To promote its road tubeless wheels, Stan’s NoTubes is continuing to sponsor a small American road team this year, Stan's NoTubes powered by Proferrin.
The 15-rider team will race exclusively in the US, doing the Southeast Regional Series, the National Criterium Calendar, USA Crit Series and a few Roubaix-style events that feature rough and often unpaved sections.
“The Roubaix events provide the perfect testing ground for the tubeless tire systems we’ll be using all season,” said rider Jake Wells. “Events like the Tour of the Battenkill and the Crusher in the Tushar are tough on riders and equipment. But as a team, we’re confident in the technology and gear available to us. It’s going to be an exciting season.”
Hutchinson tires are used with Alpha 340 Pro and 400 Pro wheels
Wells, at 150 pounds, said he regularly runs his tires as low as 85psi.
“Being able to run lower tire pressure is a huge advantage,” said Wells. “You get the benefit of higher ride quality, without worrying about punctures. As a team we’ve been tracking our usage all year, and even during training there’s not been one flat.”
The Southeast Regional Series is a five-weekend slate of two-day events in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. Each features a Saturday downtown criterium and Sunday road race.
The team will race on Stan’s NoTubes 340 Pro and 400 Pro with Hutchinson tubeless tires.
However, Stan's does not have an aero wheel offering, so the team will likely use other wheels with tubular tires for time trials.
The NoTubes team will meet for team camp this month in Greenville, South Carolina.
“Being able to run lower tire pressure is a huge advantage,” said Wells. “You get the benefit of higher ride quality, without worrying about punctures. As a team we’ve been tracking our usage all year, and even during training there’s not been one flat. It’s really impressive.”
The 150-pound Wells says he regularly runs his pressure as low as 85psi, and some of his teammates are going even lower. “You get better handling up front and better energy transfer in he rear,” added Wells. “It’s a true performance advantage.”
