Rider Review: Stan's NoTubes Flow S1 Boost Rear Wheel

When it comes to bike components taking a beating there are very few that get hammered on as hard as wheels. With wheels being the one mechanical component that's connected to the ground, it's a good idea not to skimp on them. Our customer John Schick shares his experience with the Stan's NoTubes Flow S1 Rear Wheel 29mm 29" Boost 148 x 12 XD.

Overview

I purchased these wheels for my brand new YT trail bike and I was sold when I ran them on my last bike (Specialized Stumpjumper). I love Stan’s wheels and I think their NEO hubs are fantastic (comparable to Hope Hubs IMO). The rims are perfect for trail bikes since they fit 2.3-2.6in tires really well to give you a stable profile. You really can’t beat the price for what you get with the Stan's NoTubes Flow S1 29mm 29" Boost 148 rear wheel. Plus, with the stealthy graphics they look sweet (I’m not a huge fan of flare on my bike… I just like it all to go well together).

I think one of the most under-appreciated things on any bike/component is ease of maintenance and these Stan's NoTubes wheels are a dream to work on. The hub is simple to take apart and clean/lube. There’s a great profile on the side of the rim for trueing (which is great for me since I tend to go a little cross-eyed It seems while truing rims). Its so easy to swap tires on this rear wheel: the beads don’t get stuck, there’s enough dip in the center of the rim to remove the tires without tire levers, same thing for putting the new tires on, simple.

Final Thoughts

The only minor complaint I had was that I expected these wheels to come with valve stems, which they did not. No biggie though… I just took the valves out of my last set of wheels and put them in these with no issues.