Stan's No Tubes Flow EX3 Front Wheel [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for.

A quality wheelset can transform the way your bike rides, and is one of the best upgrades you can make to your mountain bike. Stan's has been around for a couple of decades now so they know a thing or two about making a solid wheel. Daniel recently upgraded to the Flow wheelset and has been loving it. Read on for more!

Stan's Flow EX3 Front Wheel Rider Review

Daniel's Review

Due to online classes, I have had a lot more time to ride my bike and I decided to upgrade the abysmal stock wheelset that came with my bike. After a lot of internet research, I settled on the Stan's EX3 wheelset for the added strength and wider inner width. I bought a built-up front wheel from Worldwide Cyclery and a rim for the rear wheel from another shop due to supply issues that I got built by my local bike shop paired with a Race Face Vault hub for snappy engagement. Shipping was quick from WWC and setting up the wheel tubeless out of the box was absurdly easy with nothing more than a floor pump. I swear Stan's rims plus Maxxis tires equals the easiest tubeless set up on the market. I didn’t even have to push the bead out of the inner channel, just popped the valve core out and pumped until I heard that magical popping sound of the bead snapping into place.

On the trail, my new wheelset blew me out of the water. I paired them with a 2.5 Assegai up front and a 2.5 High Roller II in the back. After riding on my old i23 rims that were practically stealing traction from me I was thrilled to be able to run lower tire pressures and corner much harder and feel much more secure on those loose flat-out turns with the cornering knobs actually in the right spot. One of the big reasons I decided on the EX3s was the extra strength that the tie beam tech adds to the rim as I have absolutely destroyed rear wheels in the past by coming up short on a double with a sharp rock on the transition. The long hike that I had to take and the hefty bill after that incident made me apprehensive to go full send into rough terrain, but these new wheels have completely removed that apprehension.

I am riding faster and more confidently and just all around having more fun on the trails which is what it is all about after all.

Stan's No Tubes Flow EX3 Front Wheel Rider Review

The EX3s are not a light wheelset by any stretch of the imagination but I am already pushing around a very heavy alloy extra-large frame, so weight wasn’t much of a concern to me, I did notice I was exerting myself a little more on that first climb up the mountain, but I quickly got used to the extra weight and don’t notice at all anymore. My main want for my new wheelset was durability. I wanted a bulletproof set of hoops and the Stan's deliver, I have heard hit them a few times on rocks and it made me wince until I realized that there was no damage to the wheel and my tubeless setup was still holding air with no issues whatsoever.

Conclusion

I am incredibly satisfied with my purchase and if you are in the market for a no-frills bulletproof wheelset within your budget, I cannot recommend the Stan's EX3’s enough.

 Shop Stan's Flow EX3 Wheels


June 13, 2021

Flow › front wheel › Rider Review › Stans NoTubes ›

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