In Issue #112 of Singletrack Magazine, we tested, reviewed and recommended the latest Flow MK3 Wheelset from Stans NoTubes
The Stan’s NoTubes Flow rim is a product that has gained legendary status over the years. As an early proponent of tubeless technology, the original Flow delivered reliable performance in a wide alloy rim that was popular with everyone from elite World Cup DH athletes through to hard-hitting trail riders.
Last year, Stan’s No Tubes announced the third generation of the Flow rim. Alongside the lighter-duty Crest and Arch rims, the Flow MK3 brought forth a new rim profile that promised more width, fewer grams and increased lateral stiffness. Sounds familiar huh?
Available in 26in, 27.5in and 29in diameters, the Flow MK3 can be had as a rim-only, or in a complete wheelset, which I’ve been testing. The Flow MK3 rims sit at 29mm wide internally, which Stan’s claims will suit tyres up to 2.8in wide. Our wheels feature 32-hole drilling and are laced with Sapim double-butted spokes and alloy Secure Lock nipples. Using a regular three-cross lacing pattern with standard J-bend spokes, it’s both a durable and easy to maintain design.
Likewise, Stan’s own Neo hubs feature large diameter cartridge bearings that are well sealed, though easily replaceable when the time comes. Numerous axle configurations are available, along with both Shimano and SRAM xD freehub options. Having previously tested the Valor Pro cross-country carbon race wheels that were built with the Neo Ultimate hubset, I can attest to both the durability and ease of service of Stans own hub design. Everything slots together nice and snugly, and the tools-free end cap system is easy to swap around if you need to adapt the wheels between quick-release and thru-axle setups. Unlike many other brands hub end caps however, the Stans Neo ones aren’t so loose that they don’t just fall out onto the trail on their own whenever you remove the wheel – it takes a good tug to pull them off. Hmm…
Out of the box, our set of Flow MK3 27.5in Boost wheels came in at a lick over the claimed weight at 1,827 grams. That includes the wheels with tubeless tape and valves installed.
As you’d expect from a Stan’s rim, tubeless set up is dead easy. The rims come pre-taped, and along with the supplied valves, it takes very little effort to get the tyre beads popped into place. I used numerous WTB, Maxxis and Schwalbe tyres up to 2.5in wide on the Flow MK3 rims, and got each one set up tubeless without hesitation or swearing. The tubeless tape does need occasional refreshing, but it’s cheap and easy to replace. Stans recommend a max tyre width of 2.8in, but if you’re looking specifically for a plus wheelset, consider the wider Sentry S1 wheelset with a 32mm internal width, or the 35mm wide Baron S1 wheels.
The first thing you notice about the Flow MK3 wheels is that they’re unnoticeable – in a good way. They’re smooth, quiet and highly comfortable to ride, especially compared to stiffer carbon rims. In back-to-back testing with carbon wheels set up with the same tyres and pressures, the Flow MK3 wheels were significantly smoother, with less surface buzz being transferred up through the bike’s contact points. The result is a calm and controlled ride that proves stiffer isn’t always necessarily better.
Despite this smoothness, they still offer excellent handling. Stan’s quotes a 25% boost in lateral stiffness over the previous Flow EX rims, and while the Flow MK3s aren’t quite as point-and-shoot as carbon hoops, they’re darn close. James has previously spent some quality time testing the Stans Bravo Carbon wheelset that is basically the carbon version of these, and the Bravo rims are definitely more sharp when it comes to threading through squirrelly singletrack at speed. Though the Flow MK3’s are not far behind at all.
Strength-wise, the very short sidewalls are highly resistant to dings, as there’s simply less leverage to fold them over compared to rims with taller sidewalls. Unlike carbon rims, damage is also much more visible if you do encounter a heavy rock-to-rim impact. And in all but the most terminal of cases, you can usually bend back the sidewall and continue riding.
Total rigidity is sound, and combined with the smooth rolling hubs and 36-point engagement, the Flow MK3 wheels feel faster underfoot than the weight would lead you to believe. For riders who have bought a new bike that’s burdened with a heavy stock wheelset, the Flow MK3s would make an ideal upgrade to add an injection of speed.
Overall
The Flow MK3 wheels are tough, durable and easy to live with. With stiffness in the right directions, and comfort where it counts, the Flow MK3 wheels will make it very hard to justify the extra cost of going to carbon – they are that good.
Review Info
| Brand: | Stans NoTubes |
| Product: | Flow MK 3 Wheelset |
| From: | Paligap, paligap.cc |
| Price: | £520 |
| Tested: | by Wil Barrett for 3 months |
Comments (6)
Comments Closed
Hi Will,
How do they compare to the stock WTB based wheels on your t130?
Seb
Heya Seb – thanks for the question!
For a start, the Flow MK3 wheelset is significantly lighter. 1827g vs 2147g for the stock WTB STsi29 wheelset.
The Flow MK3 wheels also feels quite a bit smoother and lighter to ride – that shallow rim profile without doubt reduces chatter and vibrations, though admittedly you’d need to ride both wheels back-to-back to feel the difference.
Width is about the same, and both wheels use regular J-bend spokes and external nipples. Which I like a lot. As for strength, the WTB rims are good, though I have put a few dents into the sidewalls. The Flow MK3 rims on the other hand have shrugged off a lot, and those short BST sidewalls are likely the reason as to why.
In general, I think it would be make a fantastic upgrade for the T-130s, and one that makes for an immediate improvement in acceleration, speed and general handling.
Hope that helps mate!
Cheers,
Wil
would you upgrade some old flows to these or is it not really worth it on 2.35 rubber?
@andybrad – the new Flow MK3s are a definite improvement on the old rim. They’re a touch lighter, a bit wider, and they ride smoother too.
That said, the previous Flow rims were very good already, and unless your current rims are knackered, I’d keep rolling on them until they are.
Hope that helps!
Wil
DO they still manufacture them with tiny holes near the edge where the tape barely covers ? (4 across the diameter starting at welding point). I hate that about the original Flow – over time the tape will slide and you will have a catastrophic leak failure! unbelievable for a rim “designed for tubeless” !
All my other rims just have spoke holes so you can use any tape that covers the center channel. My Flow require Stan exact size tape, which is not cheap!
Anyone else have trouble with Stan’s aluminum rims being noisy?
A loose weld sleeve rattling around in both of my wheels, they recommend I just “Squirt epoxy into the spoke holes.”
What?!