We often get asked what tyres fit easily onto the NoTubes rims, and there are some combinations which just won’t work together. So we got together a big pile of NoTubes rims and Maxxis High Roller tyres, and spent an afternoon fitting and removing tyres.

Some of the new NoTubes rims (Crest, Alpine and Podium) have the “2nd generation bead socket” and are designed to be a tighter fit to the tyre. This improves tubeless performance but it means you’ll struggle to get UST tyres on – and with the Podium, it’s impossible.

The 2.35 single ply went onto Flow rims easily

Most tyres fitted easily to the Flow – the 14mm wide central channel easily accomodates both beads of the tyre when you’re trying to fit it. Most of the other rims have an 11mm channel, while the Alpine’s 10mm channel makes it just that bit harder to fit the tyre, especially as it’s combined with the new bead socket design.

Anyway, here are the results. The numbers show how hard it was to fit the tyre to the rim, as judged by me, using the best technique I could muster. All are High Roller, 60 to 70A compounds.

1: easy hand fit, 2: medium hand fit, 3: difficult hand fit
4: easy with tyre lever, 5: medium with tyre lever, 6: hard even with a tyre lever
X: did not fit.

Remember that an easy fit is not necessarily good. For tyres to work well tubeless, they need to be a reasonably tight fit.

We often get asked tyre weights around the mid-weight tyres where people don’t want to be dragging round a Dual Ply Maxxis DH tyre (always over 1kg) and are looking for something quicker for all-day use but still able to handle some rocky stuff.*

New Exo sidewalls (July 2010)
Ardent 2.25 Exo 60a Maxxpro – 675-685g (2 weighed) average of 680g
Ardent 2.4 Exo 60a Maxxpro -794 -814g (2 weighed) average of 804g
Minion front 2.5 Exo 60a Maxxpro – 846-849g (2 weighed) average of 845g
Ignitor 29er 2.1 Exo eXCeption 62a 593-607g (2 weighed) average of 600g
Ignitor 2.35 Exo 70a 767-785g (2 weighed) average of  776g

All tyres are single-ply wall thickness & 60a MaxxPro rubber compound unless stated:

Advantage 2.25 Wire – 740-770g (2 weighed) average of 755g
Advantage 2.25 Kevlar – 664-687g (10 weighed) average of 662g
Advantage 2.4 – 821-857g (5 weighed) average of 828g

Ardent 2.25 kevlar 70a – 621g – 658g (8 weighed) average of 642g
Ardent 2.4 wire SPC – 930 -950g (2 weighed) average of 940g
Ardent 2.4 kevlar 60a 838 – 854g (2 weighed) average of 846g

High Roller 2.35 Kevlar – 621-657g (5 weighed) average of 646g
High Roller Wire 2.35 60a – 735-780g (6 weighed) average of 758g
High Roller Wire 2.35 42a – 840-860g (4 weighed) average of 845g
High Roller UST 2.35 42a - 930-950g (2 weighed) average of 940g
High Roller 2.5 Wire – 870- 890g (2 weighed) average of 880g

Ignitor Exception 62a 2.35 – 579- 598g (2 weighed) average of 589g
Ignitor Exception 2.35 LUST – 823 -830g (2 weighed) average of 827g

Larsen TT 2.35 – 595- 607g (2 weighed) average of 601g

Minion Kevlar 2.35 Kevlar fr – 741-757g (2 weighed) average of 749g
Minion Kevlar 2.35 Kevlar rr – 731g
Minion Wire 2.35 fr – 810g
Minion Wire 2.35 rr – 810g
Minion Wire 2.35 42a rr – 870g
Minion Wire 2.5 fr - 860-870g (3 weighed) average of 867g
Minion Wire 2.5 rr – 900g
*Disclaimer: These are some weights of tyres that we’ve got in stock today (5 December 07, updated 4 April 2008/ 6 September 2008) and should be used as a rough guide only as tyre weights will vary from batch to batch.

At last they’re here – the NoTubes Alpha 340, Stan’s first foray into the world of road tubeless rims. The high pressures used on the road makes special high strength carbon beads essential to keep the tyres on the rim, but since Hutchinson solved that problem a Stan’s NoTubes road rim has been inevitable.

Despite all the work that’s gone in to the road rims it’s cyclocross riders who’ve been pestering us the most about these rims. The ability to reliably run normal CX tyres tyres as tubeless is something of a holy grail for ‘crossers and that’s where our test set of Alpha road rims will be heading – offroad.

We’ve built some onto some American Classic 105 and 205 hubs with Aerolite spokes and I’ll be fitting them with some Maxxis Raze CX tyres to start with. Price of wheelsets comes in at £637.20 with the American Classic Micro 58 front hub, or £677.70 with the 105 front hubs as shown here.

The samples we’ve weighed come in at just 357g each on average (4 weighed, 352g to 366g). The braking surfaces are machined flat for consistent braking and they’re tubeless compatible by running two layers of Stan’s 21mm yellow tape round and fitting the dedicated Alpha valve stem.

Finally we’ve got round to weighing the Maxxis XC tyres.

Maxxis Advantage

Advantage 2.1 Kevlar 70a : average weight 624g
Advantage 2.1 Kevlar 120tpi 62a eXC: average weight 548g

Aspen 2.1 Kevlar 120tpi 62a eXC: average weight 478g
Aspen 2.25 Kevlar 120tpi 62a eXC: average weight 591g

Crossmark 2.1 wire bead, SPC, 70a: average weight 650g
Crossmark 2.1 Kevlar 70a: average weight 569g
Crossmark 2.1 Kevlar 120tpi 62a eXC: average weight 479g
Crossmark 2.1 UST tubeless: average weight TBA

High roller 2.1 wire bead, SPC, 70a: average weight 550g
High roller 2.1 Kevlar 70a: average weight 514g
High roller 2.1 Kevlar 120tpi 62a eXC: average weight 481g

Ignitor 2.1 Kevlar 70a rubber: average weight 580g
Ignitor 2.1 Kevlar 120tpi 62a eXC: average weight 480g

Larsen Mimo 2.0 Kevlar 120tpi 62a eXC: average weight 484g

Larsen TT 2.0 Kevlar 70a rubber: average weight 568g
Larsen TT 2.0 Kevlar 120tpi 62a eXCeption: average weight 496g
Larsen TT 2.0 LUST tubeless: average weight 679g

Monorail 2.1 Kevlar 70a: average weight 559g
Monorail 2.1 Kevlar 120tpi 62A eXC: average weight 502g
Monorail 2.1 LUST tubeless: average weight 657g

Medusa 1.8 Kevlar 70a: average weight 489g
Medusa 1.8 Kevlar 120tpi 62A eXC: average weight 491g
Medusa 2.1 Kevlar 70a: average weight 531g
Medusa 2.1 Kevlar 120tpi 62A eXC: average weight 482g
Medusa 2.1 LUST tubeless: average weight TBA

Rendez 2.1 Kevlar 70a: average weight 557g
Rendez 2.1 Kevlar 120tpi 62A eXC: average weight 481g

white ZTR355 rims

New from NoTubes are these white powder coated ZTR355 rims. They are extremely limited edition at the moment, we were only allowed one pair and I had to ask very nicely but it was worth the effort. They are also expecting to have some Olympic and Flow rims in white some time this summer, and we will be getting a few if they do. Price is likely to be around 25% more than for standard black rims and they weigh about 7-10g each more.

We’ll build these up onto an Industry Nine build and see how they look…

UPDATE : 06 May 2009 – other white rims are starting to come in and the prices are about the same as black rims.

We’ve been thinking about getting some of these Reverse Racing hubs in since last year when we saw some spinning on Emily Horridge’s bike at one of the Midlands races. What caught our attention wasn’t just the bright colours but the fact that when the bike was laying down, the wheel just kept spinning…and spinning. Really nice smooth bearings and great colours along with light weight and a good reputation for reliability in the DH world means we’re looking forward to getting some of these built up.

There are 3 versions:

DH Race (3-zero-6 rear and 1-eight-0 front), very nice light DH hubs, like the names say, 306g rear and 180g front. Also available in a 150g front 15mm axle option. The red hubs in the photo.

Spirit XC: lightweight, QR axle only, the gold hubs in the photo. Weight is 153g front and 278g rear.

Evo9: Front is convertible between 20mm and QR using the adapter provided, while the rear is a 10mm bolt-through type, to be used with normal dropouts. These are the funky green and purple ones in the photo.

Prices are TBC but will be pretty reasonable. Expect full wheelsets to be from around £350.

Blizzard in a blizzard

The aptly named Blizzard has come into its own this week as a snow mobile.

I’ve been meaning to put up some photos for a while as its kitted out with a new Shimano Alfine hub gear but somehow it’s never a good time for photos. Its either raining, snowing or really grim when this bike comes out – which is probably no coincidence really.
Its just a shame you can’t see the silver hub as they’re a nice option which isn’t as popular round here as the black, but they’re a good shiny silver bare metal.

Generally the Alfine’s riding nicely now, I think its bedded in a bit. The reverse rise shifter gets me, but only when I go back to a normal bike. It could do with a front double chain ring to get a better range of gears. It’s fine for flat and flattish areas but I can’t get it up steeper hills, obviously thats personal preference even though I’ve got a large 20t sprocket on the back.

Very dirty Shimano Alfine hub

Other parts – its turned into a monster at 31bs. The excellent Maxxis Rendez have been doing a good job steering through snow and are not too slow where its cleared on the road.

I would write some fitting hints but its a blur of swearing, pinched fingers and  misread instructions.

We’ve been trying out the Alfine hub for about a year now and thought it was about time to put down in writing a few observations. This started out life as a few notes on the bottom of the Blizzard snow-bike article here but there is so much we made it into its own article. If you’re after one of your own, head on over to our shop, click here.

What we’ve found out about the Alfine hub:

It’s great not having to worry about derailleurs, flimsy and expensive cassettes, cleaning your bike, even oiling your chain very often – everything just works all the time. They’re not perfect but for the money are an amazing bit of kit for a minimum-maintenance bike.

What colours are available?
Alfine hubs are available in black or polished silver. The silver hubs look better in real life than the black ones. The black ones look better in all the Shimano photos.

Is the Alfine heavy?
The weight of an Alfine hub comes out about 400-600g more than an average normal gear setup, and it’s all concentrated at the far end of the dropouts. You get used to it pretty quickly but initially it makes hopping over stuff a bit harder.

What bits do I need to get it working?
You need a wheel with an Alfine hub in it, an Alfine fitting kit which  contains various small pieces including non-turn washers for every type of dropout, a sprocket (see below on calculating size) and a shifter. If you don’t have horizontal drop-outs then you’ll also need a chain tensioner. You’ll probably also need a centerlock disk or a centerlock->6 bolt adapter if you already own a spare 6-bolt disk.

What is the gear range of an Alfine hub?
The gear range is 306%. What this means in real life is that it’s good but not quite as big as a normal cassette with a double chainring. If you choose a chainring and sprocket so that your lowest Alfine gear is the same as a normal granny gear, then your top gear will be about a 32 chainring / 13 sprocket combination.

How do I choose what chainring and sprocket size to use?
Let’s assume you have a 32T chainring lying around that you want to use. You also want a gear that will get you up a hill the same as a standard 24:32 granny gear. The 24/32 is a gear ratio of 0.75. The lowest gear on an Alfine hub is a 0.53 ratio. So (32/0.75)*0.53 = 23T sprocket. Unfortunately Alfine sprockets are only available up to 20T but if you really need a gear that low there is a Nexus sprocket that will fit. In that case your biggest gear ratio would be (32/23)*1.62 = 2.26, the same as a 32:14 gear.

What does all that mean in plain English?
It means that if you use a 32:23 setup on your Alfine you’ll be spinning quite a bit along the flat. If you can compromise on a bit of steep hill climbing you’d probably be better off with a 20T sprocket and 32T chainring which would give you most of the range of a double chainring setup but sacrificing the lowest couple of gears. Stronger riders might like to use the 18T sprocket for extra flat/downhill pedalling ability.

Is the freewheel noisy?
No, it’s silent. Pedalling take-up is instant too as it uses a clever clutch mechanism.

What’s the gear spacing like?
There are a couple of big jumps and a couple of slightly small ones. The ratios are: 0.53, 0.64, 0.75, 0.85, 1, 1.22, 1.42, 1.62 if that’s any help.

Can I use a double chainring with an Alfine hub?
If you use a chain tensioner (or rear mech!) with enough capacity to handle the difference in chain length, then yes. We haven’t tried it but reckon the Alfine chain tensioners will probably be OK for a 24T/32T double chainring. Triple chainrings will probably mess up your chainline a bit.

What shifter do I need?
The Alfine shifter, available in black or silver, is a “rapid rise” trigger-style shifter. The “rapid rise” can be confusing at first but you’ll soon get used to it. You can use a Nexus “gripshift” style shifter instead if you prefer.

How do I get the wheel in and out?
Getting the back wheel out can be a faff, especially if you need a chain tensioner for a vertical dropout frame. It’s a fiddly process of lining up the bit the cable goes into while aligning the non-turn washers which are there to prevent the axle rotating in the dropouts. You’ll need to carry a spanner to remove your wheel when fixing punctures.

Is it efficient?
Pedalling the Alfine feels smooth and efficient. It takes a bit of running-in but there is no noticeable drag once it’s settled in. It’s probably not as efficient as a well-oiled traditional transmission but

What maintenance do I need to carry out?
The Alfine is low maintenance but not no-maintenance, it’s certainly not a sealed-for-life Rohloff. Shimano recommend an overhaul every 2 years but they originally intended it as a city bike hub so we’d recommend more often. If it feels at all graunchy give it a spring clean.

Where can I find out more technical information about the Alfine hub?
There is a huge amount of servicing information available here: http://hubstripping.wordpress.com/alfine-shimano/

How much do all the parts cost ?
prices as of feb 09 and subject to change:
1. Alfine hub with NoTubes Arch rim and Competition spokes – £270.56
2. Alfine Shifters (black or silver) – £34.25
3. Alfine sprockets (18t, 20t)- £7.82
5. Alfine fitting kit – £10.76
6. Alfine chain tension (if needed) – £15.65
total – £339.04

and of course you can buy them here in a custom builds > and sometimes as pre-built wheels here >