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Stan’s NoTubes opens custom MK3 MTB wheel program to match your bike, riding style

Written by Tyler Benedict
26 Comments
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After updating their Arch, Crest and Flow rims in April to be wider, lighter and stiffer, Stan’s NoTubes now lets you build their wheels just the way you like them. You can even pick the logo and nipple color to match your frame or components.

The configurator lets you build front and rear wheels separately, with pricing depending on options. Choose from any of those three mountain bike rims, then pick your hub, axle type, spoke type, nipple color and decal color. Pay for it, sit back for 2-3 days, then go ride your fancy new wheels. More pics below…

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Start your own wheels here. All wheels are built in their New York factory.

NoTubes.com
Tyler Benedict
11,281 articles

Tyler Benedict is the Founder of Bikerumor.com, where he’s been writing about the latest bikes, components, and cycling technology for almost two decades. Prior to that, Tyler launched and built multiple sports nutrition brands and consumer goods companies, mostly as an excuse to travel and ride in new places.

Based in North Carolina, Tyler also loves the Vanlife & family adventure travel and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part and off-grid adventure.

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26 Comments
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gee
gee
8 years ago

Bit of a shame that the new “Stan’s” logo looks like a four year old designed, it. Whatever colour it is, it’s really cheap and nasty looking. My MK3 decals went straight into the bin.

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haromania
haromania
8 years ago
Reply to  gee

I think they look fine and this is a great idea by Stans. While I don’t personally use their wheels, I care a lot more about reliability and durability than the font on a decal. Your mileage may vary.

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gee
gee
8 years ago
Reply to  haromania

If decals were massively important to me, I wouldn’t have bought the rims – as it is, was happy to buy the rims for their performance and bin the decals

Just think that if they’re going to use custom graphics as a selling point, trying to make said graphics look good would be more of a priority

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Mike
Mike
8 years ago
Reply to  gee

They’re not my favorite design ever, but I was looking at 5 year old crest rims over the weekend… I’d take these any day over the old design. Plus, the color options are nice. Used to be you got your stans like you got a Ford Model T: “you can have it any color… as long as it’s [red].”

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Bill
Bill
8 years ago

A question I have as a heavier rider is, can I get them with brass nipples? Alloy nipples are not strong enough for a bigger, 200 plus rider.

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gee
gee
8 years ago
Reply to  Bill

They let you chose silver/black brass or coloured alu

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Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
8 years ago
Reply to  Bill

Bill, as a fellow 200lbs+ rider stay away from Stan’s. Had two sets and they were the worst wheels I ever had. Soft, noodly rims combined with below par builds doesn’t bode well for bigger guys. Find yourself a custom wheel builder and never look back.

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Dave
Dave
8 years ago
Reply to  Kernel Flickitov

I’ve always been surprised by their relatively low rider weight limits. Several times I have looked at buying Stans rims, but each time the weight limits scared me off. (I weigh anywhere from 190 to 215 depending on my motivation…)

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gee
gee
8 years ago
Reply to  Dave

Stan’s weight limits were always for their wheelsets, not their rims. I’m well over 200 and I happily beat the hell out of a set of 26″ crests for years on my old hardtail, and they never flinched.

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Dave
Dave
8 years ago
Reply to  gee

🙁

If that’s true, that’s good news. Given that weight limits are present on web pages for their rims I assumed these limits applied to, well, the rim… not some other product.

http://www.notubes.com/ZTR-Crest-MK3-275-Rim-32-hole-Black-P2068.aspx

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Gee
Gee
8 years ago
Reply to  gee

@Dave… may have changed for MK3 but was definitely the case for previius generation.

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Josh
Josh
8 years ago
Reply to  Kernel Flickitov

I build all my wheels with Stans rims, hope hubs, DT competition spokes, and brass nipples. I weight a little over 200lb and use the 29″ arch as my main choice. The Crest are a little soft for me and have a lower max spoke tension than the Arch or Flow. If you lace 3x with max spoke tensions and then re-tighten after a few hard rides, they will stay true for a long time.

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Mike D
Mike D
8 years ago
Reply to  Kernel Flickitov

Yes, perhaps as a wheelset, but the rims will absolutely stand up. One of my regular riding buddys is a destroyer of all things nice. He’s ~210 and went through 3 Alu hardtails before going to a steel frame. He PLOWS stuff, not graceful when it comes to picking lines at all, and he’s got 3 years on a pair of the last generation Archs laced to Hope hubs. They were handbuilt at his local shop, but they have certainly stood up to the abuse thus far.

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32/20
32/20
8 years ago

Funny, my thought was the exact opposite: finally, after 10+ years, Stan’s logos look really, really good! Simple, clean, understated. Color matching is awesome, because I mean, why not?

Eye of the beholder, I guess, eh?
: )

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the biz
the biz
8 years ago
Reply to  32/20

don’t forget, everyone who posts on internet comments section is an esteemed graphic designer, engineer, and not to mention bad ass bicycler

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Mike D
Mike D
8 years ago
Reply to  32/20

I agree! Was never very fond of the previous decals, but seem to find them getting better as of late. Shame though, it doesn’t appear that you can get the color matched decals unless you build a whole custom wheel from them–I have hubs, just want the custom decal rims! 🙁

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Pete
Pete
8 years ago
Reply to  Mike D

They do have the decals on there website http://www.notubes.com/MK3-Decals-P2158.aspx

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elvis
elvis
8 years ago

can I also specify when the freehub will blow up?

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Phil Jones
Phil Jones
8 years ago
Reply to  elvis

Sure they’ll crack… When some hack mechanic tensions the spokes up well beyond max spoke tension. They don’t crack for any other reason. Speaking after building dozens of sets for Teams.

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Chris
Chris
8 years ago

Love the new decals and these are 1/5th the price of ENVE’s with their color matched decals.

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1368439846
1368439846
8 years ago

I have 7 year old 355 wheels on my rigid bike. Still moving right along…

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Todd
Todd
8 years ago

Built up a set of their new MK3 and was surprised on how well they performed. I rode them with out setting up or checking tire pressure and smacked the crap out of them. heard the tread metallic thud. Got back to the parking lot wheel was true as when I built and found I was running 16 psi in the rear. Most other manufactures would have failed and dented these new one took it strong.

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Matt1025
Matt1025
8 years ago

I have had sets of Stans for over 5yrs and SS rear as well. No issues except a little true up here and there.

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Carlos
Carlos
8 years ago

The only time I have messed up any Stans wheels was when I crashed into a tree head on and broke two ribs…without the rim decals…

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Yo!
Yo!
8 years ago

I would always leave the decals i the rim, if they payed me for that. As they don’t pay me, I always remove them. I don’t like decals on cars, I never understood why bikes are supposed to be a billboard. this stans decals are as fugly as any other wheel in the market, they are all always horrible, ENVE included.

I have a set of very light stans rims, Alpha, 26″, 7000Km, I´m 80Kg, they are like new. Would buy again, anytime.

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Tom
Tom
8 years ago

They have some odd options like 26″ with Boost Center lock hubs.

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