Stan's Valor

Wheelset Review

I have owned, and ridden carbon wheels before. So if I am wholly honest, I was expecting these wheels to be good, but nothing over and above what I have ridden before. When they arrived we weighed them, as one does. A little lighter than advertised, but that could be differences in the scales used. But still, they were a full 100g lighter than my previous wheels as a set when directly compared. At under 1300g, we are talking super xc-light wheels here. The finish looked nice on both hub and rim. The lacing felt tight and the wheels ran true when checked in the stand. They also looked pretty pimp, which is of course what most of us are looking for in wheels. :-)

The wheels came already fitted with 15mm thru' axle front hub spacers, and a 142x12 rear hub as that is how I ordered. But in the box were spacers to run standard 9mm QR both front and rear. A neat pair of skewer bags plus some instructions and registration documents were also in there. Stan's recommend that you register your wheels ASAP, and they offer a superb crash replacement service to customers who have done so.

First ride impressions were the eye opener I wasn't expecting! The wheels felt extremely stiff in cornering and in acceleration. They of course felt light, they just are. But the cornering stability was a real reassurance. Then I hit a series of roots on a local loop that I ride quite often. I was so confused at the feeling I got over the bumps that I had to ride them again. No, no noise, no pinging of spokes, no bouncing, and no change of direction of the bike. Just a dull tyre against root thud and it was over. Smooth, quiet and true tracking. I am not sure how they have done it. But Stan's have built a super stiff wheel that absorbs bumps and doesn't feel too stiff.

I have now also raced with the wheels several times, changed tyres a couple of times and run with both tubes and tubeless. As usual with Stan's rims, the tubeless set-up was fantastically easy. Helped in no doubt by the new Vittoria Barzo and Peyote tyres that were going on. But still, the rims must also work. The rims are still running as true as the day I fitted them, and are still looking as good as new after several sticky and muddy rides and races. I have had real confidence in throwing the bike into corners, and the extra width of the rims seems to really help to get the most out of the tyres. 

The only sticking point to a purchase I can see is the price. Carbon wheels are almost exclusively expensive. In some cases very expensive. If we talk about tubular wheels, then the price can be even higher than the Stan's offerings. So, if you're looking to spend a lot of money on wheels anyway, and are thinking of going down the 'super-light' XC tubular route, I advise that you first look at the Valors.
1. Clincher wheels don't usually come this light. The ease of tyre change and set-up is not comparable in any way to tubulars. I also like the feel and broader range of tyres on offer to clincher users.
2. Tubular wheels can be very stiff. In some cases too stiff. While I agree that the stiffest wheel possible is beneficial on a road bike, MTBs do not have the same requirements. The built-in bump absorption of these wheels is something I didn't expect.

If you're looking to spend a little less, and will accept a little extra weight, then these wheels are obviously not for you. In which case I can also highly recommend the Stan's Crest wheelset, or alternatively a Stan's Crest rim built onto another hub. The weight penalty to Crest is minimal, and you will be hard pushed to find a more reliable, lighter and better value wheel on the market.