Stan’s NoTubes ZTR 355 32-hole Rims Review

Weight as built: 2556 grams (full set, with tires, sealant, no cassette, no skewers, no rotors)

MSRP as built: $720.00

Wheel weight only (as quoted):  1420 grams

NoTubes products aren’t new on the mountain biking scene, but they sell one of those product lines that generate a lot of controversy in the cycling universe. Much like all other subjective controversies, you’ll get a different story from every mountain biker you speak to. Some love them unconditionally, talking about their tubeless setup like they witnessed its birth. Others will tell you it’s all hype and you’re wasting your time on a potentially dangerous product. Well, after polling my local group of dedicated bike geeks and digging through other popular (and generally misinformed–no names, not yet) mountain bike product review websites, I’ve concluded that most riders criticizing Stan’s products typically have their wheels set up incorrectly–be it for their weight or for their style of riding. It seems to be a weight saving issue–it’s always the 250-pound rider that wants to sport the Olympic lightweight racing rim, and then bitch when they get a blowout or can’t keep the tire seated to the rim in a tight corner. Does anyone else find it strange that the Clydesdales are always the weight weenies? I’m no scientist, despite holding dual PhDs in Sweet Lovin’ and Good Times, but there seems to be a correlation worth investigating. Also, let the record show that I float slightly above or below the Clydesdale high-water mark of 200 lbs., so I take my weight-to-durability ratio very seriously.

That being said, the 355 32-hole ZTRs coupled to American Classic Hubs with double-butted spokes, are probably NOT the wheel for me. Will they do the job? Sure. Problems? Probably not, but maybe. I had zero issues with durability or the tires holding to the rim on my local test track. Honestly, I found them to be stiffer than my in-laws. I felt no flex in the corners even though I was feeling for it. But lo, I am but a lowly writer/reviewer and must occasionally contend with what I am given; these are not the wheels I would have had built if I were keeping them. They are great though, and I didn’t have any problems, but I would have at least opted for straight-gauged spokes given my weight and usual riding conditions. The discriminating consumer must remember that NoTubes is a company that specializes in CUSTOMIZING a wheel build for a particular rider, they do not crank out a million bombproof wheelsets without rider weight limits, such as Mavic. They make educated choices for their wheel component combination based on the size of the rider, their riding style, and their common terrain. Nothing against Mavic, they make great wheels that hold up through nuclear blasts, but they’re not claiming to be the lightest wheelsets on the planet, nor do they have all the tubeless options that you’ll find with Stan’s.  Read more…..

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This post was written by:

Bill Lobe - who has written 11 posts on Mountain bike product reviews, bike builds, trail reviews, forum, and tips – MTOBikes.com.

Bill Lobe is a writer and is currently learning how to fly by flapping his arms.

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