Stan's NoTubes

Cycling has been likened to a lighthouse that attracts those with a tinkering streak, and in the case of Stan Koziatek, that couldn't be more accurate. Fed up with flat tires, he started experimenting with ways to seal his mountain bike tires without tubes. In 2001, Stan's Notubes was born from those efforts. While Stan wasn't the first to develop a tubeless bicycle tire, what set his system apart was the fact that it didn't require expensive proprietary parts. Rather, it entailed a specialized rim strip and valve stem, paired with a liquid sealant that rendered tubes obsolete, without the need for special rims or tires. Better yet, the system was highly resistant to punctures and pinch flats, leading to its rapid adoption both by elite mountain bike racers and weekend warriors. But Stan's didn't stop there.

Using the lessons learned from the development process, Stan's Notubes went on to develop rims and tires of its own. But while other companies may have charged a premium, Notubes kept offerings simple and affordable, which has cemented them as staples in the world of mountain biking. Better yet, the focus on building products that provided a competitive advantage for their users resulted in Notubes wheels earning victories at the World Cup level of the sport in a variety of disciplines. Today, Stan's Notubes builds a range of wheels for mountain, road, and cyclocross. And while the wheel line was built on alloy rims, the introduction of the carbon fiber ZTR Avion road and ZTR Valor mountain wheels signal the next step in the evolution of the Stan's wheel concept. Despite the enduring popularity of the ZTR wheel line, the product you're most likely to cross on the trail is the Notubes conversion kit upon which the company was founded. And while plenty of things have changed, Stan's Notubes tubeless sealant and rim strips continue to be the most popular choice for serious riders and racers at every level of the sport.