Stan's NoTubes

Flow EX 29in Boost Wheelset

Stan's NoTubes' Flow rim has been redesigned, getting wider with a new bead that ultimately increases its strength and stiffness. The Flow EX 29in Boost Wheelset has also been blessed by the gods of girth with Boost 110 and 148mm hubs. The result is a wider spoke bracing angle to match the wider rims, making an even stiffer interface for confident tracking up front and efficient hammer dropping in the rear. The redesigned Flow's Boosted girth makes what was once the strongest rim in the Stan's stable even stronger.

In addition to their wider footprint, the new Flow EX rims also have reinforced sidewalls and spoke beds and are built with Stan's Bead Socket Technology (BST) tubeless system. The reinforcement contributes further to rigidity and the venerable BST remains the standard for tubeless rims. The wider rim/hub platform is the big story, though. In addition to the stiffness gains noted above, the Flow EX Boost wheels' internal width of 25.5mm also allows the tire to sit fatter than on a narrower rim, permitting a tighter rim-to-tire seal and increasing the size of the tire's contact patch with the ground. That means greater traction while climbing, cornering, or punching it across terrain.

The fat rims' fat hubs are Stan's all-new Neo hubs, whose four pawls correspond with 36 points of contact for a respectable 10-degree engagement angle. While this is less responsive than the five-degree engagement of Stan's Neo Ultimate hubs, we find that the Neo base model sits a bit better on the bank account without altering trail feel for all but the most worldly World Cuppers. Stan's also opted for chromium bearings instead of stainless. Chromium is harder, which makes for longer lasting bearings as long as they're kept out of the elements. Since the Neo hubs' bearings are sealed this isn't an issue. Finally, the hubs' tall flanges further widen the already Boosted spoke bracing angle for even more stiffness.