Stan's NoTubes Flow S1 Rear 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.

Besides saving weight upgrading your wheels can have major performance benefits. The rim strength is a huge plus as well as the engagement of the hub being two deciding factors of upgrading a wheel. One of our customers shares the experience with the Stan's NoTubes Flow S1 Rear Wheel. Check it out! 

Overview

I first got into mountain biking three years ago. So far in this journey, I've owned three different glorious mountain bikes and have ridden on four different rear wheels. Out of all of the rear wheels I have owned, the Stans NoTubes Flow S1 Rear Wheel has stood above the rest. Not only did it have all the features I wanted, but it was reasonably priced. I admit I've probably watched too many mountain biking YouTube videos over the past three years, but then again…is there such a thing as too many? All of those videos of riders breaking carbon rims make me too nervous to try carbon, so I stick with aluminum...also I'm a bit of a cheapskate. I have had this wheel for about a month or two now, and I have been very impressed with how well it has performed.

The things that have stood out to me are that I've found it to be fast rolling, sturdy, and a good strength to weight ratio.

The glorious day when I put the new wheel on my beautiful bike, I could instantly feel the difference it made. There's not much I back down from, and my previous rim could tell you some horror stories. I like hitting big jumps, some may say I’m crazy, but it’s the closest a human can get to flying...and I just can't help myself. I felt bad for my last rim because some of the spoke nipples had broken through the rim from all the abuse. In all fairness, I had ridden on that rim for two years solid, so it had been through a lot! Out of about 10 rides so far, the Stans NoTubes Flow S1 has held up to everything I've dared to do on it. It has held up to large gap jumps up to 20 feet, a 6-foot road gap drop, casing jumps (although for me I swear that RARELY ever happens...haha), landing flat, and landing sideways in a whip.

I haven’t had to get it trued yet. Another thing that I love about this wheel is the hub it came laced to. It has also been very impressive how fast it rolls. When I took it for my first ride, I was surprised by the lower rolling resistance and I discovered I was able to go faster than I could with my previous wheels and I could finally clear my favorite local jump line (Overtime at 360 Trails in Gig Harbor, WA) without needing to throw in pedal strokes between jumps. Another great thing about this wheel is that it is tubeless-ready, all you have to do is slap a tire on there, toss in some sealant, quickly pump it up and the wheel is ready. It was nice not having to put on the rim tape, and the tire went on relatively easily.

Final Thoughts

I have ridden with the Stans Flow S1 at multiple different parks with multiple different riding styles, it performs great on everything I rode, Such as gnarly tech, flowy trails, drops, jumps, pump tracks, and hucks to flat.