weaker beads can sometimes be difficult to seal. (The Stans website provides a list of tires to use, and not to use with the product)
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
Stans tubeless disc wheelset with rim strip. I have used Kenda Karma DTC, Ritchey ZED WCS, and, even Michelin Jet S tires.
Bottom Line:
I run the system in both of my mountain bikes. I have never had a flat in a one year time period of racing and training. Thorn/puncture flats seal immediatly. I have had one rock puncture/tear that required that I get off the bike, rotate the puncture to the bottom of the tire to allow the sealant to puddle, and wait a minute or two for the sealant to harden before riding. Both of my bikes roll faster, ride smoother, and hook up better in all conditions. Folks that say they don't notice an improvement in rolling resistance are probably running too much air pressure to notice. Thinner tires always = lower rolling restistance. I run 35 lbs in my front tire and 37 in my back tire on my race bike. On my training bike I run 30 in the front and 32 in my back. I have never had burping issues. I did experiance difficulty installing my Michelin, however, this tire brand is not reccomended by the Stans website so it was my oversite.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jon
a
from Grand Rapids Date Reviewed: July 21, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Fort Custer
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
stan's online
Strengths:
Reduces risk of flats from thorns, rocks, etc... Reduces weight of the wheels
Weaknesses:
Difficult to set up, requires air compressor Burps air when you crash
Similar Products Used:
tubes
Bike Setup:
IRC Mythos XC tires on Mavic Crossride rims
Bottom Line:
This product is awesome when I keep a moderate amount of air in the tires. Unfortunately, I wasnt able to run low pressure with the set up I have. It felt like the tire was going to roll off the rim and I could see sealant burping out the tire. It may be the brand of tire I'm using, but it seems the light-weight tube tires just arent stable enough to run on low pressure. You can save just as much weight using light weight tubes but then you have to worry about flats every ride. With Stan's you no longer have to worry about flats. 4 chilis because you cant run low pressure as advertised, otherwise great product
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ed Llorca
a Cross Country Rider
from Thousand Oaks, Ca. Date Reviewed: June 27, 2004
Favorite Trail:
edllorca@ix.netcom.com
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Strengths:
Good handling? Seals a flat as it happens, i watched that with my own eyes, I was amazed!
Weaknesses:
Messy and in some cases almost impossible to use.
Bike Setup:
Michelin Comp S light and Continental Twister Supersonic
Bottom Line:
First off they do not save any weight against the lightest tubes out there. The strips plus the sealant end up at 110+ grams per wheel.
The first set of tires I put on with this setup were the Continenetal Twister Supersonics and the whole process was easy enough. this was mainly because the contis run a real tight bead and the sidewalls are not too porous (at least as new). Handling is good but I cannot say it was a massive difference without a back to back test.
The second set I tried to mount was a used pair of michelin comp s lights. I could not get it to work. The bead on this tire is not tight (you can hand mount it) so the sealant just pours right back out. This makes a huge mess, wastes sealant and you get no where trying to mount the tire. I could not get enough sealant in to ever seal the tire fully.
This product is a good idea but it should be perfected. Do NOT buy it to save weight!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
SweatyYeti
a Cross Country Rider
from Grand Junction, CO, United States Date Reviewed: June 18, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
Stan's
Strengths:
Makes you a faster rider by reducing spinning weight and rolling resistance (a discernable difference, a secret weapon for racers). Eliminates flats from thorns. Savior of UST rims. Allows use of lighter, non-UST tires with UST rims.
Weaknesses:
Overpriced. Liners fail, causing flats that cannot be fixed. A mess to replace a tire. Liquid latex solidifies inside tire eliminating flat prevention quality. Liquid latex slowly, but surely, evaporates away. High maintenance, need to open up tire and check ‘fluid levels’ every month (Stan says to add fluid every 2 to 6 months, which is completely inaccurate). Impossible to add fluid to tire by removing Presta valve, the fluid just clogs while attempting to squeeze it through that narrow hole. Limits tire selection. Adds a ‘fear factor’ to your ride, (i.e., Will my tire blow off the rim? I use Hutchinson Pythons and this has not happened, but I still worry about it).
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
Yeti ASR
Bottom Line:
It works, but it represents the classic tradeoff. You will be able to ride longer distances, at a faster pace, with less effort, but you will also need to do regular maintenance. This stuff evaporates and solidifies fast so that bottle will not last long. Homebrew formula will likely be a lot cheaper, but I haven’t tried that yet. There must be a better fluid formula that lasts longer (? Eclipse). When, not if, the liners fail you will be in deep do-do, bring extra tubes when riding.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Del Sharp
a Cross Country Rider
from Breckenridge Date Reviewed: June 12, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Two Elk
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$57.00
Strengths:
No more tubes, no more pinch flats and immune to thorns.
Weaknesses:
I'm very conscious of burping my tires and that could be unpleasant, but it hasn't happened, yet.
Similar Products Used:
Air B tubes
Bike Setup:
Cannondale Super V Raven, Sweetwings, Hugi hubs laced with ti.
Bottom Line:
Early in the season, I used Stan's on my Kenda Lite tires. Probably the most difficult tires you could try to "Stanitize," but I had no problem getting them to air up. I followed the instructions to a "T". The Kenda Lites would lose air slowly over night, though. The first ride was at Slickrock in Moab. Not a problem the whole way.
Next, I Stanitized my Panaracer FireXCpros. They had been hanging up all winter and had developed a kink in the bead, which made the initial airing up a challenge, but with my compressor I got them both aired up in no time. The Panaracers still have air from the original airing up, about a month ago. I've ridden Horsethief Bench, in Fruita, CO and Dakota Ridge, west of Denver, which consists of slanted rocks protruding everywhere and the tires never burped once. I bought a new Presta pressure gauge and discovered that I rode Dakota at about 27psi!
I've been Stanitized
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
adam
a Cross Country Rider
from kokomo Date Reviewed: June 5, 2004
Favorite Trail:
town run
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$56.00
Purchased At:
inline
Strengths:
instant flat tire stopper! awsome awsome awsome product. easy to install and use. i never changed a tire in my life until i put this stuff in my tires (instead of tubes) and i did it in less than an hour
ran over a sharp thing last year without notubes i then had to walk about 5 miles to the trail head in 90 degree heat and bugs o'plenty. and i only was in the ride for about 40 minutes! not even a warm up! i rode the SAME trail yesterday and hit a sharp thing. before i could mutter a string of curse words, the leak repaired itself!! woo hoo! i love this stuff
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Duane
a Cross Country Rider
from Lakewood, CO, USA Date Reviewed: June 2, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$62.00
Purchased At:
notubes website
Strengths:
None, that I could see
Weaknesses:
It doesn't work?
Similar Products Used:
Slime liners
Bike Setup:
FS Santa Cruz Blur, with all the good stuff on it.
Bottom Line:
I was really stoked about trying a product that could prevent flats, reduce wheel weight, and all with standard rims/tires. What a dissappointment!!! I spent over 4 hours trying to get Stan's system to work, on a number of tire/rim combinations, and all I got was Stan's white goop spewed all over the driveway. I followed his instructions to the letter.
I wouldn't be so harsh, or even written this review, if Stan the Man hadn't inflicted a 10% re-stocking charge when I returned the product to him. So, just to let everyone know, if this notubes system doesn't work for you (and it's likely it won't), you're out 10% of the price, plus the shipping charges to and from.
You can tell this guy is some backyard inventor, who came up with something that sort of works, some of the time, maybe, and is selling it anyway, even tho all the bugs aren't work out.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Sam
a Cross Country Rider
from San Clemente Date Reviewed: June 1, 2004
Favorite Trail:
San Juan trail
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
online
Strengths:
Light, seals punctures well most of the time
Weaknesses:
Installation can be straight forward and sucessful one time and impossible the next time with out compressed air. Expensive
Similar Products Used:
Tubes
Bike Setup:
Ellsworth Truth. Valliant rims
Bottom Line:
The first time I installed the kit with a floor pump it worked. However, it was a pain in the ass with lots of pumping. I used Panaracer Fire XC pros and it worked well on the trail, I could not feel a scrap of difference, rolling resistance wise, over tubes and I did not have a flat for a long long time, including a ride where all 5 of my buddies had double flats from goat heads. I went about 4 months or so with out doing anything then I got a thorn and the sealant would not work it just spued the goo until it was totally flat. I learned that you are supposed to add more sealant every 2 months or so. After that I got a set of Hutchenson Python Air lites and I got them to fill, although it was much more difficult with the floor pump. I ran this set up with about 38 PSI for a few months and got my first burp on the front when I hit a fairly sharp ledge, I had to pump up the tire and it burped again and again until I had to put in a tube. When I put the tire back on it was a really loose fit, not confidence inspiring! I went back to a new set of Panaracers I found them IMPOSSIBLE to inflate with the floor pump. Went to a buddys with a compressor and got them to inflate fairly easy. A few months later I got a leak that fresh sealent could not seal, the cause was a slight seperation of the valve stem from the rim strip. In my opinion the cause was a tight fit with the fater than usual valve stem that comes with the system and most pumps ie. sometimes you have to pull pretty hard to get the pump loose. Another concern I have is when I put the few months old Panaracer back on the rim with a tube the fit was way looser than when new. Bottom line - it works pretty good but stretches out the Kevlar beads, I'm going to get a new tire because I'm worried that it's going to come off since it is so loose on the rim. I'm putting the new tire on with a TUBE. I could recomend this product to seal up UST tires but be leary of the rim strips with non UST tires.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Lou
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, AZ Date Reviewed: May 28, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
online
Strengths:
If the product works as well as claimed and as reviews claim, this should be a great product. That's why I bought it. Hopefully I can try it some day.
Weaknesses:
Installation is a tricky and the help offered is of little value.
Similar Products Used:
Umm, Tubes?
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Blur
Bottom Line:
I can't ride right now because of this. Customer service BLOWS. After reading the instructions and watching the low-res jumpy installation video, I had a question about the install. I called and talked to a girl who knows less than I did. No help at all so I went ahead with install. The install went ok except the tires are constantly leaking the sealing solution. That didn't seem right, so I called again. This time I got a guy who knew about as much as the girl. I have left a few messages since they rarely seem to answer the phone. I can't get anybody there who knows anything about THEIR own product. Stan, get your head outta... and answer your phone. I can't go for a ride this weekend because of this. Doh!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Aaron
a Cross Country Rider
from Salida Date Reviewed: May 18, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$10.00
Strengths:
Works, period.
Similar Products Used:
slime
Bottom Line:
I use tubeless tires. They leak, overnight, during a ride, all the time. Bring a pump, meet girls who have flats, not such a bummer. I have to pump up my tires every time I ride, bummer. Get a hole, big bummer out on the trail, no more tubless tires. I use slime so no holes. But I still have to pump up tires every other ride. Kind of a bummer.
Tried Stans. No more pumping, no more flats, no more bummer.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
donka98
a Weekend Warrior
from WA state Date Reviewed: May 17, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
stan's
Bike Setup:
sun singletrack rims, mythos xc on front, serac xc on back
Bottom Line:
After lots of trouble I made a call to Stan and he gave me the clues that made all the difference. His big piece of advice was to put some weather stripping (1/4 in thick, 3/8 in wide) in the rim cavity to sort of “fill” it up a bit more and make airing it up easier. That still didn’t help so I had to go with pressurized air. Gas station machine won’t work – not sufficient volume. You need air that’s pressurized in a tank and gives you volume. One idea would be to buy (or use if you already have) a CO2 hand pump. That way you avoid the auto mechanic’s shop for air (or the $30 for a tank) and have an air pump for the trail in case you ever get a burp.
If you have problems, don’t give up. Just give Stan a call. He’s very helpful and he’ll make sure the product works for you. Had no issues for the first 6 weeks, and then had a burp yesterday on a big hit. It was on a 4 ft jump landing on the back tire only at high speed. Didn’t totally deflate. To fix I just aired up to about 20 psi and rode for another hour with no problems. I’m 200 lbs, so pinch flats used to be a big problem. I used to ride 45+ psi just to avoid pinching. Now I can actually ride like I’m supposed to. Looking forward to a great summer of riding – sans tubs.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Craig Manning
a Cross Country Rider
from Sparks, NV Date Reviewed: May 8, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Tahoe Rim Trail
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Stans
Strengths:
Great Traction, No Flats, oh and did I say great traction.
Weaknesses:
A little messy swapping tires, A little bit of a pain to get the tires sealed. Tires will blow up a little wider without tubes.
Similar Products Used:
Tubes??
Bike Setup:
Fuel 90, Zokes MX Pro w/ETA, Avid discs, Kenda Kinetics Stick-E(great tire)Front, Tioga Blue Dragon rear.
Bottom Line:
Great product, make sure you follow the directions to a tee. Go online and watch the video and beg, borrow, or steal an air compressor if you dont have one. Had a little trouble getting them sealed, I thought they were sealed, they didnt lose any pressure for three hours, then the next morning they were flat. The best thing to do is go out and ride the bike, the spinning and the stress on the tire will seal all of the holes. My Kenda Kinetics 2.35 tire fit fine on my fuel with a tube, but the tire blew up bigger without the tube causing it to have about 1/16" clearance on my frame, so I got a blue dragon 2.1 which is now as big as my 2.35 with a tube in it. I have been running 45psi(even though stan says not to run over 40psi because of the stress on the kevlar bead)I weigh 220 lbs., and ride pretty hard and have not had one flat in three months. One thing I have found is that if the bike sits for more than 3-4 days the tires will lose air down to about 30psi then stop. The traction you get without tubes is tremendous. Rolling resistance is greatly increased also, it seams like you can pick up speed coasting on flat ground. This is one great product and Stan is great with technical support as well, two times I e-mailed hime and he got back to me within 24 hours.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pat
a Cross Country Rider
from Morgan Hill,CA Date Reviewed: April 25, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Not Telling
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
direct from Stan
Strengths:
Light weight and the ability to run 35psi without pinch flats.
Weaknesses:
Messy , presta valves are weak and no changing tires on a whim.
Similar Products Used:
Slime tubes. Easier to work with but heavy.
Bike Setup:
Fisher Sugar Race with XT group.
Bottom Line:
Does what it claims. Kinda pricey for what you get. Works best if you put new tires on and leave them till you throw em away. After about 3 months the latex crystals all harden and you must add more sealant. The presta valves are bonded to the rim strip so you have to be gentle or they will rip out. No mini pumps! Use a floor pump or CO2 only. The sealant is great but I think I am going to get tubeless wheels and bag the rim strips.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
matt vanselow
a Racer
from bellingham Date Reviewed: April 14, 2004
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
notubes.com
Strengths:
Easiest way to shave weight off of your bike
Weaknesses:
None
Bike Setup:
TST frame. 8 spd XTR. chris king HS. Race Face cranks. S-works wheelset with stans installed
Bottom Line:
I've run stans for over 2 years. It's worked flawlessly. It was a lot cheaper back in 2001 late 2001 when I bought it. I think the kit was 35$ back then.
I use a c02 cartridge to air up the tires after I've changed them or whatever. But sometimes a floor pump works. Get this product. It is amazing.
This is one of the rare products that actually deserves 5 flaming turds.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nig
a Cross Country Rider
from New Zealand Date Reviewed: April 12, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Strengths:
Light weight, lower pressures, no more punctures.
Weaknesses:
Fitting can be tricky if you try and do it with a floor pump.
Bike Setup:
specialized epic comp, stans, michelin comp s lights, easton bars, thompson post
Bottom Line:
Brilliant. Lower pressures mean better grip, no more punctures (which i have a habit of getting) and wheels are now lighter. Fitting with floor pump looks easy on internet movie but save yourself a lot of hassle and just use a compressor. I struggled for a few hours with the pump, took 5 minutes per wheel with compressor down at the local garage.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jack
a Cross Country Rider
from Delaware Date Reviewed: April 10, 2004
Favorite Trail:
White Clay
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
Henry's
Strengths:
No more puncture flats!
Weaknesses:
Hmmmmm... Maybe that you have to add sealant occasionally. I wouldn't call it a weakness.
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
Blur XTR
Bottom Line:
Had absolutely no problems sealing a slightly used set of Panaracer Fire XT Pro 2.1 tires to my Mavic 317 rims with a floor pump. Still use the same 35 pounds of pressure I used with tubes in these tires. This is worth it just to not have to worry about the thorn punctures common in it his area, especially after trail trimming.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bryan Hammonds
a Weekend Warrior
from Roy, Utah Date Reviewed: April 9, 2004
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
on line
Strengths:
Reduces wheel weight, allows for lower air pressure. Cure pinch flats
Weaknesses:
Does not work well with a lot of tires.
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
Mavic X517 rims.
Bottom Line:
This does work well with the right tires. First, don't even try a tire with a wire bead. Second, Panaracer tires are hit and miss. I was using the XC pro's, had no problem with getting them sealed, but the front tire blew right off the rim. This also damaged the rim strip. The manufacturer would not warranty the rim strip, even though they advised me after the fact that Panaracer tires would not work. Had they told me that in the first place, I wouldn't have tried to use them. The tires that seem to work best are those with a kevlar bead, thin side wall and a softer rubber compound. Also read, expensive tires that only last a few weeks. If you don't mind using the more expensive tires and replacing them often, then this system really does work very well. You may need to experiment with several tires to find what will work well for you. The web site seems to say you should use Kenda's, Conti's and Hutchison. I have tried the first 2. They indeed work well with the tubless system, but the tire falls apart very fast.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Herman James
a Weekend Warrior
from Farmington Hills MI USA Date Reviewed: March 31, 2004
Favorite Trail:
I love them all
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
notubes.com
Strengths:
converts any double walled rim and tire to tubeless...can be reused or eliminated so you can go back to tubes if you want...stops flats...big cool factor
Weaknesses:
Does take some time to convert...need to add sealant periodically..
Similar Products Used:
tire liners
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Blurr w F100x fork, Hayes hydraulic disc brakes, Shimano Deore LX drivetrain
Bottom Line:
I bought Stan's NoTubes last November and installed Nokian Extreme 296 snow & ice tires so I could ride my new bike in the Winter. I just took off the Nokians and put on Kenda Karma 26X2.0 L3R Stick-E tires. My rims are Mavic XC 717 Disc ssc 1". It took 2 hours to make the change. After letting the air out there was nothing holding the tire to the rim strip. It peeled right off. The bottom line is that it's only the air pressure (keep your tires at 35 to 40 psi) and stan's liquid keeping the system together. On both installations my front tire lost a lot of pressure the first night. The next morning I simply went through the coating routine again and the front tire sealed up with no further pressure loss. It didn't make any difference if I used 2 scoops of liquid or 5 scoops of liquid. Just watch the video and follow the instructions. I had no trouble getting my tires to air up just using a floor pump. I just turned my bike upside down so the tires were suspended, got them to air up first just using the soap & water, then added the sealant and reinflated. It helps to pat the tires in center which causes the sides to blow out against the rim. The rim strip goes right up the sides of he rim just below the bead lock. Now you do the coating routine as follows: You're holding the tire in front of you with your right hand at 3 o'clock and the left hand at 9 o'clock. You pivot the tire back and forth (top of tire moves away from you while the bottom moves toward you...then reverse). This back & forth movement causes the sealant, which has puddled at the bottom of the tire, to sloss around and coat the inside of the tire right at the bottom so escaping air will cause the micro beads suspended in the liquid to plug any holes and prevent any further air loss. Now you rotate the tire a little (I stopped at each spoke) and repeat. After each rotation you wait about 10 seconds for the sealant to puddle before moving the tire back and forth as described above to sloss around the liquid and seal up the air leaks.
When running tubes I pinch flatted my front tire just running over street curbs at speed. I tested NoTubes and got no flat. So I'm sold on this product. And there's the peace of mind of knowing that regular punctures would get sealed up. I don't run into that much where I ride but will take the word of other reviewers on that score.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pat
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt Lake City, Utah Date Reviewed: March 21, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
Stan's
Strengths:
No more flats.
Weaknesses:
Takes time to figure out how to make it work. Need an air compressor
I was hoping to be able to use a floor pump to fill the tires the first time after I put in the Stans but no way. So drove to a local gas station and used their air compressor. Filled right up and it was so nice to see something work the way it was supposed to. Using the soap is the key for me on this set up. I put on the suds and let it sit for 5 minutes and then put on some more. The first layer of soap seamed to get sticky by letting it sit for a little while. After I put in the air there were some bubbles and the Stans sealed them right up.(If you go to a gas station dont use a compressor that you have to pay for. Those kind don't put out enough pressure to pop the bead of the tire on. I found that out the hard way. Found a station that had a real compressor) I held the hub of the wheel in one hand and had the valve on the top on the wheel. The wheel needs to be straight up and down. Hooked the air to the valve with the other hand and presto....it was done.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dylan Arriaza
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Barbara, CA Date Reviewed: March 10, 2004
Favorite Trail:
one that's at 30 miles long
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
notubes.com
Strengths:
Once you got it .... you're in. It's got a pretty good seal.
Weaknesses:
I had Panaracer's with a wire bead and it didn't work. Sun Rhinlites also require a special rim strip....no the Freeride they originally recommended at no tubes. I finally spoke to Stan and he hooked me up with the right set up. Stan is da' man.
Non wired beaded tires work best. Hutchinson and Michellin work the easiest. If you have Panaracers, save your self the headache or buy new tires.
I give overall (3 chili's) b/c there are leaks from the sidewalls every now and then. A simple pump-pump takes care of biz.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
HellBent
a Weekend Warrior
from Japan Date Reviewed: February 27, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
beyondbikes
Strengths:
Works exactly as advertised!
Weaknesses:
A little bit of work to install, but worth it.
Similar Products Used:
Nothing similar at the time
Bike Setup:
Banshee Scirocco, Sun Rhyno-Lite rims, Panaracer Fire FR 2.4"
Bottom Line:
"There is nothing more powerful than an Idea whose time has come!" Stan delivers on his promise. 3 months of abuse and no flats, leaks or problems of any sort. I just rode a trail with over a hundred stairs and some good drops. No worries what so ever!
The only issue is now I need my wheels trued and balanced. The LBS will do a sweet job of loosening all the spokes and then retightening, balancing, and topping off the job with a little lock-tite. The only issue is that I need to peel apart the rims and clean off the stan's no tubes gunk, and cut off the spoke tape. So now I need to by more spoke tape from stan. But, I still think it's worth it!
Great idea, and a great product! I can't believe people will actually pay several hundred dollars for a tubless rim and tire combo, whe stan's kick there but for a fraction of the cost. God bless America! The land of invention!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mark
a Weekend Warrior
from colonial heights va Date Reviewed: February 15, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
website
Strengths:
no tubes,puncture sealer,support from co.,reputation,overall this is a cool idea
Weaknesses:
none so far for me except not being able to put more than 40 psi in tires(piddly problem)
Similar Products Used:
tubes,slime
Bike Setup:
xs850 with MANY upgrades
Bottom Line:
i use trailblaster tires and they get holes real easy on the trail(well they used to)and with ds-2 rims changing or patching is a real pain.using talc to slide the rim strips helps a lot and soap with more water than they said worked better for me(about 50-50)when they would not seal on the rim at the valve stem i smacked the tire VERY hard at tread center while the compressor was running and it solved the no seal problem.road on some places where i was sure id get a flat and nope none so far.the trailblaster,sun ds-2 combo was not listed on the website but i left the rimtape on (took it off then put it back) to get the rimstrip to seal at the bead.seemed too narrow without and i was not gonna send them back for wider (S&H $10 FROM NY TO VA way too high each way)use pedros rimtape stans 3m packing tape(one layer)and rimstrips went up into bead very well.i would reccomend this product for those who want to lower their psi ability for traction,ride in areas with lots of tire poppers,want to save some weight or just want a real cool product to brag about to friends,or all or any of the above.it is a great product for those who want more time riding and less time changing flats.s&h too high though.dont know who should not buy it although there are tire and rim combos that dont work and not those with wire or nylon bead tires wont give it 5 chilis cuz it is not widely available away from website and s&h from ny to va is a ripoff.if more dealers had it they would not need such high s&h charges
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
George
a
from Port Townsend Date Reviewed: February 12, 2004
Favorite Trail:
anything tight and nasty
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
stans
Strengths:
Worked ok with the mavic 223 rims, but i switched to 317s and it hit the fan
Weaknesses:
It could be my tire rim combo, but i lost most of my air on most of the rides i used the product. high cost for what you get.
Bike Setup:
Kona Dawg deelux, mavic 317, Irc trailbear 2.25 tires.
Bottom Line:
I ran these on my 223s with little trouble. Blew the beed a couple of times, then i read the updated info and added two rim strips that seemed to help. I tacoed my 223 rear and upgraded to 317s. There was no updated info so i mounted the tires as per the directions. I had no problems sealing the tires to the rims. A compressor is a must though. I ran 40 psi and i lost the air in my tires every time i left the ground. I got a small thorn hole in the rear and it wouldn't seal up, after 10 min. of tring to gently roll the tire back and forth to get sealent into the hole i gave up and put in a tube. The next ride i blew the front landing off a 4 ft drop. It did pump right back up. But then i was doing a stoppie and it blew again. I do wight 220 lbs and i ride aggresive, this may be the problem with the burping. But not the thorn hole. So if your a light easy trail rider, who runs the right combo of tire and rim these may be for you. I sold mine on ebay and got back most of the cost to learn a lesson. I gave it 3 turds on the overall becuse the guys at stans did try to help. And the idea is right, just not for me
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
p
a Racer
from nashville, tn, usa Date Reviewed: February 6, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
website
Strengths:
the only tube you need is a spare to carry along just in case. use regular tires on regular rims.
Weaknesses:
price. i understand the r+d cost, but for what you actually get the price is ridiculously expensive. (Still cheaper than a set of ust rims and tires I gues.)
I am posting to let people know that the combinations of the crossride rims and the python or mythos tires works. I am 160 pounds and ride with 35 psi in the rear 30 up front with no problems. I seated both sets of tires with a floor pump. Yes it is doable without an air compressor. The pythons were easy while the mythos were a real pain. I had to pump away like a rabid monkey untill I thought my arms would fall off. If you have problems with a brand new tire try mounting it with a tube and let it sit for a couple days. It helps if the tires are stretched out. Also before you start pumping work the beads out towards the sides of the rim with your hands especially at the valve. Then pump like mad! Reseating tires is no problem with a floor pump. On the trail bring a CO2. And make sure you shake the tire all the way around for a good 20+ seconds at each spot. Use plenty of soapy water to find the side wall leaks. There will be a ton. But, if you have a little patients to really shake the tires really well the leaks will seal. I've let tires sit for over two weeks without any loss in pressure. Finaly, yes tires with performance lunar light tubes are about the same weight if not lighter. But those tubes are really fragile and you can't afford to run them at low pressures. I hope that helps some people break free from tubes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tad
a Cross Country Rider
from Greenville, SC, USA Date Reviewed: February 3, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
Stans
Strengths:
Works
Weaknesses:
Installation
Similar Products Used:
Tubes
Bike Setup:
Superlight, X-Fly, Hope Mini's yada yada
Bottom Line:
Set up wasn't a breeze, I initially removed the old riim tape but the tire wouldn't pressure up so I installed the rim tape on top of the tape supplied then the rim strip and then the tire pressured up readily. Once all the sidewalls were sealed my tires hold air much longer than with tubes.
Use a compressor, if you don't have one, drive to a gas station or a friends house with one.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
James
a
from La Mesa, CA Date Reviewed: January 28, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Cuyamaca Loop
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
notubes.com
Strengths:
Works well when it's finally set up. Allows you to ride with more confidence through thorny areas. You don't have to stop to change tubes all the time.
Weaknesses:
Installation is...well, not so much difficult, but lengthy. It takes some practice and experimentation to learn what works best for your rim and tire combo.
Similar Products Used:
Slime
Bike Setup:
Mavic 223 Rims with Panaracer XC Pro or Hutchinson Python.
Bottom Line:
This is a cool product, but it's not a quick install. In several cases, a compressor is required to get the tires to mount. This is fine in your garage or shop, but on the trail, who's gonna have a compresor strapped to their back? Although flats are very rare with this system, you still have to carry a tube with you just incase the tire slips off the rim.
The product is a little expensive initially, especially since the instructions tell you to try different combos of rim tape sizes and layers, and if you don' get it right the first time, you may go through several rolls of tape. The kit includes a special 12mm width strapping tape, that I've not been able to find in any stores. I ran out of it before I could find a combination that works for my setup.
Stan responds to e-mails promptly and helps out his customers, and that's pretty cool. He told me that Panaracers would be very difficult to mount, and Hutchinsons would be easier and better. However, in my experience, I've only got the Hutchinson to mount once, and I've got the panaracers to mount several times.
There is a lot of instructional media on NoTubes.com, however, the videos are in different formats. That's more of a gripe with the website, not the product, but you really MUST read everything online to understand how to install the system.
Don't let too much soap get into the INSIDE of the tire, I've found that it effects the sealing abilities. It takes practice to get the right amount of soap on the beads.
Bottom line, if you're planning on building a new set of wheels, get tubless rims and tires and just buy the sealant instead of the whole kit.
If you don't have a compressor, you may have troubles. Don't expect to install these and go for a long ride on the same day. I spent about 5 hours getting 2 working tires mounted. About 4 hours of that was trial and error.
But!!!! I can now ride through places where I would previously flat 100% of the time. Plus, anti-mountain biker tactics like spike strips won't stop you.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
JR
a Cross Country Rider
from Poway, CA, USA Date Reviewed: January 14, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
Direct from Stan's
Strengths:
Reduces flats, reduces rotating of wheels, and allows you to run lower tire pressures.
Weaknesses:
Installation can get a little messy. Doesn't work the same for all tires.
Similar Products Used:
Tubes
Bike Setup:
Mavic X223 rims with a 2.4 kevlar beaded WTB Mutano Raptor up front and a 2.24 Mutano Raptor in the rear.
Bottom Line:
I was a little hesitant to try this product, but I'm glad I'm using it now. Installation was a little messy, but otherwise fairly simple. The 2.4 tire mounted and sealed immediately. It took a little more work to get the 2.24 tire to seat and seal on the rim. It definitely helps to use a compressor to get the tires to inflate quickly and seal onto the rims.
So far I have 150 miles on the tires I mounted with sealant. Both tires hold air extremely well. I haven't had to add any air to the tires in the last four rides (7 days). Running without tubes does allow you to use lower air pressure in the tires. I weigh 145lbs and have experimented with running tire pressures as low as 30psi. I found the best results with 32-34psi in the front and 30-32psi in the rear.
Overall Stan's No Tubes is an excellent product; however it slips a little in value due to price and the fact the sealant requires periodic replacement.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Marcus
a Cross Country Rider
from Warrensburg, MO USA Date Reviewed: December 26, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Landahl
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$67.00
Purchased At:
Online from Stan
Strengths:
virtually eliminates puncture flats, lowers rotating weight, able to run lower pressures, better traction enabling you to climb like a mountain goat, lower rolling resistance
This system is awesome. It's very easy to set up. People who can't get it to work are ignoring some portion of the directions, are sloppy workers, or maybe shouldn't be working on their bikes. I had no real problems with it. Some tires are more difficult to mount than others because their bead circumfrence is larger than others, but anything will mount if you work at it. The first set I mounted were scorpions, they mounted flawlessly, very easy. I've mounted some conti explorers, they also mounted with no trouble. I tried to mount some fire xc pros but couldn't get them to seat, but I didn't try very hard either. Stan doesn't recommend certain tires because the beads are made with less fiber and can break when inflated past a certain point. Panaracer is one of those tires so like I said, I've never tried very hard. I own a compressor, so I've never done it with a floor pump. The conties and hutchinsons would have been easy though.
I use talcum powder to get the rim strips to seat evenly, stan recommends soap, I may try that next.
Drill out your valve stem hole! Important! Otherwise the strip won't seat evenly there and you'll get leaks. It's not a big deal, you only have to drill through the inner wall.
Last night I converted another set of rims to stans and it gave me more trouble than usual. I had to nail the tire with about 100 psi to get it to seat. If you look at the specialized roll-x tires though you can see the bead is kind of wavy, if that makes sense. On the conti and hutch it's even so it sits next to the rim strip better and seals quicker. After much sloshing they've both sealed up pretty well although the rear roll-x kept developing pinoles in random places so it took about a day of working at it to get it sealed right. Considering the alternative (flats on EVERY ride - we have a lot of hedge thorns around here, 3" spikes), spending an hour yesterday and an hour today is nothing.
I've run over thorn bushes, ridden right through them, run over hedge branches, nothing, no flats at all since I started running this system. The tires even hold air better than with tubes. Since running the stans I've been able to climb better, I've ridden up stuff I couldn't have before. This is the best modification you can do to your bike. Guys running 2.3's and larger on skinny little xc rims wondering why they're getting leaks.. get a wider rim and the wider rims strips. Mavic 317s are not downhill rims. Also be realistic. Stan has produced a product that works on a MAJORITY of rim and tire combos. Some things it won't work on. Read everyone's reviews, see what they're running, try to use the same stuff and you won't have any troubles.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pete
a
from Colorado Date Reviewed: December 19, 2003
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Strengths:
Flawless, if you're mechanically inclined. By removing rotating mass at the wheels' extreems the bike accelerates quicker, steers lighter, climbs more goat-like, handles more nimbly, and brakes more powerfully. The adsence of the tube allowes better conformity to the terrain which equals better traction, yet with less rolling resistance, and longer tread life from the more forgiving nature of a "NoTube" tire. Also, tire choices, tire weights, rim weights, and afordability is better than UST.
Weaknesses:
Faulty, if you're a thumb. HOWEVER, now that Stan has kits available in choice bike shops everywhere people might be inclined to pay their LBS to do the installation and instruction needed to maintain the system. Not for everyone. - If your bike sits for months...you know who you are... HOWEVER, just add a little "solution" to your tube.
Similar Products Used:
light weight tubes sans all the bulk of thick thorn resistant ones, Slime and/or liners... Eeesh!
Bike Setup:
very
Bottom Line:
This stuff is incredible. Truly a "solution" Now with the newer oily/gritty version and removable valve cores (I like my schrader strips) it's easy as ever to get the system to deliver. Out here in razor sharp shale country you gash a sidewall every so often and need to boot and tube the wheel until the tire can be properly repaired from the inside with a car's radial tire patch. Imbeded thorns only add more traction in the rough. It's funny to see 2" cactus and hundreds of thorns waiting for you to view whenever it's time for a tire change, knowing that any one of those surely would have been a buzz kill. I've even had good results adding 2oz to standard tubes in family's bikes to avoid fixing anyone's flats anymore, never again, enough is enough! Thank you Stan, you da man.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Russ Garton
a Cross Country Rider
from Wichita, KS, USA Date Reviewed: December 19, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Colorado Trail, Swan River section
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
website
Strengths:
Got rid of slimed tubes which eventually flatted anyway. Total weight is less
Sun/Tomac DS2 XC (NON UST) rims and Panaracer Fire XC Pro (NON UST) tires
Bottom Line:
I am extremely happy with Stan’s product. I used to have lots of problems with goathead thorns and ran thru even slimed tubes with regularity. Now Stan and I scoff at mere thorns. I never carry a spare tube and have had to use the pump on the trail only twice in 8 months. Both times I was back riding in 5 minutes. The Panaracer Fires have worked great on two different rims so far. Barely any pressure loss – I add a little air every couple weeks. No problems transferring the rim strips from one rim to another when I upgraded bikes. I reused most of the juice and was off in no time. BE SURE TO SHAKE THE CAN BEFORE ADDING JUICE.
The one problem I had was caused by running too low air pressure (probably below 28 psi) for a rocky trail – my fault. My tire belched on an off camber rocky steep downhill section. I had no problems airing it back up with my tiny crappy backpack pump. I check pressure before big rides now.
What happens when a biker genius thinks outside the box? A product so tremendous it knocks off your biking socks! So long to thorns and pinch flats, try Stan’s cocktail on the rocks.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew Brooks
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne Australia Date Reviewed: November 12, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
No Tubes Aussie rep
Strengths:
No Flats in 12 months, but I have been running one 'no tubes' wheel and one tube wheel and neither have had a flat, so I cant attribute it to no tubes
Weaknesses:
1- Its Cost! Its a lot for a tube of liquid latex and two strips of rubber with a valve. 2-It is a major pain in the ass to fit. I used nearly a full container of sealant to seal two tyres. Needs a good compressor to pump the tyres up quick enough to seal. And I tried to fit it on a wire bead Michelin Hot S and It just wouldn't seal! It did seal a kevlar bead Hot S though. 3. If you want to retain your sanity, just put up with tubes cos the heartache of fitting it aint worth it! 4. The valve is a pain in the bum as every time you want to unscrew the cap the valve wants to come with it. 5. I did have an incident where my tyre sidewall blew out, while the bike was sitting in my van in the middle of the night doing nothing! I dont know if it was no tubes fault or the fault of the tyres, but it broke my heart wiping up $50 worth of sealant that had been sprayed all over the interior of my car!
Similar Products Used:
Good old fashioned tubes
Bike Setup:
Raceline Comp hardtail
Bottom Line:
Not worth it, give me good old fashioned $5 tubes any day!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Todd Farrington
a Cross Country Rider
from Lima, Peru Date Reviewed: November 10, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Cordillera Negra
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$15.00
Purchased At:
Stans
Strengths:
Simple
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
Sugar2+, Phil hubs and bb, ChrisKing Ti, Z1 / Cloud 9, BlackSpire, Mavic 3.1 UST.
Bottom Line:
I pulled a cactus thorn as thick as a knitting needle out of my rear tire when high in the Andes. I knew I could count on Stan's to seal right up, which it did with minimal pressure loss. Good thing, too, since I was about 80km from the nearest road. Been using this product a year now, and won't be without it again.
Anyone running UST should use this stuff - don't forget to install the valves with removeable cores; much easier to add liquid as needed.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rob T
a
from San Jose CA Date Reviewed: November 3, 2003
Favorite Trail:
narrow rough ones
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Stans website
Strengths:
Great traction due to low psi,hardly any flats and I pulled out some big thorns!!
Weaknesses:
Have to add fluid periodically(hard to remember)Won't seal a torn sidewall!!
Similar Products Used:
just tires and tubes and sew-ups
Bike Setup:
317&519 rims.I've used Conti Verts &Survivals,Hutchinson Alligators,Schwalbes and WTBs with good luck.Don't waste your time with tires that gave alot of wear previously.
Bottom Line:
Recently I found out I had no fluid when a large thorn came out of the tire.I don't pull them out unless the tires are flat.I had to install a rimstrip and tube.There were some huge thorns left in there.One was an inch and a half long!!There was evidence of a lot of leaks being sealed up.I had that tire on since July so that's more than 4 months ignoring the tire,except to pump it up once in a while and to check the sidewalls for tears.I did a lot of rough,long rides in Downieville.Didn't have any problems until I tore a sidewall on a fast downhill.The latex won't seal up a good sized tear.If you do epic rides like me,make sure you carry a rimstrip,duct tape,something to make a tire boot out of and at least one tube.Otherwise you could be in for a long walk.Make sure you keep an eye on your pressure,especially if you run it low.On hard hits you will burp out air or damage the rims.Overall I think its a good product,but the price seems to raise evry few months.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Sandy, UT Date Reviewed: October 30, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Crest Trail
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$67.00
Purchased At:
notubes.com
Strengths:
everything
Weaknesses:
If you're around 200 lbs. and you're out of control through a rock garden, you might burp some psi.
Similar Products Used:
just normal tubes and tires
Bike Setup:
Trek Al full rigid singlespeed. 2.3 Conti and 2.4 WTB mounted to crappy ass rims with V-brakes.
Bottom Line:
Our 4 man singlespeed team switched over the Notubes system prior to the 24 hrs of Moab, did a handfull of training rides and hammered the crap our of our bikes at the race. Two of us weigh about 200 lbs and rode full speed through technical rock sections during the race while repeatedly nailing the rims on rocks. Definite pinch flats had we used tubes. My 200 lb buddy burped 20 psi while nailing a rock ledge he didn't see, but he finished the lap without stopping. Take it from a 200 lb. full rigid singlespeeder, this system works and is a no-brainer to set up. Everyone's gonna be riding Stan's within a year or two. Only upgrade I'd make is getting Stan's custom rims.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jim
a Weekend Warrior
from Fort Collins Date Reviewed: October 20, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
Stan's website
Strengths:
Able to run 20 lbs. less pressure. I had my first flat after nine months. (over 230 goatheads per tire) Easy to set up using internet vidio.
Weaknesses:
None.
Similar Products Used:
Slime tubes along with various brands of tube liners.
Bike Setup:
Uzzi SL with Fox Vanilla RL 125 fork (too much travel). Avid Disc Mechanicals,Sun Ryno Lite rims with IRC Mythos tires.
Bottom Line:
This ties the Avid Discs as the best upgrade I have ever done to my bikes. I am 210 pounds and used to have run my tires at 60 Psi and I still got pinch flats. I now run them at 40 Psi and never have trouble.
Until yesterday I ran flat free for nine months. Yesterday I ran over a bunch of goatheads. I could barely steer the bike because of all the plant matter attached and imbedded in both tires.
The front tire never went flat. I counted over 230 of the little devils in it. The back had just as many punctures. It held air for over a mile. When I stopped you could hear the puntures open up and reseal.
I filled the back tire up and road another mile. It was still rideable after a mile. I trashed both tires after I got home and replaced them with new ones, once again using Stan's system.
There is no better tubless system than Stans. It totally eliminated pinch flats, allowed me to run lower pressure and to ride home with over 400 punctures in both my tires.
Do yourself a favor and buy it!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tony
a Cross Country Rider
from Charlotte, NC Date Reviewed: October 19, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$57.00
Purchased At:
notubes.com
Strengths:
Smooth ride
Weaknesses:
A bit time consuming to install system-Its worth it
Bike Setup:
trek STP-300
Bottom Line:
This is system is well worth the $57 dollar and two hour investment. I installed they system on Rolf urocco rims (narrow) and a set of bontrager revolt ss (with over 400 miles on them). It takes a little time to get the system on your bike but if you watch the video it is fairly easy and not to messy. Give the the sealent time to set ( I let my set overnight) I lost a little air pressure during the the first hour while the sealent is setting since then no problems.
This product makes the ride much smoother, gives better traction, and allows you to rider faster. If you have a hardtale and want a smoother ride this product is for you. If you want to go tubeless this is for you.
By the way Stan's has great customer service, they worked out an issue with UPS not delivering the system to me.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt
a Weekend Warrior
from Las Vegas, NV Date Reviewed: October 6, 2003
Favorite Trail:
bootleg canyon - only trail worth going to in Vegas
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
mail order
Strengths:
Reduces rotational weight, makes bike handle lighter and faster
Weaknesses:
Messy as hell to work with Initial set up is a pain-even with watching the video. 2nd tire was easier, though not quick by any means Doesn't work with floor pump on my wheel tire combo-needed air compressor On-trail repairs are messy and time consuming-lots of residue and dirt to clean out
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
chumbawumba, hadley with mavic317 wheels, romic shock, full xtr, spd, hope mini discs, thompson, monkeylite
Bottom Line:
When I first researched this product, I had high expectations: no pinch flats, less rolling resistance, less to worry about. Was I wrong. I have to be honest, I've only used it for a couple of weeks. I've had nothing but problems.
I live out here in Vegas and there are only two areas worth going to. One is cottonwood and the other is bootleg canyon in boulder city. In cottonwood, where the trail is more xc with less rocks, the tubeless system works good. The problem always occur when I ride at Boulder city. The trails here are best described as trail riding with lots or rocks and boulders. Pinch flats occur more frequently here. That's why I decided to go with no-tubes. However, every time I ride here, my rear tire bead always separates from the rim and burbps out air....flat tire. Never had any problems with front tire, just the rear. I noticed that the tire separates during off-camber situations or when the tire flexes on a boulder or rock. As the tire slides, it causes sidewall flex and the tire separates from the rim.
I use wtb weirwolfs 2.4 race in the front and wtb motoraptors 2.25 race in the rear with mavic x317 rims. These tires are light for their size and do have thinner and flexier sidewalls. I chose these tires due to the relatively large volume and low weight ratio. They hook up extremely well due to their softer compund/sidewall. I've read that cetain tires and wheel combinations work best with the no-tubes kit. However, what is the point using the kit if you can't use your favorite tires. Yeah, I could probably use the contis or the other tires that people have had success with, but to get rid of my trusty wtbs for tires with heavy sidewalls and heavier weight would be defeating the point.
Bottom line: great product if you are currently using the recommended tire/rim set up or if you ride mostly xc fireroads. If you ride more technical trails where your tire experiences more sidewall flex due to boulders, rocks or any off-camber situations, you might be in for a long and messy day.
$ 57.00
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
