ZTR Valor Wheelset – just landed in the office
The much anticipated Valor wheelset from ZTR (Stan's) has landed in the AMB office.
While ZTR rims are found on downhill, all mountain, trail, endure, cross country, marathon and ‘mountain’ bikes – they really made their name in XC wheels. Their first rims were light, far lighter than what was available at the time. Sub 1500gram 26″ wheels became a reality for anyone with some Stans rims and DT hubs. Now their stock 29er wheels aren’t much heavier than that.So it’s no surprise that the Valor is an XC oriented wheel set. With a weight limit of about 100kg, and a wheel weight of 1300-1350g, they are about the same weight as the Bontrager XXX wheels we tested at the start of the year, but with a higher weight rating. And more expense. Like the Bontrager wheels, the Valor’s use modular hubs. So whether you run 10 speed, SRAM 11 speed, Shimano 11sp or even 8 or 9 speed, you can get a compatible free hub. Beyond that, you can get the fittings for 135 QR, 142×12, or QR15 or QR front. Lefty models are a different hub.
Spokes run 24 front and 28 back, using Laser 1.5/1.8 will alloy nipples – and the rims have an internal width of over 21mm, helping to give your tyre a little broader stance for it’s width, and allowing lower pressures.
We’ll get these wheels setup and get racing on them tomorrow at the Rocky Trail Entertainment race at Ourimbah, then subject them to plenty more testing. The review will be in Issue 143, out in August.
