Stan's NoTubes

Iron Cross Comp Wheelset

The people at Stan's NoTubes know that being a cyclist means being a chameleon. Depending on the time of year, you'll be sipping espresso as a roadie, drinking IPA as an enduro racer, or drinking a coffee-brewed porter when 'cross rolls in with the fall. When it's time to hang up the deep dish carbon rims but the race doesn't call for 27.5s, you'll be looking for the blend of 32-spoke durability, relatively light weight, and tubeless comfort and reliability of the Stan's NoTubes Iron Cross Comp Wheelset. They're the most durable of the Iron Cross series, and they're also the least expensive.

One of the key features of the Iron Cross wheels is Bead Socket Technology (BST), which is the key component of the rims across Stan's NoTubes' line. BST makes for a shallower seating area, which in turn puts the tire's bead flush with the rim's lip to create a seal far tighter than conventional rims allow. By pressing the bead to the rim, it also frees the extra tire surface that would be trapped under a conventional rim's sides, allowing for greater volume, which in turn translates to less rolling resistance, more confident cornering, and the option to run a lower PSI for a more comfortable ride. For anyone keeping score at home, that's improved comfort, efficiency, and control. This also results in less rotational mass that you have to turn over with the cranks.

At a robust 23.2 millimeters wide with a 20 millimeter internal width, the Iron Cross Comp rims are ideal for your standard cross tire sizes in the 32-35mm range, but Stan's warns that anything that deviates too far from this range will be difficult to mount.

The 32 count spokes on both front and rear mean they're equal to all the lateral and radial twist that most cyclists can muster when accelerating out of corners or grinding up short, steep inclines. They're laced to Stan's NoTubes' 3.30 Disc hubs, which feature stainless steel bearings for no-nonsense reliability. The Iron Cross Comps don't include a cassette lock ring, but they do have tape and 35 millimeter alloy valves for tubeless operation.

Stan's NoTubes recommends a rider weight limit of 195 pounds.