Tubeless tire setups and adventure racing go together like a good IPA and pizza. You can have one without the other, but if you can combine them you are definitely better off for it. When it comes to tubeless setups, Stan’s NoTubes products are first rate.
When I first started in Adventure Racing (AR), I struggled with pinch flats and especially with thorns puncturing tires on hike-a-bikes or when taking bushwhack shortcuts. I vividly remember the six flats our team suffered through at the Lionheart 24hour race in 2008. Fast forward to 2009 and I was sporting some Arch 29er rims. These rims coupled with the Stan’s sealant and a variety of MTB tires gave a near perfect set up. I was down to about two flats a year (always sidewall tears). This was how I trained and raced until the beginning of the 2011 season. Last March, after a lot of research, I took the plunge and picked up a set of ZTR 29er Crest wheels with the ZTR hubs. At about 185 lbs. without gear, and often over 200 lbs. with a race pack, I was on the heavy side for these rims. These were going to be my race day wheels. Of course, I had to ride them a few weeks to ensure they were durable enough for the rigors of AR. Now, it is the beginning of October and I haven’t ridden my Arch wheels at all this year!
Over the course of six 24-hour to multi-day races, and a season’s worth of training rides, the Crest rims have proven every bit as durable as the Arches. I was concerned about my weight with these wheels before I bought them. They really should be a race day rim for me, but they stayed on the bike all year. Part of that is because they are such a fun wheel to ride, and the spin up is nearly road bike fast! You pedal and you just go forward. I also like the wider rim width and the subsequent wider contact patch on the dirt. Stan’s version of the bead socket technology on these is a bit different than the Arches. This makes for a very tight fit with most tires, but the payoff is zero burping. I don’t run extremely low pressures, and with the Raven tires I set them up 26-28 front and 28 rear. No matter how poor my line or landing I am not burping the tire.
Do I endorse these – absolutely. Just look at our wheels at the next AR – Mark will be on Arches, the majority of us on Crests.
Shane
