Singletracks Mountain Bike News

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