# New wheelset (Stan's)



## big_shmoop (Jan 21, 2016)

I'm looking to pick up a new set of wheels while I have the bike apart for maintenance/repairs/upgrades this "off" season. As a bigger rider floating between 220-240lbs and being the quintessential bull in a china shop while riding, I prefer durability over weight savings.

I've been poking around and talking to guys at my LBS and I'm really liking what I've been seeing out of the Stan's Flow EX's. Wider rim and built to take a beating. I've seen a few people mention that the Stan's hubs weren't Clyde friendly but I also know they launch the new Neo hub this year.






The owner of my LBS is also able to make me a set if I tell him what parts to order. I trust him to do a good job and support his work as the shop has been around a long time and he's about as honest as they come. He even offered to let me build them along with him if I wanted since that's one of the few things I haven't done on a bike.

So my question is...should I go with the Stan's pre-built or custom route? I like the price range that the pre-built comes in at, but I don't mind spending a little more if it's worth it and adds more strength/durability to the setup. Odds are if I went the custom route I'd probably still stick with the Flow rims, just a different hub/spoke setup. What would you guys recommend in that case?

Thanks for any input/feedback.


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I haven't seen one of those hubs in person yet but they sure do look better than the Chosens in pictures. Flow is a good rim too. I'm a big boy, around 245. I have 35mm Velocity Blunts laced to Hope Pro2's on my Stumpjumper. I like those wheels a lot. 
I have Bike Hub Store hubs laced to 45mm Velocity Duallys as a 29+ set for my fat bike. Also a nice option. 
If your LBS guy were to open an account with Bike Hub Store, he could get dealer pricing and his logo laser etched on the hubs. In my opinion, these are as nice as the Stan's Neo hubs. 
Just something to think about. 
Oh yeah... Lace em up with DT Swiss Comps and BRASS nipples. Signature Clyde build.


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## big_shmoop (Jan 21, 2016)

Thanks for the feedback.

The Blunts were also on my list and it's good to hear you've had success with them. It's funny you mention the HP2's/DT Swiss/Brass combo because that would probably be the way I'd go if I have my LBS build the wheels.

I'm gonna stop by there after I grab lunch so I'll talk them about the Bike Hub Store option as well.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

Stans uses cheap asian hubs and marks them up drastically. Nothing wrong with asian hubs, but they're supposed to be affordable hubs. Paying hundreds for a cheap hub kinda defeats the purpose. If you're gonna spend that kinda money, get a nice hub like a hope. 

BHS hubs are great, and affordable. They're not really intended to be ordered through your lbs. You can log onto the site yourself and purchase them without markup from your shop. 

WTB makes an I25 rim, thats about the same weight as a flow, same width, but its a real tubeless rim intended to use real tubeless tires. Stans rims are not. 

If you absolutely insist on using regular non tubeless tires ghetto converted to tubeless, go stans. If you want to run true tubeless (any of the "tubeless ready" tires), go with something like a WTB rim. Most rims are tubeless ready and made to tubeless standards these days, except stans.


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## sgtrobo (Aug 19, 2014)

i have a pair of Stan's. I have Flows on my Stumpy FSR and Arch's on my Fargo. Both with DT350 hubs. Love 'em both (~245 lbs)


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## TooTallUK (Jul 5, 2005)

WTB rims are designed to work with WTB tires and not with anything else. I've run Stans Flow for years and never had any problem with them running any tire (apart from WTB, because they are designed for their own propriety system).
I'd also have a look at the new Hope hubs. I've never been a fan (too noisy) but the new hubs have adapters for every axle size & width and they now have improved pawls.

Here's a good quick intro to tubeless tire standards
Why Isn't Road Tubeless More Popular? Part One - How We Got Here - Bikerumor


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## 11053 (Sep 19, 2009)

TooTallUK said:


> WTB rims are designed to work with WTB tires and not with anything else. I've run Stans Flow for years and never had any problem with them running any tire (apart from WTB, because they are designed for their own propriety system).


Incorrect info on WTB rims being only designed to work with WTB tires.
Simply not true.
Lots of tires from a variety of manufacturers work on WTB rims.
Five Questions: WTB's Jason Moeschler on Wheel and Tire Design - Pinkbike


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## walkerhoundvm (Jun 27, 2008)

I'm about the same weight range and have been running Stan's ArchEX for years. Originally on Stan's hubs, though recently I built up two pairs on Hope pro2 hubs for about what I would have paid for the base Stan's. It's hard to get those prices now, with someone else building, but I've been very happy with both original and home built wheelsets.


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## blacksheep5150 (Oct 22, 2014)

Stans are good inexpensive wheels in my opinion , ( which don't mean much ) I had a pair of flow ex on my 29er and never no issues . Now on my cyclocross with stans iron cross ,on a steep climb I had the drive side bearing come apart and it made for a long walk back.i read where bigger guys were having issues (260lb myself) with there rear bearings so at that point I switched to Chris king hubs .maybe the new hub has stronger bearings ..now on to the wtb statement ... I have i24 carbon wtb rims on my mountain bike now with a maxxis minion ss on rear and a schwalbe hans demp on the front , they don't leak or burp during rides . so if there was a problem running different tires on wtb rims , I have not had any ..


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## Skywalker29 (Nov 24, 2012)

I am 250# and had Mike See build me a wheel see. Wtb i29 on Hope 240s with brass nipples. 32 holes. Best decision ever. Wider rim. 29mm on my trek Superfly. 


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## Skywalker29 (Nov 24, 2012)

Wtb rims work with many tires. I have Hans Damph and nic Nobby in mine 


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

TooTallUK said:


> WTB rims are designed to work with WTB tires and not with anything else.


Definitely wrong. I have run all types of tires tubeless on these including setting up non-tubeless tires on these completely free of any issues or problems.


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## TooTallUK (Jul 5, 2005)

Fair enough. Hands up - I read what I read and had awful experiences with WTB tires.


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## Steve Javorsky (Jul 22, 2014)

I have Stan Flow with DT SWISS 350 Hubs and Sapim's Race double butted spoke. No issues. In the past I have had many issues with hubs and pulling spokes. Was on this setup all of 2015 and no issues. I liked the setup so much I had a 2nd sets built. Only used the rear spare once because I cut a tire. Great setup for not a TON of money. And trust me, when I say I am hard on hubs... back in the day 12plus XT / XTR mix (trying to find one that will stay together... warranty that's why so many) Phil Woods in one day, ringle lasted half a year. Ended up with Chris King and still working but no longer ride the bike. Before I went to the DT SWISS I killed 3 BONTRAGER RHYTHM ELITE hubs.

And tubeless on the Stan Flow with Maxxis Ardent NO ISSUES at all.


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## Bhaalgorn (Jul 16, 2015)

I'm the same weight as you and I'm on the Flow wheelset with standard Stan's hubs. The hubs have been fine, but I'm also not hitting drops or jumps. I made the same considerations as you, but ultimately decided that the price savings on the Stan's hubs made it worth it. I bought the whole wheelset for $450. I suspect the bearings might wear prematurely, and then I'll spend a couple bucks on some higher grade SKF bearings.


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## LyNx (Oct 26, 2004)

No clue on the new Stans hubs, but the old ones really are not great, especially bearings, they crap out in a hurry even for light riders. If it were me and I was your weight with your self described riding "style", I'd be looking for a little bit more beefy rim than the FlowEX, maybe look to the WTB line and pick up an ST or something wider.

As to WTB TR rims only working with WTB tyres, that's such a lot of hogwash, I don't own any WTB tyres and have been running Maxxis/On One and various other brand tyres without issue.

As to hubs, I have not been let down by Hope over the 8 years I've been using them, but then again I max out at <200lbs heavily geared for very long treks, normally closer to 185lbs for normal trail riding. As I said, have had one set of Pro2s since 2008, needed to replace all the bearings once and the freehub bearings twice because the older ones use 2 small bearing instead of the one longer needle bearings the Pro2 EVO uses. Have read complaints from heavier riders blowing hubs apart, but also not and with the new Pro4 I'd assume they've maybe taken a look at that issue. If it were me Hadley would be my choice, next maybe i9s and then Kings.


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## notso (Jan 22, 2015)

I went thru 3 stans hubs last year. I'm now on Hope with no issues as of yet.


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## Sasquatch1413 (Nov 6, 2008)

Just got a Niner ROS9+ with a hugo/neo wheelset. NEO looks like a very nice high quality hub. From visual inspection, looks to be a great hub but only time will tell.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

I have two hubs that I can strongly vouch for.

I-9 Torch and DT Swiss 350.


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## big_shmoop (Jan 21, 2016)

Thanks everyone for all the feedback, it's really appreciated. 

My LBS owner was eager to check out the new Neo hubs to see if they're better so we worked out a deal and he's gonna order me a set. They should be here Thursday so I'll snap some pictures and give my impressions if anyone is interested. 

I'm also debating picking up another set from a custom builder to do a A/B comparison against the off the shelf Stan's option. So I might add that to the mix as well.


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## woody.1 (Jun 10, 2008)

The hub sounds promising. 
I always said if you want to test something give it to a Clydesdale and we'll let you know.


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## big_shmoop (Jan 21, 2016)

woody.1 said:


> The hub sounds promising.
> I always said if you want to test something give it to a Clydesdale and we'll let you know.


I thought the same thing about the hub, so we'll see. If nothing else I can at least provide real world feedback to help others with future decisions.

It's funny because in my circle of friends I'm notoriously hard on things. I don't mean to be, I'm just a big dump animal. They always joke and say, "Sure it's strong...but how quickly will big_shmoop break it?" Haha.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

A personal observation of riding with some big guys.

I have several guys that I ride with that are your size and larger. The smallest guy is 260 (known weight) and the other two are definitely bigger, so I'm guessing 270 and maybe 275. All of them fast with an abundance of available power. The two biggest guys are also the most seasoned and experienced riders. So here's the interesting part. The two big guys almost never break parts. The lightest (260 lbs.) is always breaking everything and he's on higher quality, high end components. 

The apparent answer appears when riding behind these guys. The two heaviest guys ride like their flowing and floating through the trails. No hard drives out of the corners, no obvious aggressive power application and you rarely hear them even shifting. It's as if they are one, fluid unit curving through and down the trail. They are graceful and smooth with every turn of the cranks. They understand power management, when to apply it, and to what level is necessary in maintaining maximum momentum and speed. They make it look so easy and effortless. And these are the big guys that never seem break anything.

Ron, the lightest guy at 260 is a different story. He seems to buy the most expensive stuff and maintains it well, but manages to trash drive train components like they were made of plastic. The difference is evident when riding behind him. He drives hard and rides hard. He stands up and powers up hills and brawns his way through the turns. The power level is impressive, but he displays excessive use of his strengths with no regard for the force he commands of his components. His shifts are not well planned or executed. His shifts are a synonymous to driving a manual transmission without the use of the clutch. Hard and loud. He muscles his ride equally as fast as the others, but he does it through brute strength and power. 

What the apparent difference is how the big guys finesse their bikes through the trails with the grace and elegance of a butterfly and Ron stays with them through his authority of power and rule. 

While this might not be a text book case, it leaves the observer with a clear and concise answer to where the root problem appears to lie. So perhaps treating the problem and not the symptom could yield a different and more desirable result. Perhaps some coaching might be in order.


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## big_shmoop (Jan 21, 2016)

Cleared2land said:


> A personal observation of riding with some big guys.
> 
> I have several guys that I ride with that are your size and larger. The smallest guy is 260 (known weight) and the other two are definitely bigger, so I'm guessing 270 and maybe 275. All of them fast with an abundance of available power. The two biggest guys are also the most seasoned and experienced riders. So here's the interesting part. The two big guys almost never break parts. The lightest (260 lbs.) is always breaking everything and he's on higher quality, high end components.
> 
> ...


That's an interesting observation and I see what you're saying. I'm not the best rider in the world...far from it. I also never claimed to be as I'm realistic about my hobbies. I think everyone on this forum could probably benefit from some coaching whether they're willing to admit it or not. From your description, I'd say I fall between Ron and the other two guys as far as skill/abuse goes. I have my moments where everything just flows and it looks like I could be making YouTube videos. Then there are times when you can hear my chain crunching a mile away as I grind out a mistimed shift. It was the same way when I rode dirt jumps and BMX for 10+ years growing up and it will likely be that way till I can no longer get on a bike.

But here's the thing...I've always been that way in everything I do. One of my other money dump/hobby is working on and racing cars. I enjoy modifying something with my own tools and hands so I can then see the results. Crazy as it sounds, I also enjoy when things break. It gives me the opportunity to do a postmortem to see exactly what caused it and how it can be avoided in the future. What was the point of failure? Was it my fault? Is there something that can be improved here? I find I get the same interest and enjoyment out of bikes as I do with cars...just different platforms.

My buddies don't joke because I'm abusing my gear to the point of failure, they just know after years of being around me that if something holds up with me using it that is probably pretty well designed or built. If there's a weakness, I'll find it sooner or later and address it. They usually follow up every recommendation I make with the question "Is it good outta the box or will I have to modify it?" for that very reason.

I'm not upgrading my wheels because I destroyed the last set, I'm doing it because I've heard good things about wider internal rim widths, better hubs (compared to OEM), and stiffer setups and I want to try it out. I came here because most the guys I ride with are 170-190lbs and figured I'd verify my independent research with bigger riders.


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## scottzg (Sep 27, 2006)

Cleared2land said:


> A personal observation of riding with some big guys...


This is really well described.

I destroy parts, always have. You pretty well described my riding style- CRUSH. I lost a lot of weight a couple years ago, but it hasn't drastically affected my consumption of parts. It was disappointing. My lean body mass is the ~same, so the power is still there and i'm just stupider. Working to change, but when i'm in the groove it's business as usual.

On topic- I have a couple flow wheelsets. The rims are awesome and hold a true and have lasted for years. The hubs... not so much. I cook the rear bearings yearly, and i hate dealing with pressing in bearings. It sucks cuz i don't realize i have a seized bearing and i just decide that bike isn't fun any more until i figure it out. I hope these new hubs are better!


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## big_shmoop (Jan 21, 2016)

Got the Stan's wheels set in last week and threw them on this weekend. I have to say...they look pretty sweet. My initial impressions are very good. My tires (WTB Vigilante 2.3 up front, Maxxis Ardent 2.25 rear) seated right up with no issues and the new hubs look and feel great. The 4-pawl freehub is quick to engage and is leaps and bounds better than what came stock on the bike. I can't wait to start beating them up a little to see how they hold up.

The custom set I'm eyeing will be on WTB Asym i35 Rims and DT350's with DT Champion spoke and DT brass nipples.


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## Jaxxx (Jun 16, 2014)

big_shmoop said:


> Got the Stan's wheels set in last week and threw them on this weekend. I have to say...they look pretty sweet. My initial impressions are very good. My tires (WTB Vigilante 2.3 up front, Maxxis Ardent 2.25 rear) seated right up with no issues and the new hubs look and feel great. The 4-pawl freehub is quick to engage and is leaps and bounds better than what came stock on the bike. I can't wait to start beating them up a little to see how they hold up.
> 
> The custom set I'm eyeing will be on WTB Asym i35 Rims and DT350's with DT Champion spoke and DT brass nipples.
> 
> ...


i have a trance2 also, did it come with 135x10 adapters for the rear?
who has the best price in these?


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## woody.1 (Jun 10, 2008)

Hey big,
How's that hub holding up?


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