Miscellaneous
Mike Bush is the President of Stans, a brand whose founder Stan Koziatek pioneered the use of tubeless tires in mountain biking. Today the Stans brand® designs and markets its own line of popular wheels and tubeless tire accessories to keep mountain bikers rolling. In this episode we ask: Why did it take so long for tubeless tire tech to become widely-adopted for mountain biking? How does tubeless tire sealant work? Has the Stans sealant formulation changed much over the years to improve performance or to make it more environmentally friendly? What are the tradeoffs involved in designing a tire sealant? Have tire companies had to adjust their formulations and manufacturing processes to improve tubeless performance, to prevent weeping for example? What’s your take on mountain bike tire inserts? Is there another way to address the remaining shortcomings of tires and rims that doesn’t involve inserts? How have rim designs evolved over the past several seasons? Do you think the 30mm rim width becoming pretty standard for most mountain bike applications? Is a rim’s bead socket a weak point in terms of sealing tubeless tires? What are some of the ways Stans optimizes rim design to work with tubeless tires? Is carbon a superior material for building mountain bike rims? Why or why not? What took so long for mountain bike tire plugs to become mainstream? What makes the Stans Dart tool unique? Do you have any tips or tricks for dealing with tire issues on the trail? Is there a better way to connect tires and wheels, assuming the whole industry agreed to work together? Are there any existing standards that are a barrier to future innovation? What are some of the current problems with mountain bike wheels and/or tires that Stans is focused on solving in the future? Editor's note: This episode first aired October 1, 2020. Learn more at notubes.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/singletracks/support