Submitted by
Daveooo
a Weekend Warrior
from Glastonbury
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2008
Strengths: Everything you need in a rim
Weaknesses: nothing.
Bottom Line:
Amazing! I have snapped my frame (the DMR), bent 2 sets of handle bars (24seven things & some thing else I can't remember), cracked my forks (old school Marz Z1's) and the front rim is only just showing signs of stress at the spoke holes! and its 8 years old!! The rear died about a year ago (sorry memory re-engaging... had 2 on the rear!) but they're still fab.
Similar Products Used: Mavic 121 (remember those!) WTB something or others standard spec on wy full suss untill I break them anb then it'll be Mavics!
Bike Setup: Was a DMR Traistar, now a Curtis Super X
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Rob
a Weekend Warrior
from South Wales
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2008
Strengths: Strength. Marketed as a downhill rim by Mavic but light enough for XC. Maybe not racing though. Never had to have these trued up, maybe it was the wheel builder who did a great job (sadly no longer there). Weights not an issue to me being 240lbs. I'd prefer a strong wheel which I know won't break than a lighter wheel which may. If I need to get lighter I'd lose some weight off myself. C'MON, HANDS UP WHO'S ALREADY THOUGHT IT?
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Good strong rim. I'd recommend it to anyone riding cross-country to downhill. Highly rated. Shame they aren't made anymore.
Bike Setup: I use these on my hardtail, GT Karakoram (old school with the 'groove tube' top tube), RST Mozo Pro 4.5's, The rest of the kit is Shimano Lx, Raceface Prodigy Stem, RockShox suspension seatpost, and the rest of the parts change when I feel like a change or fancy something new.
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Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Oak Bluffs
Date Reviewed: December 7, 2007
Strengths: Mavic Ceramic D521 36º rim. Excellent rim. Takes a harsh beating with no problems. Over 7 years or riding on the Tandem and 3 years on the rear of my single bike.
Weaknesses: None What so ever
Bottom Line:
The Mavic Ceramic D521 rim is an all around great rim for either slamming over rocks and roots or fully loaded tandem tour. Over 7 years on our tandem I have yet to touch them up on the truing stand. Those rims just may out last me. My only disappointment is that they no longer make the D521 in the 36º configuration though I do have a spare Ceramic D521 if needed.
Bike Setup: On our tandem bicycle. White Brothers duel crown fork, Chris King Stainless Steel no thread set, Thomson seat posts. Flite saddles, Phil Wood hubs and Schwalbe 2.35 Fat Albert's front and rear. My single bike, a Litespeed Elevated Chain Stay bike with Chris King no thread set, Thomson seat posts, Flite saddles, Marzocchi Atom Bomb fork with a Black Spire fork crown, Cook Brothers crank, Chris King 36º hubs with a Mavic Ceramic X517 rim on the front and D521 on the rear running Schwalbe 2.40 Knobby Nic front and back. The wheel on the rear of my single I call my Armageddon wheel as that's just about what it will take to destroy it
Bike Setup: RST Mozo Pro 4.5 forks, saracen Ruftrax Hardtail XC frame.
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Submitted by
dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Horsham
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2007
Strengths: Everything
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
This rim is running on Hope XC ti Hubs with Disc. It's been chipped by rocks, has ridden France, Italy and raced in America. The Axle has finally bent and the bearings are also being repleced, yet these rims still are in perfect shape. Yes the rims are a bit heavy, but show me a match for these perfect hoops.
Submitted by
Jorgex
a Weekend Warrior
from Almada, Portugal
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2006
Strengths: -everything -two possible colors: silver or black
Weaknesses: -heavy for XC, very heavy and still heavy with light setup -tire smaller than 2.1 will wide up
Bottom Line:
6 years setup: d521 black, dt champ. black spokes, lx/xt/hopeXC rear hubs and xt QR.
In 2000, my LBS advice this this one for my rear wheel after 2 or 3 broken rims in the last 2 years.
Today, the walls start to crack on both sides. I think it's normal after all these years of v-braking, 3 hub changes, 16000km of rocks, dust, mud, dog piss, 3 tire blasts(and going home with a flat tire), 10 different tires(from 1.75 to 2.3), all possible tire colors(from yellow python to red hot s to blue nokian to orange continental) and my self(over 100kg).
Probably THE BEST RIM NON TUBELESS for extreme XC and enduro rides.
Submitted by
Graham Coe
a Weekend Warrior
from Liverpool
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2005
Strengths: absolutly bomb proof. I went for the d521 cd's and i can't kill these rims at all (and i really have tried!!!) I'm not the gentalist of riders and these rims just keep rolling. They've helped me survive many a sticky situation and i really have landed these rims on everything possible and they havent died, be it rock, root curb or anything these just keep going.
Weaknesses: none whatsoever
Bottom Line:
Buy these rims. you will not regret it. ive read the reviews saying they squirm with tires more than 2.4 but ive been riding irc kudos downhill 2.65's and havent noticed at all. These rims keep on rolling and have never let me down in all the time ive been riding them
Strengths: great lateral rigidity, superb breaking surface, welded seam
Weaknesses: a little narrow, making pinch-flats a concern
Bottom Line:
Note: I'm not a downhiller. This rim was used for mtb trials (which suspiciously is not a choice).
This rim was paired with a shimano lx rear hub via 14 guage spokes, handbuilt by a friend. the wheel has performed as well as a similar wheel built from a rhyno lite rim. trials riding usually means fairly low air pressure, so i have dinged the sidewall, but not enough to hinder breaking performance.
this rim has done better than i thought it would over a year of hard urban and fr. when i got it, i thought it would be done by the end of the year, but it's still true, no flat spots or blow up problems. the sad thing is, i'm building a 26/24 fr bike for this year, and it just isn't wide enough to work with the 2.6 up front, but i'm not getting rid of it, worth saving for a spare. if you are an all mtn. cycler that uses 2.3'sor smaller and want a good all round rim for a good price, get these.
Similar Products Used: wienmann, rhinos, bontragers, blah, blah, blah...
Bike Setup: boxer w/ this rim, xt 20mm hub, xt dh brake.
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Submitted by
Alex Salikan
a Downhiller
from Vancouver BC Canada
Date Reviewed: February 20, 2004
Strengths: the product's strength is the product's strength!
Weaknesses: it's just plain not weak. no weaknesses here!
Bottom Line:
they're freakishly strong, rim brake compatible, and somewhat light! i've got a 26" 32 hole polished one laced to an XT qr non-disc rear hub that i'd like 2 sell (purely cause i switched 2 discs, and got a complete new bike, not cause they're bad). taking offers!
I'm thinking of getting a pair of d521's. Sometimes, I like to do XC races for fun, but I don't want to get another set of wheels. SO...
What is the smallest tire that you hav Read More »
Was truing up a rear Mavic D521 today and I notice that the rim beside one of the eyelets is starting to crack both sides.
Anyone else have this happen?
Edit: Checking the re Read More »
Ok, let me describe my situation first:
I have already an ok wheel and ok Hope disc brake. The rim is Mavic D521. The fork is too narrow. I'd like to try Surly Endomorph, which Read More »
I am building a new wheelset..... I wanted Ex 721`s laced to Hadleys. I ordered BLACK rims the same time I ordered my hubs. 1 month later my hubs are finally in.....but now my LBS Read More »
I recently had a front wheel made for my XC bike using a new Mavic D521 rim that had been sitting unused in my LBS for a long time (good deal). My back wheel is a standard Bontrage Read More »
