Opinions on Inner Bead Locks

[cldonley]

Anyone running these things? Read about them this morning for the first time, and they fit the budget much better than the real thing.

 

[ssray]

Can’t say I’ve used them or know anyone who has. Did a bit of looking at them a while back and it seemed the Coyote brand was considered more robust than Inner air and it shows in the price as well. I believe the Coyote’s were formally Staun and seems like they were Swedish made.

 

[Yeller]

Ran Staun’s for a time in one of the pro crawlers. Absolutely hated them. Couldn’t keep the valve stem openings lined up. I spent hours and hours mounting and dismounting tires to get it all lined up. Was a real pain if there was a big temperature swing through the day after the first obstacle we couldn’t let air out to compensate for higher air temps or check pressure for that matter. Could force more in if it looked low but when racing that’s not very scientific or consistent. They were a sponsor, they even flew out and helped us set them up, to prove we were assembling them incorrectly, didn’t last 10 minutes. Finally decided to ditch the sponsor and put regular locks on the same wheels. Spend the money once and be happy on anything other than the air up inner locks. I don’t know anyone that has run any of them that ran them for very long. If you feel you absolutely must have the double beadlock feature buy some Hutchinson wheels and call it a day.

 

[cldonley]

Ran Staun’s for a time in one of the pro crawlers. Absolutely hated them. Couldn’t keep the valve stem openings lined up. I spent hours and hours mounting and dismounting tires to get it all lined up. Was a real pain if there was a big temperature swing through the day after the first obstacle we couldn’t let air out to compensate for higher air temps or check pressure for that matter. Could force more in if it looked low but when racing that’s not very scientific or consistent. They were a sponsor, they even flew out and helped us set them up, to prove we were assembling them incorrectly, didn’t last 10 minutes. Finally decided to ditch the sponsor and put regular locks on the same wheels. Spend the money once and be happy on anything other than the air up inner locks. I don’t know anyone that has run any of them that ran them for very long. If you feel you absolutely must have the double beadlock feature buy some Hutchinson wheels and call it a day.

I kinda figured that was too easy/cheap to be true. Thanks!

 

[Apogee]

X2 on the Hutchinson style (Hummer) double bead locks if you want double locks. I've helped a few friends with Stauns over the years and while my experiences weren't quite as terrible as Yeller's, they were a challenge both initially and then repeatedly thereafter with respect to maintenance and reliability. I love the concept, but the reality certainly didn't live up to the hype. FWIW, I helped my brother assemble some Ø20" Hutchinsons with some Michelen XZL Ø53" tires for his Axeltechs, and aside from requiring a bit of brute force with a 300# tire, it actually wasn't too bad for a couple of guys on a Saturday, so I can only imagine something smaller/lighter would be a bit less strenuous.

Stazworks could be a good option if you're not loving the Hutchinsons or need a full custom option.