Stan's Ridiculously Light XC Wheelset and New Wide Rim - Eurobike 2017

If cross-country racing is your thing, you might be interested in Stan's new Podium SRD 29er wheelset that comes in at a feathery 1,287-grams - that's lighter than one burly downhill tire. The SRD acronym stands for ' Stan’s Racing Development,' which makes sense given their weight. Minimal heft is the obvious metric when it comes to cross-country racing (the Podium SRD rim weighs just 300-grams), but Stan's is doing some neat things with the rim design to improve both reliability and ride feel.




The 23mm wide (internal) rim is claimed to be able to deflect vertically by up to 10mm and still be able to return to its original shape, something that's possible due to the low height and specific carbon layup of the rim. This is said to not just make for a more reliable product, but also one that's more forgiving, a trait that most carbon rims aren't known for. Stan's also says that the Podium SRD rim is 15-percent stiffer laterally compared to the Valor, their previous cross-country whippet rim.

With an internal width of 23mm, the $1,995 USD Podium SRD wheelset is best suited to 2.0'' to 2.25'' tires, and they have a rider weight limit of 190lbs.




Also new from Stan's is their Baron MK3 rim that, at 35mm internally, is designed specifically for 2.80'' - 3.20'' rubber. The new Baron sports the ultra-low rim height that Stan's is known for, a shape that they say makes for more forgiving and faster rolling performance. The rims are laced to Stan's Neo hubs, with the rear sporting a redesigned six pawl freehub system with three sealed bearings in the freehub rather than the usual two bearing setup.

The Baron MK3 wheelset is available in 26'', 27.5'', and 29'', with the latter weighing 2,017-grams.