All Arround MTB

Getting wheels hand-built means you need to be patient but the advantages go well beyond the free custom-colour decals on the Stan’s Flow rims used for this set. Just Riding Along’s Jon Webb is an experienced racer and a proper wheel fetishist. He self-tests endless permutations to find the best to sell and then builds, balances, de-stresses, settles, tapes and final-checks every wheel in-house in Yorkshire. This set with Sapim D-Light spokes and colour-matched alloy nipples balances precision line holding with a lively, forgiving feel. From experience, they’ll stay like that way long after machine-built wheels have gone soggy or started eating spokes too. That makes the sweet-riding Stan’s rims feel even better than normal on the trail, and their 29mm internal width makes them ideal for getting the best out of wide tyres too. Add Bitex hubs with 54-tooth pick-up and a 1,770g overall weight (100g less than Stan’s own Flow wheels), and they’re agile and acceleration friendly too

Flow rims have been a tubelessready trail benchmark for years and the latest version has a buoyant, wider-tyre-compatible ride. Stan’s started the tubeless conversion revolution and the MK3s come fitted with their signature custard-yellow tape and with valves included, ready for an easy pop into place. The tiny ‘Bead Socket’ lip on the rim makes for a seal that’s trustworthy down to super-low pressures. On the trail, the 32 J-bend Sapim Force spokes and shallow ‘WideRight’ rim profile give a smooth, shock-absorbing ride, but the wheels still track accurately. We’ve ridden them for months without obvious denting, wobbling or de-tensioning too. Engagement of the four-pawl Neo hub is slightly slow and the splines scar over time, but the previously loose end-caps are now properly secure. Weight 870g+1,000g= 1,870g Width 28mm/31mm Freehub lag 10° Sizes 26in, 650b, 29in Price $780

SO GOOD Probably the best-known sealant, Stan’s is popular for a reason – it works. The hole left by our biggest screwdriver was sealed within just one or two revolutions of the wheel.

STAN KOZIATEK INVENTED tubeless ready systems, so it's no surprise his company's enduro rims come with tape and valves installed, blow up easily with a track pump and lock in even at low pressures.