Submitted by
Joe
a
from Roswell Date Reviewed: March 24, 2008
Favorite Trail:
the road
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Weaknesses:
The welding tabs in rim broke loose. This makes a very annoying sound.
Similar Products Used:
Rigida rims
Bike Setup:
Ted Wojcik, King Hubs, XT, Michelin Rock Tires
Bottom Line:
The Mavic 517 rims on my bike and my girlfriend's bike (4 rims in total) have all had the welding tabs inside the rim break loose. These tabs are used to dissipate heat during the welding process and can not be removed after they break loose. They are in there for good. Although I have been told by Mavic this does not pose a safety issue, it is highly annoying. The wheels now make a Hula Hoop sound as they roll. (If I were Mavic, I would not want my name on a product with such an obvious flaw.) The only solution so far is to either drip contact cement into the rim to glue the tab in place or rebuild the wheels at a cost of about $230 each (new rims, spokes, spoke nipples, and labor) with no guarantee it will not happen again. After spending good money on new wheels, the thought of needing glue or rebuilding the wheels again to correct a noise problem is unacceptable since the problem started almost immediately after the wheels were built. (BTW, all miles on the rims have been road miles.) Before you spend money on a new set of wheels, make sure you know what you are buying. You could be throwing good money out the window and getting a Hula Hoop sound in your wheels. As a result of all four of the rims having the same inexcusable problem, I give the Mavic 517 rims a 0 rating.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rondo
a Downhiller
from New Zealand Date Reviewed: January 21, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Days Bay
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
Private purchase for whole wheel
Strengths:
Light, never had to true it, looks cool, excellent braking surface
Weaknesses:
None I have encountered
Similar Products Used:
Mavic D321's, WTB standard (oem) mtb wheels
Bike Setup:
Giant ATX870 with this rim laced to a Machine Tech Front hub, WTB rear, Judy T2 forks, LX brakes, levers, pods, rear derailleur, STX-RC front derailleur, No name stem, flat bars, Wellgo clipless platform pedals,
Bottom Line:
I'm unsure why these dudes have to keep truing their wheels, perhaps it's the rim/hub/spoke combination used? I have no idea, but I have since, completely snapped my frame by riding wheel/head first into a gorse bush and the wheel came out beautifully.
I ride like a madman on my XC bike, as I am really into DH - until my lovely plush 6" F/R travel bike with D321s and big "Don't Argue" 2.5's, got stolen **sobs...**. Anyway, I ride fast down the hill and I aint really that great at it, hence the snapped frame. So this rim (front only) has taken a hell pounding and still as tight as the day I got it.
Excellent!! 5 flaming rectum stingers from me!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Fred
a Cross Country Rider
from over here Date Reviewed: November 14, 2006
Favorite Trail:
any dirt trail
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Light weight,narrow profile, holds tires great, even with notubes conversion. I bought these built with XTR hubs and double butted spokes about four years ago and only need to check tension, about every six months. I am 195lbs and use these to train and race with. These are XC rims and work excellent for that purpose. Not designed for 6' drops or being beat with rocks, there are better rims for that.
Weaknesses:
none,
Similar Products Used:
I've had these so long I don't remember what they replaced.
Bike Setup:
Hardtail frame set up for XC racing, it gets used alot.
Bottom Line:
Great value and reliabilty.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Fred Sled
a Weekend Warrior
from Spawn Ranch, CA Date Reviewed: July 14, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Your Sister
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
SuperGo
Strengths:
Strong, super light. Welded, with machined breaking surface.
Weaknesses:
None so far
Similar Products Used:
Sun CR18, Rhynolite, Rhynolite XL, Alex, Araya
Bike Setup:
Jamis XC pro
Bottom Line:
These are XC rims, they are really light and strong for that use. I've had the same wheelset on two different bikes over a 2 year span and only trued them twice, considering I jump, and ride over everything, and tip the scaled at 200lbs, these rims have impressed me. I purchased them with XT hubs and standard spokes, rode em for a while and rebuilt them with butted spokes and White Industries hubs, the rims are great, I dig em. One other point, they are thin in profile, and for whever reason that makes the V-brakes work excellent.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ron
a Cross Country Rider
from PNW Date Reviewed: April 29, 2005
Favorite Trail:
The one I'm on
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$100.00
Strengths:
I bought this rim as a regular replacement for my old rims. I've had this rim on my bike for ~2+ years now. Up until 2 days ago, the only problems I had with these rims was that they needed to be trued more than the 717 rim I run up front
Weaknesses:
Well, to be honest, this rim served me well. in all sorts of conditions. I commute to work with it regularly, where that are a few curb jumps. I did have a flat recently, and when I inspected the rim I notice stress fractures in many places where the spokes seat. This was the first time I've ever had a rim with that many stress fractures. On the other hand, I was riding it in that condition for a while, and it didn't break!
Similar Products Used:
I've had many rims on my bike. They go fast enough that I couldn't remember all of them well enough for any meaningful comparison.
Although I was disappointed upon discovering the recent condition of this rim, I did manage to get 3 or so years (less than 5) out of them before they needed replacing. Not too shabby. On the other hand, my 717 up front is 6 months newer than my old 517, and it's only needed to be trued twice, and the rim still is in great shape. So Overall, I got my money's worth out of this rim, but the 717 has held up much, much better. The 517 might be a good choice for a racer who has to replace anything every 2 years or so anyway. It needed to be trued a lot more than other rims I've had, but honestly how painful is that? Not hard at all.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Raleigh, NC Date Reviewed: April 13, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Ebay
Strengths:
they are light, I can throw them really far and that's about all they are good for.
Weaknesses:
Your brakes will put SEVERE grooves in the braking surface, they are very weak, customer support at Mavic is not a concern, they don't stay true for very long even if you only ride on the street. The stickers fall off or look like trask after one or two rides in the rain. They cost too much. Oh yeah like the other guy said don't run too high air pressure or you will get to hear this funny noise right before your rim stops on the brakes because it just split-WHAT FUN!!!! Yippee!!!!!!!!
Similar Products Used:
I slipped in dog pooh, does that count?
Bottom Line:
If you like getting practice truing rims, sanding your braking surfaces to repair them, and spending money to replace split rims then buy these rims. If you don't like to ride, buy these rims. If you like buying extra nipples and spokes to replace any that you damage from adjusting these rims from truing them over and over and over and over and over, hook youself up. I rode these on the ROAD. I had these things on my commuter bike and I occasionally crossed a gravel parking lot, once or twice I hopped off a 6" curb. If you also do these things or heaven forbid a decent drop-DON'T BUY THESE RIMS! Mavic doesn't care about you. They only want your money. By the way if you already have these rims or for some reason you don't listen to my advice and still buy a set, remember my warnings when you hear the rim split while you are cruising along and one of your wheels stop rotating- for your sake I hope it's the rear or you will fly. If I could leave no chilis I would.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Prescott, AZ, USA Date Reviewed: November 11, 2004
Favorite Trail:
singletrack
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
Local Bike Shop
Strengths:
Light, looks nice, stays true
Weaknesses:
Rim split apart after 2,500 miles of loaded off-road touring
Similar Products Used:
Rolf Satellites on Mt. bike Mavic Heliums on road bike Sun Rhyno Lite rims (replaced the Mavic X517)
Bike Setup:
`00 Trek 8000
Bottom Line:
Great for regular cross country riding but not durable enough for off road loaded touring with a psi above 55psi. Mavic needs to make more of an effort to let the customer (and bike shop owners) know the psi ratings on their rims Here's the story: I swapped the rolf satellites for the Mavic 517's (with XT hubs and 32 DT spokes)for greater servicability and a higher spoke count to ride the Great Divide Mt. Bike Route from Mexico to Canada. After 2,500 miles in northern Montana I noticed the side of the the rear rim starting to bend out which caused the brakes to rub on it. 85 miles later at the next bike shop the rim was inspected and it had a crack in the middle of the rim under the rim stip the whole way around the rim. The bike mechanic said Mavic mt. bike rims had a psi rating but Mavic didn't go out of their way to let the customer know this. I used a Specialized Armadillo Crossroads tire that had a max psi rating of 85. I ran them at 80 psi. It turns out that the mavic 517 rims have a psi rating of 55 (for a 26 X 2.0 tire). My local bike shop and many others I've since talked to did not know about this max psi rating on mavic's mt. bike rims. Had I known I would have kept the psi lower or purchased a heavier duty rim. Under normal off road biking you never go over 55 psi anyway but for loaded touring on rough dirt roads the highre psi helps. Mavic obviously did nothing about the cracked rim. I replaced the cracked rim in Kalispel MT with a Sun Rhyno Lite in Kalispel MT and haven't had any more problems.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris B
a Cross Country Rider
from New Zealand Date Reviewed: September 21, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Any
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$65.00
Purchased At:
Jenson
Strengths:
Light, strong.
Weaknesses:
None so far
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 221
Bike Setup:
XC fully rigid single speed running a 517 on the front, laced in a three cross to a Chris King hub. Using V'brakes.
Bottom Line:
Nice rim, built the wheel up myself with the help of a friend. Running butted wheelsmith spokes (couldnt get DT when I went to the shop, so I had to use these).
It is a super light wheel and very strong. It is on a fully rigid bike that does some rough trails.
I have ridden it weighing up to 85kg + a 3Kg battery on my back, so Im not one of those 140 lb xc riders ... this rim is plenty strong enough.
The 517 and 317 are my rims of choice these days.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ozrules
a Cross Country Rider
from san diego ca,/melb aus Date Reviewed: August 1, 2004
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$81.00
Purchased At:
Performance
Strengths:
Great front wheel
Weaknesses:
Rear wheels don't stay around long enough to know
Similar Products Used:
221, 618
Bike Setup:
every high-end close-out on sale price matched at Performance
Bottom Line:
Light and cheap. Do an XTR hub up front, because a 517 up there will last forever. Just an XT hub for the rear, because a hard-tail chews 'em up and spits 'em out in a 24 hour race.
And can I say thank you Performance, the Walmart of Bike stores. Locate a bargain on BicycleBuys.com, print it out, buy it, and get 10% back. How else could you ride and live in San Diego?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
tyler
a Cross Country Rider
from pacific grove, CA Date Reviewed: July 22, 2004
Favorite Trail:
through someone's private property in a no tresspassing area
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
$150
Strengths:
fast, durable, true. my bike + xtracycle weighs about 45 lbs. and these rims have put up with a lot of abuse, around town crashing into things, singletrack, daily commuting, and all of this with at least 20 - 30 lbs. of gear in the xtracycle. i didn't expect the rim to hold out with so much weight over it constantly, but it has. i've even smashed into a rut with a flat tire (pinchflat from the rut before it) and flipped the bike over, but the front rim is still true. it must also be mentioned that these wheels (purchased as a wheelset with XT hubs) have enabled me to keep pace with some pretty speedy road cyclists on the california AIDS ride. they are all around great rims.
Weaknesses:
sticker came off during the first day.
Similar Products Used:
WTB, rhyno lite
Bike Setup:
1998 leadhopper - no suspension, XTRACYCLE, mavic 517s + XT hubs, hollowtech cranks, avid 7 brakeset, deore RD, ultegra cassette & chainrings, and the rest is stock from 1998
Bottom Line:
they aren't bombproof. as long as you're not trying to use them as freestyle rims, you shouldn't have any problem.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nicholas Goh
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore Date Reviewed: June 24, 2004
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
New from a friend
Strengths:
light i guess
Weaknesses:
not too strong
Bike Setup:
Carbon Trek, XT/XTR
Bottom Line:
got them for a steal at $50 a pair. i enjoy riding down long flights of stairs and i'm always looking for places to drop off (nothing too high though, say 2 feet tops?). the 517 on my rear went out of true a long time ago. i guess it's my own fault though, cos i was never built with the intention of having it's owner charge down stairs. not a negative rating, just a mention. the front wheel's ok though.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
zman
a Weekend Warrior
from ny, ny Date Reviewed: June 10, 2004
Favorite Trail:
any ride is better than work
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
nashbar
Strengths:
I have a pair of x517 CD. Looks good and light. Stay ture.
Weaknesses:
Rim wears out like butter.
Similar Products Used:
Sun Sub IV rims.
Bike Setup:
KHS pro.
Bottom Line:
I am only 150lbs and never ride hard, so the rims stay true. The break pads wears out rims like butter. I change a few differ brake pads, same result. With less than 800 miles, there already deep grooves on the rims from the brake pads. Not worth the money.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
David Giessel
a Cross Country Rider
from Anchorage, AK, USA Date Reviewed: April 25, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Llama trail
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
The Motorcycle Shop
Strengths:
Light, true, strong
Weaknesses:
It's not a downhill rim...don't drop big stuff or slam curbs and expect it to come out unscathed.
Similar Products Used:
Matrix Swami, Mavic 217
Bike Setup:
Klein Mantra frame (97), Cane Creek AD-10 rear shock, RockShox Psylo SL, Full XTR (M950), King headset, Specialized thermoplastic handlebar, blah blah blah.
Bottom Line:
My first wheelset was the Matrix Swami 32 hole wheels built around LX hubs on my 96 Y11. Brass nips, 14 guage spokes, 3 cross front and rear...I weighed about 95 lbs when I bought that bike and the wheels would still get tweaked...but they were pretty light.
I decided to "throw down" and have a real set of wheels built for my Mantra (after dumping the horrible Y frame) as it was pretty "tricked out" anyway.
The wheelset was buiilt as follows: Mavic x517 28 hole rims (non ceramic) Alloy nips 15-17 double butted stainless spokes King "classic" hubs Radial front, Radial non drive rear, 2 cross rear drive side
I was still ~ 100 lbs at the time...so I took the liberty to add some holes to the inner wall of the rims. I put 2 holes between each spoke nipple hole on the front rim and 1 hole between each spoke nipple hole on the rear rim. The overall weights came out to something like 596 grams for the front and 785 for the rear. It was absolutely absurd...and holy crap were they fast. They stayed true until I got up to about 140 lbs (~2 years). At that point I began riding "bigger" stuff and going a lot faster...so they got flat spotted pretty severely.
I had the wheelset re laced in exactly the same manner with some non "modded" 517s at that time (2 years ago). Since then I've grown a fair amount and weigh about 175...so I'm actually loading them pretty hard (I take the AD-10 and Psylo to their bump stops pretty regularly). I've only had to true the rear wheel once hoever. Note that even without the extra holes, this wheelset is lighter than the Crossmax SL...If I can ever get these rims to die I'll have to put some 717s on and drop a few more grams.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul St.laurent
a Weekend Warrior
from Winnipeg Canada Date Reviewed: April 15, 2004
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
Olympia cycle-henderson hwy.
Strengths:
Very light. Nice looking.
Weaknesses:
None so far
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 231 (rear rim)
Bike Setup:
xtr hubs
Bottom Line:
I have used this rim with 14/16 gauge spokes on my front wheel only.I don't downhill,just Lite cross country and commuting. No problems with rim. I have used this rim for 4 years now. If you don't ride real hard, this is a great rim to save weight.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt
a Racer
from Ohio Date Reviewed: October 19, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
frankford bike
Strengths:
Very light durable brake surface eyelets no bump in breaking where rim is joined stay relatively true...
Weaknesses:
...until the back wheel suddenly tacos pretty expensive
Similar Products Used:
bontys other mavics cheap steel a lot of stuff
Bike Setup:
Giant hardtail sid XT did have mavic wheels have nothing now(boo hoo boo hoo!!)
Bottom Line:
The front wheel is awesome!! I reccomend it highly. I only weigh 135 pounds, and I managed to taco the back wheel on smooth singletrack. Dont get the back wheel. IT IS EVIL!! I had them built with 14/15 spokes, alloy nipples, and XT hubs. THE 1 TURD IS FOR THE BACK WHEEL, THE FRONT IS A FOUR AND A HALF.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
SAMBA Guy
a Cross Country Rider
from Central Illinois USA Date Reviewed: September 24, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Farmdale
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
Spin City Cycles - Decatur
Strengths:
Light weight. Seem to be pretty strong and sturdy.
Weaknesses:
None yet.
Similar Products Used:
Other Mavic. Bontrager.
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Blur with stuff.
Bottom Line:
Had these built up for my new Blur at LBS. Laced to XT hubs. I've put over 600 miles on these and have only need truing twice. I weigh 175 lbs and race on occasion and ride a variety of terrain throughout Illinois and the Midwest. If you're looking for a downhill or freeride rim then look elsewhere. However, if you want a strong and light rim for fast cross country riding this is it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pete Cresswell
a Cross Country Rider
from Paoli, PA Date Reviewed: August 24, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Valley Forge bridle trails
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Speedgoat and Bilenky
Strengths:
Couple ounces lighter than the next step up in durability.
Weaknesses:
Not strong enough for rear wheel use under a 210# rider.
My riding is about a tame as you can get. I'm in early geezerhood and a big drop for me is a 10" concrete curb or a flight of (one-at-a-time..) stairs - and I've toasted two of these things.
Both ridden almost exclusively FS. Both cracking around spoke holes.
Front wheels are 517's also. No problems.
The "1 Chili" ratings apply only to use as rear wheel for somebody over 200#.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Littleton, CO USA Date Reviewed: August 4, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Colorado Trail
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Light, strong(for the weight), fast
Similar Products Used:
several other mavics
Bottom Line:
This is a light weight yet still strong rim for what it is made for. Before you complain that I only got 5000 miles out of this wheel got to mavic.com and do your research. http://www.mavic.com/servlet/srt/mavic/comp-prod_fiche?produitsid=59&lg=uk This is a cross country "race" wheel, not a training wheel or freeride wheel or even an everyday rider for that matter. Also if you are 11,339.8 grams over weight (25 lbs), then buy a rim that weighs a measly 55 grams more (Mavic X618) that is designed for intensive use, or heck even the exteme mountain biking D521 rim only weighs 195 grams more. Read the intended use of the rim that you are buying. As a wheel builder a properly built rim should never taco under intended riding conditions. IF YOU ARE GOING TO RATE THE RIM DO US A FAVOR AND RATE IT BASED ON THE INTENDED USE OF THE RIM!!!! This is a great race wheel but unless you are a smaller rider it should not be used as a training/fitness wheel.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pete Crannell
a Cross Country Rider
from Port Byron, NY Date Reviewed: May 16, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Bear Swamp
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Performance Bike
Strengths:
Light
Weaknesses:
Stess cracks developed on drive side of rear at spoke nipples.
Bike Setup:
GTi2k XT components
Bottom Line:
Bought complete wheels from Performance. Held up OK for first year. Lots of trueing after that. Started cracking this year.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Walter Guan
a
from Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia Date Reviewed: May 2, 2003
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$32.00
Purchased At:
BikePro(LBS)
Strengths:
Light, Stiff, Strong(for its weight)
Similar Products Used:
sun cr17a (crap)
Bike Setup:
GT Zaskar, Deore, SD Mags with XT levers, judy race total air
Bottom Line:
This is a superb rim. I ride quite hard (everything fom road to trails to trials to 5' drops) and these never even needed trueing. I use Avid SD Mags and The braking surface is second to none. If u need 2 lose some weight of your bike, this(besides tires and tubes) is where 2 do it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Marcus Pendergrass
a Racer
from Seattle Date Reviewed: April 10, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$75.00
Purchased At:
Universal Cycles
Weaknesses:
Weak sidewalls, burned right through in 4 months
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 231
Bike Setup:
unimportant
Bottom Line:
If you run a rim brake do not buy this rim. They wear out very fast!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
sam
a Racer
from a town Date Reviewed: February 23, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$60.00
Strengths:
strong light
Weaknesses:
need to be trued 2 often
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager mustang
Bottom Line:
a great rim
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, AZ Date Reviewed: February 13, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Anything abusive
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
Rage Cycles
Strengths:
Light weight, strong, blah, blah....
Weaknesses:
Hmm.... None, yet. (After 4 years?)
Similar Products Used:
Some Araya double-walled things, which were pieces of junk.
These are nice rims. I bought them laced to XT hubs as a set. I am a "Big Guy" (read "fatass", 220+ lbs) and have ridden them over some technical terrain (very few dropoffs, though). Stacked my ride more than a few times. After I had healed myself, the wheels never had to be trued. I like these wheels so much that I had replaced the new ones which came on my current bike with these (especially given the performance of the stock wheelset).
Will probably buy them again when they finally die.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Seeker
a Cross Country Rider
from SC Date Reviewed: January 25, 2003
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Really lightweight. Good QC. Strong seams.
Weaknesses:
Not suitable for high spoke tension builds like other rims.
Bottom Line:
These are super light rims which should be sold with a rider weight limit of say, 160 lbs.
If you build these with high spoke tension the rim will "star" at spoke holes, and entire rim will deform around the periphery. This deformation is readily visible in the brake wear residue pattern on the sidewalls.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Guy Guppy
a Cross Country Rider
from England Date Reviewed: December 9, 2002
Favorite Trail:
South Downs
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Bike Bits
Strengths:
Lightweight, reliable, strong, nice colours, Don't tend to buckle when well built.
Weaknesses:
squeek with powerful brakes, under heavy stress (I.E big drop offs)
Similar Products Used:
various mavic wheels
Bottom Line:
Quality wheel, prone to buckling if you get carried away for example pulling jumps. Overall as with any mavic rim they have their die hard fans who get a lot of enjoyment with 517's.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Calabasas, CA Date Reviewed: November 23, 2002
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Strengths:
Light weight, Hold true, durable
Weaknesses:
None
Bike Setup:
Titus Racer X
Bottom Line:
For cross coutry riding these rims have never let me down. They have only had to be trued once in 5 years. I rid light to moderate technical trails, but no jumps over 2 feet. They are probably too light for freeride or DH
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
austin
a Cross Country Rider
from houston(downtown) Date Reviewed: November 20, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Lightweight
Weaknesses:
NOT a good Rear Rim if you ride off road...Especially on A Fully suspended bike
Bike Setup:
wheels, a chain, a seat, some pedals, and so forth
Bottom Line:
If you like air, or even to bunny hop this rim isn't for you.
If you ride rocky terrain on a FS bike this rim isn't for you.
I Weigh 145LBS, and I've used these for 8 months or so and I've gotten my rear rim trued for the last time..or so the bike shop says.
I'm goin to use a freeride rim nxt time or I might try the Mavic 618's or 519's...Something Stronger and long lasting
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
The Beast
a Cross Country Rider
from Aberdeen, UK Date Reviewed: October 25, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Glen Tress
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
Alpine Bikes
Strengths:
Light
Weaknesses:
Doesn't last in muddy conditions with rim brakes. Lucky to get 1 years riding out of it before the rim wears away and bursts.
Similar Products Used:
221, 618, WTB
Bike Setup:
'97 Marin Rift Zone
Bottom Line:
Crap. Waste of money.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Markus
a Weekend Warrior
from Dresden, Germany Date Reviewed: October 21, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Borsberg, Dresden
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
used from a friend
Strengths:
Extremely lightweight, Mavic Qualitiy
Weaknesses:
Long term performance -- I wrecked 2 already
Similar Products Used:
Mavic x217, x138, 221
Bike Setup:
Giant Cadex, RS Jett Race, XT, ...
Bottom Line:
Both 517 rims broke after about 12'000 km of road and trail riding. I don't abuse my bike and neither does my buddy Martin, who rode them before. It seems that the alloy is a little too stiff to perform for long periods of time. They are stiff when they work, but once over-stressed they break along the diameter between the spokes and on the inner layer as well. Don't tell me the spoke tension wasn't right. I know how to true wheels and I had them serviced after 3 trueing periods at a professional. Bottom Line: they ARE stiff, they do NOT wear excessively so overall I'll give em a 3.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason Turner
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh Date Reviewed: September 30, 2002
Favorite Trail:
My driveway
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$125.00
Purchased At:
Cyclogic, Raleigh
Strengths:
lightweight, never ever need truing, very dependable. have 4000+ miles on them.
Weaknesses:
One of the spokes is just starting to pull through the rim, and many very tiny star cracks starting around the other spokes. I think this is just an issue because of the number of miles on them.
Bike Setup:
Litespeed Ocoee, XT
Bottom Line:
If you can afford them, buy'em, although most people probably get them as standard equipment on whatever bike they buy. I have never had a problem with mine, and will probably get Mavic's again when these finally fail. I do mostly suburban riding with lots of hills, curbs and even speed bumps, punctuated by long stretches of benign off road trails with roots or gravel.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Douglas Campbell
a Downhiller
from Whyalla Date Reviewed: September 6, 2002
Favorite Trail:
anything steep, technical, and fast, with big drops
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$125.00
Purchased At:
U-PEDAL CYCLES
Strengths:
haven't had to true them yet, very strong, weight doesn't really worry me much, but even still I'm pretty happy with the weight. Not too heavy, not too light.... just right.......lol
Weaknesses:
I have got stress marks on the spokes which appeared almost with a week of buying them but the must have settled in or something coz nothing else became of them
Similar Products Used:
mainly mavic, they rule
Bike Setup:
Craftworks dhr 1, bombshell kamakazee forks, xtr, hayes hydro disc
Bottom Line:
this rim is excellent, I don't care what anyone says, I ride my bike every day, and I haven't had to true the rims once yet! I do alot of drops ranging from curbs through to 10 ft, the biggest drop that I have done while landing on flat ground and I snapped my right pedal and my handle bars.
my mate who I go riding alot with who is very hard on bikes couldn't do a thing to them and he can't do a jump and land straight( back end always swings to the right while in the air no matter how he tries)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eric Emel
a Weekend Warrior
from Bristol UK Date Reviewed: August 28, 2002
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$30.00
Strengths:
Used on my last 3 bikes, never had any problems with them, 36 hole with Swiss DT's. Xc'd, jumped, raced ridden everyday, never had a problem. Btw I weight 200lbs.
Weaknesses:
None that I have come across
Similar Products Used:
various mavics, bontys, spinergys
Bike Setup:
Sanata Cruz hard tail, mountain cycles CSX, cannondale super V, used on them all
Bottom Line:
Don't understand how people have geen having probs with these. They are the best have used. Can't wait to get some build up for my latest rig.
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Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Blacksburg, VA Date Reviewed: August 12, 2002
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
jensonusa.com
Strengths:
awesome strength to weight ratio and I have never had them trued (although after almost two years of me abusing them they are starting to lose a only little of their trueness).
Weaknesses:
I hate not writing anything here so I am gonna have to say the stickers are peeling off (but I don't really care).
Bottom Line:
I am thoroughly impressed with these rims. I bought them with caution due to horror stories of them getting knocked out of true. I don't do freeriding or drops over 4 feet but I would say that I have put in a fair amount of abuse without finding their limit. No, they are not the strongest wheels or the lightest or the trickest but they work wonderfully for their intended useage. I definitely think Mavic did an outstanding job of compromising strength and weight while maintaining a beautiful balance.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
kevin
a Racer
from chicago Date Reviewed: August 9, 2002
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Strengths:
light, somewhat strong, ceramic breaking surface with xtr v brakes works very well.
Weaknesses:
need to be trued quite often. expensive. French.
Similar Products Used:
Bontranger Race Lite wheels, Ksyrium SSC for road, Mavic 221, some generic crap several years ago.
Bike Setup:
fuel 100
Bottom Line:
They were good rims that built up really nice with King ups, light weight and somewhat strong. These should be a race XC rim only. If your into taking jumps and downfilling save your money. I think the Bontranger equivalent is much better and just as light so plan on using them for now on since I don't have time to true wheels once a week.
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Submitted by
Todd
a Cross Country Rider
from Dallas Date Reviewed: July 14, 2002
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
Performance (as a wheelset)
Strengths:
Light, cool colors and plenty of variants of the rim, can be serviced by yourself or any bike shop (unlike the Crossmax wheelset), very reasonable cost when built on XTR hubs
Weaknesses:
Not for bashing, freeriding or for heavy riders; could be a little less expensive
Similar Products Used:
Matrix Swami (Trek-made rims)
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Tazmon, XT/XTR (XTR hubs)
Bottom Line:
I've had a set of 517s, laced three-cross on XTR rims for over three years now, and they've held up fine for my general XC riding. I do ride rock gardens and some small drops, but hey that's XC mountain biking.
I too noticed the stress fracturing around the spoke nipples, and they didn't take long to form. But three years have gone by and the rims are still going strong. The rear jumps out of true on rough trailriding, but that could be fuzzy spoke tensioning to blame. Or maybe because I was riding a Klein hardtail at the time (very rigid rear end). No big deal to dial it back in line.
As noted, this is not a thrasher rim, but it's not limited to the lean racer-boy type either. I've been very pleased with this rim, once I got over the stress-fracture scare. Unless another standout XC rim hits the market (and it's already overdue), I'll probably go with the 517s again.
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Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado Date Reviewed: June 23, 2002
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
wheel builder
Strengths:
reasonably durable for its light weight
Weaknesses:
Elicts unearned negative reviews from riders who are overweight, who misuse the equipment, et cetera
Similar Products Used:
Sun; other Mavics
Bike Setup:
Litespeed, XT, etc
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent XC rim. But there will always be negative reviews for excellent equipment from people who are overweight (the ones who think they are flattering themselves when they write, "I'm a big guy, so..."), or who are hard on equipment because they have no technical skill (the people who write, "I ride HARD...") and who run off line and into obstacles constantly because they are unfit (yet congratulate themselves each time they drag their pathetic dying megamorph carcasses up the hill - the ones who are so incredibly insecure that they refer to the people blowing past them on ascents as "weenies" or "anorexic"), and pseudo bad boys who trash everything (the ones who use their one brain cell [hint: it takes 2 to forma a synapse] to write their reviews phonetically), and people who shouldn't try to be their own mechanics ("the spokes pulled through the rim" or "it blew apart the second time I rode it"), or would-be free-riders ("the rim bent after a routine 5' drop" [read: the drop was 2' at best, on to a flat surface, and you don't know how to land your bike anyway]. Ignor those writers (hopefully natural selection will eventually catch up to them)- this is a great cross-country rim.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
hb
a Cross Country Rider
from albuquerque Date Reviewed: June 11, 2002
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Strengths:
lightweight
Bike Setup:
king, dt revo, alloy and brass nipples
Bottom Line:
lightweight rim, but don't expect it to last more than about 3-5000 miles. EITHER THE SPOKES PULL THROUGH OR THE RIMS ABRADE DOWN AND BLOW APART. I've switched out about 15 of these rims. same spokes, same hubs, new alloy nipples front and driveside with brass nipples on drive side. everything 3x 32 hole. I keep using them because they are light.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Daniel
a Racer
from San Diego, CA Date Reviewed: May 19, 2002
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
This is a good wheel for a person that is 190 pounds and under
Weaknesses:
This is a bad wheel for a person more than 190 pounds
Similar Products Used:
Everything
Bottom Line:
The people that are writing these reviews on this wheel are probly one of those fat people that sit on the couch after they get home from work and then go riding once a month. One of those people that go out and buy light weight bikes that are made for racing, then the bikes break and they wonder why? Well I am here to give you an answer! The 517s are a good wheel, If you are a little bit larger than 190 pounds then get the x618s, these wheels are a little bit stronger but weigh a bit more. I love these wheels!
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Submitted by
johnnyb
a Cross Country Rider
from San Anselmo Date Reviewed: May 11, 2002
Favorite Trail:
singletrack
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Cesar's Cyclery
Strengths:
My first two rims were good.
Weaknesses:
Mavic customer service scum and the rim itself.
Similar Products Used:
Sun, Araya
Bike Setup:
Stumpy Pro
Bottom Line:
This is an update to an earlier review I posted.
I brought the rim back to the shop and Cesar returned it to Mavic with the request of the Mavic salesman. Mavic said that I cracked the rim and spoke holes because I applied too much pressure from overbraking. THIS IS BULLSH*T!!! When does a new rim (I had only put about 1,000 crosscountry miles on it) fail like this unless it is defective?
I've bought five Mavic wheels for my mountain bike and Open Pros for my roadbike, but I can say I will never buy this product again if they won't replace this defective product!!! MAVIC are you listening??? A letter is coming your way too!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Lucas
a Cross Country Rider
from Denmark, Europe Date Reviewed: April 29, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Nothern Tier
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
Germany
Strengths:
Only 395 g.
Weaknesses:
Cracks around all eyelets after 10000 km on paved roads. It was unsafe to continue with those rims.
Bottom Line:
I would NEVER buy this rim again. In future I would rather buy some heavy duty rims instead.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
johnnyb
a Cross Country Rider
from San Anselmo Date Reviewed: April 27, 2002
Favorite Trail:
The whole west coast
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Strengths:
Okay, I've gone through three 517 rear wheels in about 4 years of riding. The first two wheels I was able to squeak out many miles and about a year and a half out of them. Stayed true.
Weaknesses:
The first wheel was perfect until I wore out the sidewall from the brakes. The second cracked at the sidewall. The third one after 1,000 miles crack at the sidewall and the spoke eyelets at the crack have cracks too. My wheels stay true pretty well, probably because I don't do jumps or large drops.
Similar Products Used:
Sun, Araya
Bike Setup:
Stumpy Pro, XTR, Marzocchi atombomb, Phil Wood, Race Face
Bottom Line:
I bought my third wheel because the shop mechanic, who I trust, recommended them for my riding style. I hesitated because of the cracking problem but relented. BUT then it happened again. Mavic took my wheel back to their shop and are evaluating it. I hope it means I get something other than a 517. I weigh 220 lbs. and I ride about 100 miles of trails a week pretty hard so I expect my equipment to be replaced on a regular intervals. This is a ridiculous rim based on my experience and others here. My spare is a cheapo Sun, but it works great. I don't think I can recommend these rims to anybody but a fool. I have friends that ride on Rhinos and WTBs that never have had this problem. Its time to upgrade :(
I have to give a few chilis because I've got some miles on the first two rims, about 5,000 miles each.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
sammy250
a Racer
from Boulder CO Date Reviewed: April 18, 2002
Favorite Trail:
White Ranch
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Strengths:
None
Weaknesses:
Everything-weak, will not stay true, sidewalls crumble, spokes pull out of entire rim.
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager Mustang, Rolf Propel
Bike Setup:
Full XTR steel hardtail.
Bottom Line:
I hate these rims. My lbs recommended them when I started racing and I thought I was getting a quality rim because so many places recommend mavic. My only question is why? If you ride hard on them at all they disintegrate! I endoed pretty hard and totally destroyed my front rim, ok, my fault I didn't start hating the rim then. Then, I pinch flatted and the whole rim basically fell apart, the sidewall crumbled like a cracker and that was it. Because I needed a rim badly, I had to buy another 517 ( I might as well have burned my money) and on my first race on them nearly half of the spokes pulled out of the rear wheel. I actually enjoyed finishing the race on the rim because I knew I was destroying it fully and I could throw it away and get it out of my sight. I don't know how mavic got their reputation, maybe with their road wheels but these rims are horrible. Stay away, stay far away.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Cireja
a Cross Country Rider
from Portugal Date Reviewed: April 18, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
a shop
Strengths:
very light, looks cool
Weaknesses:
Because of the light weight the rim seems to be fragile, im using 32 hole and im a bit worryed about the investement... do you know what i mean?
After a intensive test ride in these light weight babies i can tell you more about them.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
joel vt
a Cross Country Rider
from brunswick maine Date Reviewed: April 9, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
local shop
Strengths:
i'm gonna keep this short, cause i already typed a long review, but they wouldn't take it cause it had "profanity". last year i wieghed around 77 lbs(and i was 14 y/o), and i pinch flatted with huchison pinch flat proof tubes (u no, the ones that a 150 guy can ride 30 PSI on), and i was running 45PSI. i also killed the rim, it dented in about 1 cm. i wiegh around 90 lbs now, but have a 36 hole 517 which i've been riding for a little over a year, and its barely out of true. stop you whining about them not being strong, just get a 36 hole and forget about it.
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
a mavic 221
Bike Setup:
1998 cannondale F700
Bottom Line:
get a 517 in 36 hole, and it will NEVER let you down.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
T.M
a Cross Country Rider
from Lincoln Date Reviewed: April 7, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Peak District
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
light
Weaknesses:
weak rim that wears out too quick
Similar Products Used:
Most Mavic Bontrager Canecreek Ritchey Weinmann
Bike Setup:
Marin Rift Zone Manitou SX Full XT
Bottom Line:
The first set of 517s wore down so fast in winter riding that I could not believe it. They go out of true but I see that as a problem of hard cross-country riding no matter what you use. After 9 months there was no rim left. I got another pair because they are light to use just for on the road to train with. I would not use them off road as the walls do not last long enough. So guess what happened....the rims started getting stress marks around the eyelets. I could not believe it. The next thing the rims split. I go to my bike shop ready to make the guy wear them and he says...no problem these rims pop if you use slicks and pump up the pressure. I get offered another pair but I said no and got the 618s instead. Isn't it funny how Mavic have a 618 rim just exactly like the 517 but thicker.......isn't this saying something? I am non too pleased with the 517.....it does not cut it. But Mavic do real good rims. Look at the Crossrides as an example. You just have to be carefull.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
a Racer
from Albuquerque Date Reviewed: April 2, 2002
Favorite Trail:
South Boundary Trail
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Strengths:
Round, sort of...
Weaknesses:
Weld (SUP) developes
Similar Products Used:
Mavic, Velocity, Ritchey rims of various models
Bike Setup:
Unimportant
Bottom Line:
Mavic rims appear to be in a state of degradation. There are two problems, both associated with the weld region. The rims are often not round at the weld, with a bit of a flat spot. No amount of spoke tensioning can remove this out of round condition. It is more of a problem on their road rims (like the Open Pro) as road tires are less forgiving to out of roundness due to the nature of useage and size of tire. Worse, the even braking surface that the SUP design previously provided is not even anymore. Most of the rims have a pronounced ripple in the surface at the weld that causes brake pulsing, especially when used on the front, but even when used as a rear wheel! No problem if you run disc brakes, but hydraulic rim brakes are unmanageable with some of the worst of these. Mavic has a quality control problem regarding the weld integrity and surface smoothness. I have been building rims for years and am concerned that Mavic has really dropped the ball. The SUP design is now a hinderance rather than a plus. I have a 15 year old pair of Bontraeger (MA40) MTB rims taht have a smoother braking surface than any 517 that I have built up, and they are swaged together at the seam. Old school. By the way, all of the reviewers who think that a rim is bad because it bent on their first ride... A wheel derives very little of it's resistance to coming out of true or round from the rim, but almost all from the spoke tension. Bad rims fail from eylets cracking, welds coming apart, sidewalls cracking etc. DH rims are heavier so they don't crack, not so they don't come untrue. If you are having problems with trueness, you need to look into the spoke tension (or lack thereof).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
J.W
a Weekend Warrior
from Bristol Date Reviewed: March 31, 2002
Favorite Trail:
any techy trail
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Merlin Cycles
Strengths:
Cheap and light
Weaknesses:
The rims wear quickly and are prone to stress marks around the spoke eyes.
These rims are light but a lot is made about them being stronger than the old 217's and I can't see that. Mine have shown some stress marks around the spokes which I now understand is not unusual on these rims if you pump the tyres up hard. The other thing that has got me down is how fast the rims wear if you ride in the mud which you always have to do in Britain. My rims lasted a year but the last 3 months of that were very worrying as there was so little rim left. In short although I think Mavic's stuff is brilliant, and it is, the 517's aren't good for me.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
CAG
a
from toostoned AZ Date Reviewed: March 14, 2002
Favorite Trail:
the lion cage at reid park
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
came on bike
Strengths:
LIGHT!!! I could race the S%it out of these...
Weaknesses:
I don't race.
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Heckler, Fox coil, Z2 100mm (for God's sake, save and shop for a REAL FS bike (SC, Titus, Ellsworth)
Bottom Line:
The problem here is with all of these definitions. I "freerode" these for a month, and the rear developed a stress fracture. I'm not a poster guy, but I do have some nuts. Ironically, the old X138's I used for 4 years on a GT Zaskar lasted mucho abuso with repeated TLC. Hmmm... I went with a Rhyno Lite, 3X straight gauged. Flamin' peppers are based on if I wasn't a knucklehead.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Samuel Gates
a Cross Country Rider
from torquay Date Reviewed: March 14, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Cockington
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
Bikin motion
Strengths:
Light, durable and very usable
Weaknesses:
have not had any complaints. I would suggest to stay clear of 6+ft drop offs
Bike Setup:
Beone extreme XC Titanium frame.. with all the extra toppings..
Bottom Line:
An excelent trail / cross country Rim.. and although not designed for the abuse, i have spent many a day in the woods flying over roots, rocks and through steams.. i seriously can not fault this Rim.. ride smoothly and they last.. It also helps if you have the wheels made by a Pro..
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rhys Edwards
a Weekend Warrior
from aberystwyth,ceridigion,Uk Date Reviewed: March 4, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Summit cyles
Strengths:
Light weight, Strength
Weaknesses:
Rim alloy a bit soft.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 217 ceramic. Sun rhyno.
Bike Setup:
1997 bear valley, Manitou comp fork. Stx rc group. Hope front hub, XT reatr.
Bottom Line:
These work great. They stand up well to a wet welsh winter without wearing out. So far I have had no problems with stress fractures.They are used for all day trail riding. 517's are no good for jumping, but they are not intended for the jumpers. By a product that that suits your riding style.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
rooster
a
from sale creek tn Date Reviewed: January 30, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Bottom Line:
Ok folks allow me to put my foot in my mouth. The day after posting my first review I totally crunched the rear rim. As I have learned the hard way if you freeride you need a freeride rim. If you stick to singletrack this is a great rim. Looks I could use a little finesse myself.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
rooster
a Weekend Warrior
from sale creek, tn., usa Date Reviewed: January 21, 2002
Favorite Trail:
north pocket, pigeon mtn.
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$128.00
Purchased At:
cambria
Strengths:
cool citron color, light, very strong
Weaknesses:
none so far
Similar Products Used:
wtb-junk
Bike Setup:
mongoose black diamond series-MAVIC, kore, rockshox, etc.
Bottom Line:
Folks I weigh in at about 215 and I ride hard (freeride)...the last set of wheels I had looked like a potato chip when I got done with them...I had the x517's handbuilt with the front radially laced and the rear 3x on the drive side and radial on the non-drive side and I have yet to even have to true them up yet... and the price was hard to beat...in my ever so humble opinion, I believe the people who are having a lot of trouble either got a set that was poorly built or they just don't know how to ride yet...thats right, learn a little finesse chump
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mike b
a Cross Country Rider
from Sodom in the North Date Reviewed: December 31, 2001
Favorite Trail:
boggs
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$1.00
Purchased At:
different bike shops, private parties
Strengths:
light, i suppose kind of durable reasonably priced(?)
Weaknesses:
gimply sidewalls cracks around eyelets
Similar Products Used:
bontrager something or other
Bike Setup:
dog dick red 25.5 lb superlight by santa cruz
Bottom Line:
i don't really know what to think of the 517.
i've never severly damaged one (i've torn a bontrager rim to pieces) and i ride them hard. for some reason, my mavic wheels seem to roll much smoother than my bontragers, but that could be due to a number of factors.
i've gone though three of the 517's in the past three seasons of riding in sometimes horrendous conditions. i've replaced two of them due to stress cracks around the spoke eyelets. i'm told that riding with those cracks is no big deal, but i took the safe route and replaced the rims.
the third 517 served me well, although it developed stress fractures at the eyelets as well. i'm not so sure if i'm going to run a mavic rima again or not--i'd like to research what is available on the market at a comparable price, weight and durability.
don't buy these rims if your're hucking and downhilling and slamming into stuff. if you're riding ultra light, cross country oriented components while you're jumping five feet off the grouind at thirty miles an hour, you ought to know better. likewise, if you're a heavy rider, you'll be well served by staying the hell away from these rims unless you're confining your travels to paved bike paths.
THIS IS A CROSS COUNTRY COMPONENT, USE IT ACCORDINGLY.
three stars for value and three overall.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark Pigott
a Weekend Warrior
from Sarnia, Ontario, CANADA Date Reviewed: December 31, 2001
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
cambria
Weaknesses:
Don't Use as rear wheel with TI SPOKES
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager Valiant
Bottom Line:
Don't use as rear rim with TI SPOKES!!!!!!
The tension will rip the spokes out of the eylets after 3months and leave major stress marks.
I ended up removing the rim and burning it in the firepit!!!!
Works as front with TI SPOKES, though
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
B. Nelson
a Cross Country Rider
from Adrian, Michigan USA Date Reviewed: December 17, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Anything technical with big climbs
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
employee purchase (ALAB)
Strengths:
Light weight, rigid, excellent braking
Weaknesses:
not yet available in UST tubeless
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager race, sun zero, syncros, other suns, ritchey zero dish
Bike Setup:
Yeti AS-R/Specialized S-Works hardtail
Bottom Line:
I weigh 245 lbs and am not the best or the smoothest rider ever to mount a bicycle. I occasionally case a jump or hammer over obstacles which should probably have been bunny-hopped. I have ridden/raced these hoops laced to a DT Hugi hub with 15 straight gauge DT spokes. I did have a knowledgable pro help me lace them, and I am running them with the MAXXIS tubeless system, which might help them a little. The bottom line, however, is that I've had to true these wheels twice in three months. They are not built to be tanks, either. We used a standard three-cross with 15 gauge spokes. The rear is a 32 (yes, thirty two) hole and the front is a 28. They were originally intended to be my race wheels, but they hold up to every day riding. THEY AREN't INTENDED TO BE A FREERIDE/URBAN ASSAULT RIM. My honest opinion on those having problems with them is that they were either poorly built or are being used for the wrong application. If you want to huck off of everything you see the answer is simple: buy sun mammoth 36 hole rims, lace them with 14 gauge straight stainless in a three or four cross and huck away!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Boris Biljman
a Weekend Warrior
from Umag, Croatia (Europe) Date Reviewed: December 12, 2001
Favorite Trail:
50 miles of singletrack around my house
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
Sistiana (Italy)
Strengths:
Stiff, stay in true after many bad jumps, cheap. And I'm really heavy (95Kg).
Weaknesses:
If not used with really good brake pads, sidewalls deteriorate really fast (damn light alluminium alloy, even Maxtal).
Similar Products Used:
X221, X217, now on Mavic Crossride (front and rear) and Crossmax (front)
Bike Setup:
'99 Scott Comp. with LX/XT and Azonic freeride handlebar.
Bottom Line:
If you use Shimano's LX/XT brake pads I suggest you to try/migrate to Ritchey Red pads (Black is good only for rear wheel, and Blue is really bad). Why? After a couple of overheating the rims with strong braking (long downhills) it seems to me that rim sidewalls start do deteriorate really fast (those little aluminium pieces in brake pads). I don't know why, but with and only with Ritchey Red pads this is not a problem. So, after ruining my first x221 rims, I've changed them with X517 and changed the pads (all more than 3 years ago). No problems anymore. Now I sold them 'caouse of great opportunity to buy Crossrides ($200/pair) and 'cause of really bad Shimano LX hubs (those paralaxes, but his is another story).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Simpson Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Mt.juliet, TN, Wilson Date Reviewed: November 29, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Lock 4
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$65.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
light, strong, duribility
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
221,richey pro
Bike Setup:
2001 FSR/XC PRO, 517, CK hubs & headset
Bottom Line:
These rims have been nothing but great sence day one. I don't understand why so many people are haveing trouble. Maybe to much spoke tension or radial laceing might have something to do with it. Mine have stayed true for almost a year now and have no stress fractures. I weigh 190 lbs and these rims seem to be plenty stong. I also have several friends useing the 517 and have had no problems. I would recommend these rims to anyone building a wheel, just lace them 3x use the right spoke tension and use them for xc.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from Tigard, OR Date Reviewed: November 22, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Bike Gallery (employee purchase)
Strengths:
The double wall design=strong braking power and the braking surface is machined well (porous with fine grooves). Very solid. Does anyone know if they have an Asym version?
Weaknesses:
None so far. We'll see how they work out.
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager Valiant, Mustang, other mavic stuff
Bottom Line:
I built this rim to an older LX Parallax rear hub that i found on a customer's trashed wheel (i love finding good stuff in the trash) and three-crossed with straight guage DT spokes and I must admit, its a strong set-up. I do aggressive cross-country and a little hucking and urban-assault on my hard tail and it has survived 6 foot drops/jumps with very little truing. Initially, i had to true it a lot after i first built it (every wheel has a break-in period), but now it stays straight and true. Good rim for XC riders who want a fairly light rim that can take some abuse. If other people are cracking or breaking this rim, their probably landing incorrectly or too hard. Any rim will break if landed on incorrectly or if the rider doesnt help absorb the landing upon impact (bend your knees!). Also, be sure to use higher air pressure (55-60 psi) if you plan on hucking on any of your rides. I've followed these simple tips and have had zero problems.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kel Cov
a Cross Country Rider
from NY Date Reviewed: November 6, 2001
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
R&A in Brooklyn
Strengths:
Holds up pretty good considering I'm 210 lbs. in NYC's potholes and rooted trails in my area.
Weaknesses:
kind of dainty but functional.
Similar Products Used:
231s and specialized rims
Bike Setup:
a salad of after market stuff.
Bottom Line:
if you do drop off, keep walking, finess only!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Abq Date Reviewed: November 3, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
light weight
Weaknesses:
Cracked rim around valve stem (rear)
Bike Setup:
XC to Semi DH Jamis Dakar Silver
Bottom Line:
I was surprised it lasted that long. Stress fractures showed up early and I still rode on it for another 3 months. I'm going to a beefier rear wheelset - maybe a D521 Rim. I've had a Mavic 231 in the front for 10+ years (I previously took out 2 Sun CR-17's before that). Before the 517 i had a 221 that also went out. I weigh 200lbs so it might be allright for someone lighter.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
D D
a Weekend Warrior
from UK Date Reviewed: October 27, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Weaknesses:
Cracked sutable for light riding
Similar Products Used:
Sun rhyno lites
Bottom Line:
Only sutable for light xc use. I would not recomend these for the rear wheel see http://www.geocities.com/crackrim/ I only weigh 119 lbs and the rear rim cracked the front one is still ok
They are however more suted to a front wheel due to less stress there.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Zaskie
a Cross Country Rider
from Lalaland Date Reviewed: October 27, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Up and down
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$75.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
- Lightweight XC rim - Strong for XC - Ceramic coating - Price for 517 Sup CD (non ceramic) is about 35 USD
Weaknesses:
- A tad expensive (ceramic) - Availability
Similar Products Used:
Always have used Mavic rims
Bike Setup:
Zaskar LE, Zocchi Z2 Atom Race, Mags HS33, Sram/Xtr shift/derail combo, XT/Hugi 240 hubs & Conti tires, Roox XC crankset, Ritchey WCS parts
Bottom Line:
A perfect rim for XC use only. Light and strong, and durable with the new ceramic coating. Mavic had some problems with the ceramic coating a year or two ago (chipped off very easily). I got my first 517 Ceramic in September '98 and the ceramic coating lasted for about two months and then began chipping off. Allthough I was a little sceptic about replacing my rim by a new 517 ceramic, I got the rim replaced thru my LBS without delay and free of charge. Apparently at Mavic they had "reworked" the ceramic coating to be more durable. Nul problemo ever since. I have just recently crashed my rear 517 and replaced it by a X618 Ceramic which is just a tad heavier (about 50 grams) but is also said to be stronger. Reason: no 517's available at this very moment until early 2002. I will post first impression on the 618 soon. If you look at the price initially, they seem pricey, but in the long run they are definitely worth the cash. That's if you use them for XC only (no big drops or extreme riding). If used for XC only the 517 Ceramic will last for ever (or almost for ever)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
neil
a Cross Country Rider
from NJ Date Reviewed: October 15, 2001
Favorite Trail:
chimney rock
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
lbs that i work at...
Strengths:
cool citron color.
Weaknesses:
-scratches easily -sidewalls dents easily -rims doen't hold up well to aggressive XC riding
Similar Products Used:
bontrager valiants WTB (forget model name) rims
Bike Setup:
SC Superlight, Full Avid Mech Discs, Full XTR, RaceFace Components, American Classic disc hubs
Bottom Line:
these rims are a pile of junk. i think they use the same metal in soda cans. i wouldn't characterize myself as a freerider. the xc trails here are technical..lotsa rocks, logs, some drops (only 3-4footers). these rims were laced 3-cross with straight gauge spokes. i came off a small jump, front wheel came down on a rock...rim folded...rider ejected. thank god i got them for a steal for 40 bucks a pair at the shop i work at. i'm going to relace my hub with SUN RHYNO LITES.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bjorndoggie Cruiser
a Weekend Warrior
from Sacramento CA Date Reviewed: October 10, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Forresthill Divide Loop
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
American River Bicycles
Strengths:
Light and fairly strong.
Weaknesses:
Apparently Mavic hasn't done a good job of informing consumers that this is a lightweight cross-country rim. Many people out in the world seem to be attempting jumps and drop-offs with these.
I am 6'1" 210 lbs. I ride cross country single track in the Sierra Nevada mountains and Foothills. I don't attempt big drop-offs, but if there isn't a lot of traffic on the trail I will tear it up pretty fast. These rims came stock on my Stumpjumper and I haven't had a single problem with them. I haven't taken a spoke wrench to them yet. Great rims when used in an application they were designed for. Good riding!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dana
a
from Mesa, AZ Date Reviewed: October 4, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Any
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$260.00
Purchased At:
Super Go
Strengths:
None
Weaknesses:
CRACKED!!!!
Similar Products Used:
Now Riding F519
Bike Setup:
Wheels, gears, handle, bars, etc...
Bottom Line:
Cracked the rear rim in 6 months...nothing crazy mostly urban assault cracked between 3 spoke holes and on the outside rim wall. Hope Mavic warantee is better that their rim.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Clay Holt
a Cross Country Rider
from Yuma Date Reviewed: October 4, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Telegraph Path
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
Bike Nashbar
Strengths:
Light-weight,they stay true,(not too weak).
Weaknesses:
Costly,they might be a little stronger.
Similar Products Used:
cr-17s,cr18s,ryno-lites,lotsa production junk.
Bike Setup:
Rigid cad1 usedta have lotsa goodies but I'm pulling these for a new bike.
Bottom Line:
I laced these to a pair of Chris-King hubs,with wheelsmith 14-17-14gauge spokes,the front is a radial lacing,and It has held up well(never ever even needed retruing(YET))I built it trued it and that was IT!!The rear however I built with a 3x-radial pattern using wheelsmith 14-15-14 3x and 14-17-14 on the radial side using super high spoke tension. As this is my commuter bike it is not subject to a lot of stress(except the odd car once in a while which is why I'm building a new bike)I'm 6' and 170lbs and I ride alot.(I guess my legs are fairly strong)any way after three months and 4600miles every spoke eyelet on the drive side devolped cracks running parallel with the brake surface,one on each side of each eyelet,very consistant and very uniform.(And the wheel is still perfectly true!!!)I don't know if this was caused because I over-torqued the spokes or I'm too strong for this spoke pattern,I'll try again with a new rim on my new bike,with a little less enthusiastic hard truing.(muscle at spokes) If that doesn't work I'll try a 2x on the static side with 14-17-14 ga spokes the wheels are not in use at this time,but hopefully will be soon.(I love those hubs but thats anouther review. At this point I'm concerned that I might have to build a mavic 519 for the rear as I prefer to ride rather than build wheels or type on the computer.Buy them if you race,and have money they are well made,and will stay true,up untill failure,I like'em they accellerate well and look good,If you are heavier than I or stronger you might opt for a more conservative spoke pattern, 3x-2x 3x-3x ect.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Justin Chang
a Weekend Warrior
from Brisbane Date Reviewed: September 11, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Any
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Supercycle Indroopilly
Strengths:
Held true for the ride home which was 2 kilometers.
Weaknesses:
Where do I start... Doesn't hold true for long - even when riding on the road. Cannot handle the smallest pot holes or any form of slight abuse. Jumping with this rim is a NO, unless you want to buckle the rim and most likely bend it. WASTE of Money on French sh@t. Mavics I think are a fad craze brand amoung cyclists, but honestly to say - they have only three decent rims for mtb. D321, Dee Max.... The rest for the mtb you can throw out the window!
Similar Products Used:
Mavic D521, Sun Ditch Witch, Sun Rhyno Lite, Sun Rhyno, Sun Mammoth (get these, they are totally bombproof!), Weinmann Zac-19 (worse than the x517's), and a heap of other rims.
Bike Setup:
Trek VRX300 Full XTR Marzocchi Z2 atom f.fork Sun Mammoth rims
Bottom Line:
WASTE of MONEY! Get the Sun Mammoths which cost nearly half the price and hold true after heaps of abuse. Give Mavic rims a miss unless you have the money for a Dee Max. Other rims I don't suggest you use for any harder riding.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rocky B.
a Weekend Warrior
from St-TrialVille Date Reviewed: September 10, 2001
Favorite Trail:
secret
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Sport Maximum
Strengths:
Stronnggggg as helll, mine is 36h 4xlace so its stiff and hold up anything I throw at it P.S. I am a mechanic and I have built this wheel, so I've laced it to be tough.
Most people here say crap about this rim because they say it's weak, but it's absolutely not, if you trash it then it your fault becasue either you're not smooth enough, you did a huge mistake or you simply suck. I ride Trials, dirt jump(bmx course) urban, drops, you get the picture.. What? You do unconventional type of riding and you didn't destroyed the 517? Damn right, because I'm smooth, I know how to jump without bashing my rear wheel against the back side of a jump, I know how to absorb a drop without puting a huge impact on my bike. I ride bigger stuff than most people I know who are equipped with big mammoth and rhyno lite etc but they trash their bike on smaller stuff then what I do. So before starting to say crap about lighter component because you trash it, stop riding like pricks, learn to be smooth, then you'll see.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Spudbreath
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicago Date Reviewed: August 8, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$150.00
Strengths:
Only that they come in pretty colors.
Weaknesses:
Weak, Weak, Weak...Oh, did I mention, Weak.
Bottom Line:
I wish I had read these reviews before I wasted three rebuilds on these guys. The first pair had stress fractures right along the nipples, the sidewalls pulled apart like tin foil on the second set, the third cracked like an egg in less than 3 months. Mavic was very nice to replace them, but reassured me this was some freak of nature occurance that dosen't happen at all...now I know, and I wish I had this info before I bought my first set.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver Date Reviewed: August 7, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
light
Weaknesses:
soft alloy wears out quickly
Similar Products Used:
sun 0degreeXC
Bike Setup:
steel hardtail, sometimes rigid depending on how I feel
Bottom Line:
The sidewalls wore out too quickly because the alloy (maxtal) is too soft. Also, pulled spokes at the eyelets in the rear wheel despite building it using a tensiometer. Sun rims are much more durable, will never buy another Mavic product again.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from Utah Date Reviewed: July 25, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$89.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
Mine have stayed true and they are as light as many more exspensive wheels.
Weaknesses:
For XC only not desighned for jumping.
Bike Setup:
XT hardtail
Bottom Line:
I am very happy with these rims and will use for many years yet. I feel these rims deserve a higher rating, no they are not desighned for disc brakes, but disc brake shouldent be on XC bikes, they just add unneeded weight.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dan
a Racer
from SD, CA Date Reviewed: June 29, 2001
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Bottom Line:
This rim is made for a very specific reason, Cross Country Racing or riding. The X517 are not made for jumping or and kind of enduro riding. The people that keep writing reviews on this rim and says that it cracks or it sucks there are an idiot. This is one of the best made low line cross country rim there is. Let me say this, if you are jumping this rim and it breaks its you that did it, its not Mavics' falt for your ignorance.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nick Fenton
a Racer
from Clinton Connecticut Date Reviewed: June 26, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Any one with rocks
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
www.performacebike.com
Strengths:
super light, strong (for a race only rim)
Weaknesses:
weak (if you use it everyday) this is a race only rim, a very strong race only rim, i love it!
Similar Products Used:
alex supra E's, Rhyno lites, Sun Sub VI
Bike Setup:
K2, XTR
Bottom Line:
THIS IS THE PERFECT RACE ONLY RIM, bottom line. Lace it up to a set of Chris King hubs and you'll kick some @ss
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Gene
a Cross Country Rider
from New York, NY, USA Date Reviewed: June 7, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Mail Order
Strengths:
Light-weight, durable, maintenance free rim
Weaknesses:
In wet, muddy conditions the non-ceramic rims can make fast, steep descents pretty sketchy.
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager, Ritchey
Bike Setup:
Bontrager Race-Lite, 'Zoke Z.2 Atom Bomb, full-XT
Bottom Line:
Great rim-- I had my wheels custom built with King hubs and DT Revolution spokes. I do hard East Coast riding on rocks, roots, mud, etc. and they have yet to fall out of true. Those Frenchies know how to make a rim. One caveat: we do some wet riding out here and if you don't want to go the disc route, then I recommend getting the ceramic version of this rim.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
David Kunz
a Cross Country Rider
from Monrovia, MD, USA Date Reviewed: June 5, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
Mt Airy Bicycles
Weaknesses:
WEAK! In less than 3 months, the inner rim split between 2 spokes across the valve hole. THIS IS THE 3RD MAVIC RIM THAT'S DONE THIS TO ME. Needless to say, you won't find me with another Mavic rim!
Bike Setup:
Cannondale F1000sl, modified to lefty fork, and XTR drive train.
Bottom Line:
Don't buy Mavic Rims. As I said above, I've had 3 split -- 2 225's (stock for the Cannondale F1000) and an F517.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bob
a
from Minneapolis, MN, USA Date Reviewed: May 2, 2001
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
Stock on Specialized M2
Strengths:
Very light, string rim. Red color is nice
Weaknesses:
None, except that the Mavic stickers fall off after a few rides.
Similar Products Used:
None as good
Bike Setup:
Specialized S-works M2, XTR/XT, SRAM Grip shift, Chris King headset, RaceFace BB, Thompson seat post, otherwise stock S-works.
Bottom Line:
Overall a very good set of rims. The rear wheel failed, the first time I raced the bike. Had the wheel re-built by LBS with decent spokes, and haven't had one problem since. I am 150# and race with these wheels at least 12 times a year and they have held up very well. I would recommend them for serious racing, or weekend warriors with the caveat that they must be built up properly by a good bike shop - any rim can fail if the wheel is not well built. If your into light weight, there are lighter rims, but these are a great value. 5 for value, 4 overall cuz there are better rims out there.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
George
a Cross Country Rider
from North Kingstown, RI USA Date Reviewed: April 25, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Big River
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Universal Cycles
Strengths:
None
Weaknesses:
WWWWEEEEEEAAAAAAAKKKKKK (weak).
I have ridden about 10 times on these things and they are showing stress marks all the way around the rims (front and rear). I am now looking for another wheelset to purchase. I paid good money to have these built and now I am wondering when the spokes will pull out of the rim. Do not believe the hype. I am 200# and ride fairly smoothly XC stuff. No crazy drops just NE singletrack. I lived and learned.
Bike Setup:
Trek 7000: Truvativ Stylo Team, Time ATAC pedals, Specialized Body Geometry Seat, Panaracer XC Fire
Bottom Line:
No good.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Richard Cunnew
a Cross Country Rider
from England Date Reviewed: April 15, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Just about anything
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
Chain reaction
Strengths:
Very light product, has an especially good braking surface when cd
Weaknesses:
ABSOLOUTLY NONE WHATSOEVER.
Similar Products Used:
mavic 218's
Bike Setup:
claud butler cape wrath. rock shox phsylo sl front suspension. xtr front brake, with hope open four disc brake lx deralliuer (9 speed) mega nine gear system
Bottom Line:
A very very good wheel. i have only been riding them for about 3 months but i havent discovered any problems. whatsoever. they are very quick and very light, but definately not a jumping wheel though, best for xc trails. jumpers steer clear, better off buying 218 for strength. my mate has been riding 517's for about 2 years, and for all this splitting business, it wont happen if the wheels are respected. They can be rode very hard and will be with you all of the way. A definate buy for strength, agility, and speed.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Gael
a Cross Country Rider
from Canberra , Australia Date Reviewed: April 2, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Majura Pines
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Looks
Weaknesses:
Cracks!!!!
Similar Products Used:
X217 CD Ceramics , Syncros (best)
Bike Setup:
Sintesi h/t Full XTR, Syncros, King, SID
Bottom Line:
Had a X217CD Ceramic crack after 2mnths use. Mavic agreed to replace the rim with 2 x X517CD. The first replacement lasted 6mnths before a crack developed between two eyelets. The second lasted only 4mnths before a crack spanning three eyelets beneath the rim tape occurred. Mavic once again conceded and supplied a free replacement. This was quickly sold to purchase a SYNCROS XLR which has to date outlasted three Mavics. For the record I weigh 72kgs. Wheel build was performed by 2 different builders.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Lennart Soegaard
a Cross Country Rider
from Denmark Date Reviewed: March 21, 2001
Favorite Trail:
furesoe
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Heino cykler
Strengths:
very Light,strong.Good looks.
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
mavic m231,m400,araya cv-7(remember?)
Bike Setup:
`99 RM Blizzard,LX/XT,Bomber z5,SRAM 9.0 brakes
Bottom Line:
Great rims.my front rim have rolled over 11000 km.Highly recommended.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Zspokes
a Cross Country Rider
from Vermont, USA Date Reviewed: March 3, 2001
Favorite Trail:
whatever I'm riding at the time
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
light, but not the lightest
Weaknesses:
everything
Similar Products Used:
Velocity, Sun, Campy (yes they did make 26" rims at one point), Ritchey, Azonic..you name it I've probably tried it
I am an expert wheel builder and professional mechanic. I have built myself many wheels and I'm always looking for the best combinations for respective categories. In my line of work, I also see the remnants of lot of wheels that didn't work out quite right. This is what I have discovered about Mavic rims/wheels, it's a simple little equation. MAVIC=POOR QUALITY Mavic established itself a long time ago on the road scene with a sweet component group and some nice light rims, and it did used to be the case in the earlier days of mountain biking that they made some of the nicest rims that you could get. Unfortunately they have used that brand recognition to pass off what in my opinion are increasingly inferior products. Specifically with regards to the 517, it is lightweight that much is true, but for the strength you get out of it, it is not worth it. If you are only focused on light weight and not concerned wiht anything else, there are lighter rims available (check out Velocity and Sun) if you want light and strong, suffer through the extra 15-20 grams (if built properly you won't notice it) and go with an offset rear or slightly deep section rim. The only worthwhile rim that Mavic makes in my experience is the D321 hard anodized, but once again, you can do better. I am currently with-holding judgement on the new Cross-Max with Alloy spokes as I have not had enough time or experince with them.
Bottom line, I hate it when somebody comes into my shop with a taco'd, cracked sidewalled or pulled through eyeleted 517 (which I see quite a lot of) and complains that when they bought it it was sold to them as a rim with great strength to weight ratio. It is hard for the consumer to try a great deal of wheels/rims, but to all the mechanics out there, broaden your horizons and try some other stuff and don't revert to the 517 because people like that little yellow and black logo. If it really suits the situation then go for it.
And to the consumer, if you are thinking about a 517 you are in the right place, read as many of these reviews as you can, this is the place to get information so you can make an educated decision, and don't ever listen to just one person (including me) make up you own mind.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rickard Norberg
a Cross Country Rider
from Malmo Date Reviewed: March 1, 2001
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
cykelcity
Strengths:
Very light rims,the lightest I know of( 395 g )! Very strong and durable! Low price !
Weaknesses:
Nothing!
Similar Products Used:
some nonames
Bottom Line:
This rim rocks!I SAY ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKKKKKSSSSSSS!!!!!!! They are ULYTRAAAAAAAAA-light and strong!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For the low price they are relative sheap!!!!!!!!!!!! Some guys seems to be crazy! My wheals are built with a good hub and DT spokes and by proffesionals! If the wheels are builded and adjusted correctly,and used "Normal",they will stay in "near mint" (new) condition for a very long time! But if you weigh like an elephant and uses to low pressure and jumpes cliffs,then you can crack any rim in the world!!!!! Then a whould recommend iron-rims ore stone-wheels as seen in the "Flimnstone"-cartoons!!!!!!!!!!
It is not as simple as some thinks.If a rims holds true depends on many factors,like how the wheel is bult,with what components,how you ride and how much you weight and many other factors! If you use this rim on flat surface and not for jumping ore DH riding(it is not intended for that any way!)it will stay true and as new for many years! And the hub and spokes must be good too,and adjusted and build wit absolute precision,if the rim is gonna hold for a long time.
Have you thought about how few(if any) of them that complains on the rim that has marked that they have let a pro build the wheel? How many say exactly what they have done with the wheel /rim and bike? How long a rim holds is to 99% depending on how you use it and how it is builded and adjusted(and tensioned,of course)!!!
Nothing else!
Mavic makes great rims and they hold true longer than any other XC rim if it is USED like and Xc rim and is builded right!
And for that price,its a very priceworthy -rim .PS! If you use any rim under wet condition,it will wear a lot on the surface-so what.A
Rim´s surface is not a "eternal" wall of metal! It will wear out! If you constantly drives through mud and water and never clean the brakesurface,your rims will be shortlived!Any dirt on the surface builds up like san don asanpaper and makes the brakes to constantly "eat"metal from your rims surface!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If the surface is gonna stay as new for a longer time they must be cleaned often,and not abused by constant panic-braking by stepping on only the rear brake-use both brakes!!!
If you use the rims wrong,they will wear out fast,its not depending on the brand of the rim,its how you use it! I think this is the best rims i the whole universe,and they loook good to ! If I could,I would give ten(10) flaming chilis,but I cant! So I give five full flaming hot chilis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!HAVE A NICE RIDE OUT THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
morleyw
a
from victoria Date Reviewed: January 21, 2001
Favorite Trail:
anything
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
very light, nice breaking surface
Weaknesses:
none, because it is designed as a light weight croscountry wheel
Similar Products Used:
mavic 521, rhino light
Bike Setup:
trials
Bottom Line:
i have two of these rims both built with 15g 3 cross, & one rim has 3/8 holes drilled in it. (both for the front) They are very light and strong. I have never had a problem with them in all my years of riding. If you are hard on rims and not a smooth rider then I do not recomend them for you at all.
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Submitted by
James Valiensi
a Cross Country Rider
from Northridge, CA Date Reviewed: January 16, 2001
Favorite Trail:
The one I am on
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
supergo
Strengths:
Light, looks good, sensble design.
Weaknesses:
Not made for the long run, will wear out fast.
Similar Products Used:
Other Mavic rims
Bike Setup:
Curtlo(the best!) XTR
Bottom Line:
If you use these rims and get more than 2 years out of them, you must not ride your bike. The side walls wear out in 1-2 years and the spokes will start to pull thru in about the same time. This has not only happened to me but also to my friends who have had these rims. I like Mavic's products but these do not last quite long enough for the money. I plan to replace my 517's with a set of X618's. they are the same design but have double spoke eyelets and slightly thicker construction. If you are not a weight-weenie look into the heavier rims for a better value.
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Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson, Arizona Date Reviewed: January 14, 2001
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Light, reasonably durable in dry conditions
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager Valiant, Mustang Mavic 220, others
Bike Setup:
1997 Specialized AimPro 1998 AMP B-5
Bottom Line:
I purchased a number of these 517s in orange trim from CBO on closeout, standard non-ceramic models. I build wheels and used these for several front wheel applications, one rear wheel build that is still going strong. For dry weather use, especially front rim, I can say these are strong and durable rims for most people doing XC, have had no complaints. Like any rim they must be built up correctly by someone who can adjust lacing pattern & spoke strength to rider & riding method. With a White Ti hub and 15/17 butted spokes 3X they make a scary light and surprisingly strong front wheel.
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Submitted by
Stephan
a Cross Country Rider
from Saipan Date Reviewed: December 3, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Marpi farm
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$85.00
Purchased At:
LBS, Honolulu
Strengths:
people see the name and think I'm cool
Weaknesses:
repeated flats every ride
Similar Products Used:
Matrix
Bike Setup:
Trek 8000 with Shimano LX Vbrakes
Bottom Line:
I can't ride it. I bought at a LBS (that is not so "local" as we have none on this island), this was the only one they had in stock, I needed a wheel built in 2 days so i went for it.
It flats repeatedly, always lod, fast, on the inner surface just lateral to the midline. Linear tears with rapid deflation, usually downhill.
I have tried all this to no avail: new tubes, new rim tape, new wheels, adjusted the brake pads lower.
These are unridable, and yes they are wearing on the brake surface. I have one ride only since buying them (out of 8 attempts) without a flat.
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Submitted by
Bing Bang
a Cross Country Rider
from Midwest Date Reviewed: November 26, 2000
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
JensonUsa.com
Strengths:
*light *name brand *works well for light racing and XC riding *stays sorta true (at least the front did, and if tensioned properly)
Weaknesses:
*rear developed cracks at eyelets *brake surface wears (relatively) quickly *expensive for the "pretty" (anodized/ceramic) versions * a friend with the black anodized rims had problems with the anodization on the braking surface wearing off. It's quite ugly now.
I've ridden these rims all over, in some pretty hardcore/rocky conditions and they've held up decently. The front rim is holding up nicely, staying very true and without stress marks around the eyelets, unlike the rear - which is cracking around half of the drive side spokes (which aren't overtensioned, either) and has stress marks on the rest. I also, to save my life, had to do a high-speed rear wheel skid into the side of an obstacle, which put a big ding in one side of the rim's braking surface. I couldn't exactly straighten it out perfectly, so there is an inch long section of the rim where only half of the usual brake contact patch is touching the rim. I've done some gnarly S#!t with my old Sun rims, and nothing like this happened. I weigh about 160 lbs, and have done about 7 races over the season on these rims, so i could expect to have SOME wear on them, but only 9 months of riding have really f*cked up the braking surfaces (which are very nice when new). They really wear down if you ride in any wet conditions or on long, steep downhills. The rear, again, is in worse shape than the front in this aspect. I would suspect that the ceramic versions' would last much longer, but you'd have to pay $100 for those.
this rim would work well in the front, if it was ceramic. It's light (better suspension action too) and wouldn't get beaten too badly up front. I would recommend a 517 ceramic in the front for hardcore XC riding and racing, and some heavier, more durable rim in the back (bontrager comes to mind). Unless you race or worry about going fast up hills while riding i would suggest against these rims. If you want mavics in that case, look at their new X618s. They're supposedly built more beefily than the 517s, thus better for the average Cross Country rider. I've also heard good things about Bontrager rims, and have ordered a Mustang ASYM to replace my dying rear 517. The mustang is heavier than the mavic, though. For the front i give 4 toxic heaps, and for the rear i give 2 - averaging out to 3. For value i give a 3 - these mothers are pretty costly if you look at the competition, especially the anodized and ceramic versions.
Cheers -BB
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Submitted by
Jon
a Cross Country Rider
from Long Island Date Reviewed: October 30, 2000
I thought the Mavic website and product guide referred to the 517CD rim as hard anodized. My bad, I guess I mis-read it, I think it actually said "HARDLY ANODIZED." I have had these wheels for about 9 months. Mind you I have an 8 month old at home, translation, not a ton o'time in the saddle this year. I bought this sety of wheels to replace my old XTR/517X set. I do have to admit that they have stayed dead on true without a single bit of intervention, but this braking surface is for %$#@. I'm going to rebuild thee things and go with the Valient Ceramics. Mud, Sweat and teh Gang seems to have 'em for what you pay for these Gallic mistakes. 3 for value (they did stay true) 2 for overall, cause I gotta replace 'em.
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Submitted by
aaron
a
from milwaukee wi Date Reviewed: October 24, 2000
Favorite Trail:
thedirtyonethatgoestheoughtheforest
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
lightwieght ---->RACE<---- wheel
Weaknesses:
none, they do exactly what they should do
Similar Products Used:
mav 217's 221's 222's sun subIV
Bike Setup:
stumpy sid sl hayes hugi/517 front american classic/517 rear
Bottom Line:
ive been a seriose rider since i was about 14. now im 21 and know how to ride. when i was young i went through a rear wheel every few months. now, i can't break these rims if i try. i read all of these reviews complaing about them breaking, maybe you should review your riding style, and your skills, these are at the lightwieght end of the rim spectrum. if your a meathead rider you will trash them. i work in a shop and build my own wheels, i have never seen any 517/217 come in with an actual manufacturers defect. just a bunch flatspots with whiney owners. and for the "stressmarks" they are on the rim from day one. probably from when they were drilled. i bought my first 517(they only cost me 30 bucks) expecting to replace it at the end of summer, but i didn't. it had a flat spot in it from a night ride where the ground opened up beneth me and i couldn't jump it. but i pulled it out and it is fine. i did replace it when i got my new amer.classic rear hub(220(hub)+495(rim)+spokes and nipples, you do the math)just because i wanted a totaly new rear wheel, but i have the old rim and will build it up as a spare as soon as i get a cheap 8speed hub. if you have zero tech skilz, or like jumping down ledges buy something else. if you are a good rider seeking the best lightweight rim, this is it.
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Submitted by
Maximilian
a Cross Country Rider
from Klosterneuburg, Austria Date Reviewed: October 10, 2000
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
light, perfect braking performance
Weaknesses:
i destroyed the CD version after 2 months of riding
Similar Products Used:
517 Ceramic
Bike Setup:
esp 9.0, SID, Synchros, Ritchey, Cane Creek
Bottom Line:
well, my 517 ceramic is great, but i cracked my normal cd rim after 2 months, and my weight is only 55 kilos. the rating is only for the cd rim!!!!
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Submitted by
Greg preston
a Weekend Warrior
from Condong, NSW, Australia Date Reviewed: October 10, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Woolumbin State Forrest
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Cog Hogs
Strengths:
Strenth, weight(or lack of it)
Weaknesses:
Your kidding, right?
Similar Products Used:
Sun Rhynolite, CR18, Velocity mountain goat, Mavic 217
Bike Setup:
Norco Java frame,Marzzochi Z2 atom bomb forks, full LX/XT 9 speed groupset.
Bottom Line:
Since building the wheels I have had to true the front wheel once, and that was after a crash that put me in hospital for a week. I weigh 101kg and tend to give any wheel a hard time. A light weight wheel that can realy handle some abuse. A cross country rim that can take you almost anywhere. A winner
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Submitted by
Baron marc
a Weekend Warrior
from Paris France Date Reviewed: October 3, 2000
Favorite Trail:
all
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
TOP BIKE Viroflay
Strengths:
light, solid, stiff, a reference
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 138
Bike Setup:
Voodoo Bokor, Marzo Z2, XT
Bottom Line:
Wake up guys, why do you think they all use Mavic rims on Tour de France ? why do you think a wide half of the riders on MTB world cup use Mavic rims ? MAVIC is the more experienced company in rims making and this has been true for 30 years at least. I have been riding my X517 for almost 3 years in allweather conditions for about 5000 kms. No problem reported, jut one adjustement each six month to the rear wheel that suffers more. I am 70 kgs and I ride Xcountry with a freeride tendency coming up more and more. Of course, if you weight 100 kgs and you ride hard core free ride, these rims are not for you, take a F517 or a Deemax instead.
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Submitted by
Ross
a Weekend Warrior
from Colorado Springs, CO Date Reviewed: September 27, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Porcupine Rim, Moab
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$165.00
Purchased At:
Colorado Cyclist
Strengths:
very strong rim, good braking surface, stays true seemingly forever
Weaknesses:
just a few tension marks around the spoke eyelets
Similar Products Used:
Wienmann ZAC19
Bike Setup:
Specialized HT, RockShox SID XL, XT drivetrain, Kore Elite Stem, Easton Scandium DH bar, Cane Creek headset, Syncros post, Tioga Factory DH 2.1s
Bottom Line:
I really don't know what some of the guys in this review did to bust thier X517s. I bought mine as part of a X517/XT wheelset from the wheel gurus at the Cyclist and have had no problems with them whatsoever. I am a heavy rider (200 lbs) and ride pretty hard and test the limits of my equipment. These rims have been to Moab three times and have taken on all the nasty trails around Colorado Springs. They have taken big drops and bad crashes and have only needed to be trued once, about a year ago. These rims are an excellent product!!
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Submitted by
Travis Wilton
a
from Washington State, US Date Reviewed: September 25, 2000
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$170.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
strong in ways
Weaknesses:
not so strong in other ways
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 222 and 221
Bike Setup:
Nowhere near stock Specialized Stumpjumper
Bottom Line:
I only use this rim in the back. It is laced three cross on the drivetrain side and four on the non-drive side. I have abused it thoroughly (4'+ drops and big rocks) and it has stayed true, but I question if it will last much longer. This is actually the second rim on the wheel over the course of a year. The first was professionally built by a reputable wheel builder. The eyelets cracked within three months. The second rim I built myself and decreased the spoke tension slightly compared to the first setup. This rim has lasted about nine months (I barely rode during three of them), but I think it is about dead. Stress marks apeared after about three or four months. This would be a good rim if it would not crack, and I assume that it would last a lot longer if I had just ridden it cross-country.
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Submitted by
Jan Bovin
a Racer
from Malmö, Sweden Date Reviewed: September 6, 2000
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
Wheelpro
Strengths:
Light and strong if built well
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 222
Bike Setup:
built by weelpro on Hope hubs
Bottom Line:
These rims are made for XC racing, nothig else. But I use them for all my riding, XC facing freediding and a bit of jumping. I will build a new rear wheel with a 519 soon, cause 5' drops can't be good for the 517 rim. I have done a few 4.5' drops with them and they held up fine. I have crashed with them causing them to get untrue, nothing I couldent fix my selfe with a spoke tool though. I whigh in at 143 lbs so it might explain the fact that I get away with a bit of jumping.
I think the 517 is a great rim. But if the wheel is pourly built it doesen't matter how good the rim is. And remember rims wear, it's not like your frame thats suposed to hold together for several years or longer. And don't expect them to hold for long if you ride agressive on them, jumping or nortshore stuff.
I give the 517 five smokin' cause they do what they are expected to do and more.
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Submitted by
AtomicBike
a Weekend Warrior
from Southern Calif Date Reviewed: August 31, 2000
Favorite Trail:
El Morro ridge loop
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
www.performancebike.com
Strengths:
light and strong for the weight! EXTREMELY ECONOMICAL!
Weaknesses:
None found yet...
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 221
Bike Setup:
Specialized FSR-Extreme (Very extreme)
Bottom Line:
I rode my new rims in Big Bear this weekend and they rocked! I rode them 7 hours straight in a Clinic w/ Wayne Croasdale at Snow Summit without a single hitch. I pulled a 5 foot jump, landed solid on my back wheel and rolled away like a champ! I rode with 40 PSI front and rear, and never had a pinch flat or a broken rim! I am not sure what PSI some of the unhappy's here are riding, but rank me as very satisfied!
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Submitted by
Marc
a Racer
from Newton, New Jersey USA Date Reviewed: August 5, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Bikeshow
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
light weight respectable appearence
Weaknesses:
Light weight extremely fragile and weak braking surfaces does not stand up to anything
Similar Products Used:
X138 Rhyno lite Cross link
Bike Setup:
Dean Sputnik, Manitou Mars1 fork with lock out, Full Race Face/XTR/XT, thomson sp, SDG B.A. Saddle, Kore Platforms
Bottom Line:
These wheels are a big dissapointment and people should really know how bad these rims are before they buy them. I have been building my dream bike for the past 4 months with all the money i could get from working, im only 16, but i race too, and i needed a bike that was light and had race worthy components.
Today was my first day riding it complete, i was very happy with the performance of my bike and i was so glad that i finally had all top of the line stuff on my bike. My friend and i were just cruisin around town, and i bunny hopped up onto a curb, i landed rather lightly, but as soon as i landed i heard my tube split and air fly out of it, but then i looked closer and my wheel had a huge dent in it on the braking surface, it looked like it had actually torn the alluminum, the rim is now un usable and the machined braking surface is destroyed, my suggestion is to stay away from all mavic rims, anytime i have owned any level of mavic rims, they have dented or bent beyond repair.
If you like mavics, good for you, but I suggest that you stay away from them. Now my 3500 dollar bike is unrideable due to this faulty rim. There is no doubt that i will be having a word with those scam artists at mavic.
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Submitted by
Brandon
a Racer
from Gravenhurst, ON Date Reviewed: July 21, 2000
I was warned before buying these that they were too light and fragile and shouldn't be used for anything but racing when weight mattered because I'd be constantly truing them up. Then I rode them and hit what would have destroyed other rims I've run (sudden washout in a fast downhill) end result -- they got knocked straight again. They had been a thirty second of a inch out of true and left that hit perfectly true. And that's a front, radially laced rim. I think they're stronger than my supposedly strong 221's and about on par if not stronger than the Sun's. I'm impressed overall. But they are still better suited to racer types and definatly not Shore equipment (my other bike)
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Submitted by
David Baumgartner
a Cross Country Rider
from Weiden, Bavaria, Germany Date Reviewed: July 17, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Monte Casale, Lake Garda, Italy
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Cheap
Weaknesses:
Cracks after one year.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 220
Bike Setup:
Cannondale F1000 Caad3, LX rear hub.
Bottom Line:
One year ago I replaced the cracked stock Mavic 220 with Mavic 517, now the 517 has numerous cracks. Either the mechanic at my LBS is clueless or this rim is lacking. I'm going with the latter. At least I got two years out of the 220!
Product was used in normal off-road conditions with occasional rocky, rough downhills. I wouldn't recommend this for serious offroad riders.
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Submitted by
Sean
a Cross Country Rider
from Nottingham Date Reviewed: July 14, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Clipstone Forest
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Strong Competitive price Good Looks (the Citrus matches my frame perfectly)
Weaknesses:
none!
Similar Products Used:
Zac 19 Cheaper Mavic's
Bike Setup:
GT i-drive, full XT, Panaracer Fire XC Pro tires
Bottom Line:
If anyone says they've got problems with these they have been either inproperly built or are being used for something other than general XC. These rims are excellent for XC riding/racing, but you'd break them quickly if you want them for Downhill/Jumping.
I've ridden almost 2000 miles on them and they are still round, no cracks on the rims/eyelets and even with the thickest of British mud and rain the coating is intact. If I could be bothered to clean them properly I'm sure they'd look like new!
$
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