The XM 819 rim is a new rim in Mavic's "cross-mountain"family. ReplacesThe X3.1 rim in Mavic's lineup.They're designed for heavier duty useThan a pure cross-country rim,yet still offer lightweight performanceThat won't weigh you down.The XM 819Disc is compatible with USTTubelessTires, so you can enjoyThe benefits ofUST, including lowerTire pressure, betterTraction, and no pinch flats. Only one rim wall is drilled (MavicsForeTechnology) soThe finished wheel is far stiffer and stronger.
Submitted by
Storm Rider
a Weekend Warrior
from Orange, CA USA
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2011
Strengths: Haven't ridden them long enough to know
Weaknesses: Some of them rattle like a penny in a tin can.
Bottom Line:
Apparently Mavics are known for a manufacturing defect, that I wish I had known about before ordering these rims and building wheels. My rear wheel was built with the new Alfine 11 hub and the XM819 rim. At first I thought the noise was from the hub, but after close inspection, I detected that it was coming from the rim. I was told by several friends (after the failure) that Mavic inserts pins into the rim to align the sides before welding, and some of these pins come loose and rattle around.
I was unlucky with this rim, but Mavic is doing a warranty repair, replacing the rim and rebuilding the wheel. I can only hope that these rims do not start rattling in the future, especially after the 2 year warranty expires.
I give it 3 chilis, only because I am getting warranty coverage. Without warranty, it would be one flaming chili up the sphincter.
Submitted by
rojomas
a Weekend Warrior
from Wheredaphuqarwe
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2011
Strengths: Stiff
Weaknesses: Maybe too stiff
Bottom Line:
I was changing my tire when I noticed on the inside of the rim by the valve stem hole that my rim is cracked length wise about 7"
There is no other damage to the rim. No flat spots or dings so I have no explanation how this could of happened. This is a pretty expensive rim for this to happen.
Strengths: Super Stiff, True tubeless UST that uses a collar system to hold the spokes/nipples in place. Never replaced a spoke. Only trued twice.
Weaknesses: Sometimes rocks scratch the black paint...
Bottom Line:
Great affordable wheel-set. I used XT hubs and tipple butted spokes for disc brake use. I put a pretty good flat spot in my rear wheel after after a failed attempt at bunny hopping over two squares of sidewalk under construction. Even after the damage the wheels still hold up fine.
Use a triple butted spoke for added strength and weight savings. Have a professional mechanic build the wheel and bring it back after 10 miles of riding for a check up. After that it should be smooth sailing and you will only need to true wheels after extreme abuse.
Bike Setup: Giant Anthem X w/ xt parts, fox shocks,
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Submitted by
herdbacker
a Weekend Warrior
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2009
Strengths: Super strong wheelset. Requires almost zero maintenance
Weaknesses: None...
Bottom Line:
These sweet wheels have almost 10K miles on them riding pretty tore up dirt roads in Michigan. By far the best Ive ever ridden...Do yourself favor and invest in these rims, but make sure you couple them up with good hubs.
Similar Products Used: mavic 823, crossrides, dt swiss
Bike Setup: Stumpy with all the cool bling
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Submitted by
Andy Smith
a Downhiller
from Bedford, PA, United States
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2007
Strengths: Very strong and durable rim that can take all kinds of torture.
Weaknesses: Doesn't always form an air tight bead, but some dish soap and water always solves that problem. (2 tablespoons of soap and one tablespoon of water, pour it into your tire and bead it up, best fix a flat out there, work at a bike shop and has to one of the best fixes i have ever used or heard of.)
Bottom Line:
probably one of the best rims out there for xc and freeride next to the crossmax slr.
Favorite Trail: anything with rockgardens and lots drops
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Purchased At: got them used after a guy left them at the store i work at
Similar Products Used: work at a bike shop pretty much seen them all
Bike Setup: cannondale prophet team replica
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Submitted by
CF
a Weekend Warrior
from Knoxville, TN
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2007
Strengths: have been very durable, hold air well, only had to true them once since feb 2006.
Weaknesses: i think they leak just a tiny amount of sealant at the nipple sometimes. i haven't figured this out or really even cared because if they are leaking, it is minimal at best.
Bottom Line:
i have been very pleased with this wheelset. i am a big boy 220-235lbs (depending on what holiday is near)and i am sold on these. i am looking to buy another set for my other bike. PM me if you want to sell yours.
Bike Setup: yeti 575 xt hubs, maxxis ignitor 2.35s
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Submitted by
Allen
a Weekend Warrior
from Fussa, Japan
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2007
Strengths: Strength, durability, weight.
Weaknesses: None yet.
Bottom Line:
My first ride on these rims was at a downhill ski resort with a variety of terrain including rock gardens and plenty of roots. My big rave about these rims is the customer service of RBikes.com. I called Competitive Cyclist in AR and they were very little help with answering my questions about rims and hubs and said call back when I decide what I want. Thanks for the help! I next called RBikes and the guy I talked to stayed on the phone for almost 1/2 hour answering everything I threw at him. I also received a discount for buying a complete build and a few additional items. I cannot say enough about the help I received and have passed on the same word to others.
Bike Setup: GT Avalanche 0.5, RockShox Revelation, Thompson 110mm stem, Hadley QR hubs.
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Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder,CO,USA
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2007
Strengths: Tubeless, light, strong, true, tires are easy to mount. No rim strip to cause leaks, no fuss rims. Love the optional shrader valve adapter.
Weaknesses: Could be a couple milimeters wider for 2.2+ tires.
Bottom Line:
I'm transferring my 3 yr old XM819 rim to my new Yeti 575. It took 2-5ft jumps and lots of rock gardens and still is true and solid. Kenda Nevegal UST and Contential Vertical Pro UST tires mount easily and w/ 1/2 scoop of Stans hold air for weeks. I've only had one flat in 3 years ( a 1/3 inch hole). Just mount the tires, add alittle Stans, and you are good to go until the tire wears out.
The shrader valve adapter also me to air up bike and car tires with my air compressor.
Submitted by
Shaker666
a
from Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2007
Strengths: Very resistant to denting and bending. Holds shape extremely well. Lightweight relative to the alternatives that are designed for the use I'm putting it through. Running UST sheds major weight.
Weaknesses: If you can consider price to be a weakness, I suppose so, but there's no inherent flaws with this rim.
Bottom Line:
These are, without a doubt, the best wheels I've ever run on a bike. For riding urban and on the North Shore, I would've expected these rims to have developed some wobbles and truing issues in a years worth of abusive riding. Not the case at all. These are extremely tough rims that continually take a pounding on urban drops and offroad. Have only had to get them trued twice in 9 months and only minor adjustments. I shaved 3 lbs over my previous wheel setup which was Formula hubs laced to Mavic EX325 rims and stainless spokes. Saving that kind of weight on the rotating mass is a larger net improvement than saving 3 lbs on the frame. I would highly recommend these rims to an aggressive rider looking for a solid UST performer.
Strengths: nice seemless welds. good eyelets. rimtape stuck to inside of rim due to mechanic's thourough cleaning of the inside surface before applying bonghits, i mean rim tape.
Weaknesses: weight increases with eyelets. not mentioned in product lit.
Bottom Line:
I have a problem with reviews that begin dissing wheels over 4 or 6 foot drops... I really do. I've sucessfully dropped 20+ feet on a rigid bike with laceup BMX wheels with no problems. If technique factors into the way you ride (plough through/pick your line/no holds barred) then the review gets interesting.
But to hear of someone who trashed a wheel on a 4 foot dropoff? Whatever... That person should have been riding a Bike Taxi instead of trying to pilot his ride.
The bottom line is that rims are really strong. And they are strongest when built by pros who understand dish and spoke tension and you can tune them for imbalance before and after a ride. Ride sewups off a 20' drop -- it's been done with aplomb... the rim has less bearing than the rider on the bike.
Submitted by
Dave Kim
a Downhiller
from Ottawa, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2006
Strengths: Really tough. UST is good. Stiff. Reasonably light for all-mountain riding.
Weaknesses: Mavic don't include the FORE spoke eyelet weights in their tech specs. As if they're "optional". Sheesh. Add another 50 g or so to the stated weight. I suppose the box could also be wider but I suppose that's what the 823 is for.
Bottom Line:
This rim is excellent. I have it front and rear. The rear wheel has put up with almost 3 years of rough all-mountain riding in very rocky discontinuous terrain with lots of drops and pointy rock gardens. They've also seen some urban assault with 2' - 5' wheelie drops-a-plenty flat to pavement. The rear wheel got a bit munched up from that level of abuse so keep your expectations realistic but never failed.
I re-trued the rear wheel and re-tensioned the spokes after my spring-time urban session, fully expecting to eventually blow thru it in a month. Strangely enough, it never happened. This damn rear wheel keeps trucking along. I even brought it to France with me this summer and hit Les Chavannes (Les Gets' answer to A-Line) which gets pretty whupped out from panicky first-time downhillers but this rim still held up. I've got a new Mavic XM819 sitting in my garage built up with a Hope Bulb rear hub and a Salsa skewer but the old wheel just won't die!!!
UST is good if you can find a decent tire. It holds a seal well but you MUST treat the edge of the rims with soapy water just like the manual says. Otherwise you'll get slow leaks.
Similar Products Used: Mavic X717 (total waste of time for all-mountain riding as a rear wheel).
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Heckler (5-3/4" rear travel), 5th element coil, Sherman Flick Plus with 20 mm thru-axle, Specialized 2.2" (more like a 2.5") Adrenalin Pro front tire, Specialized 2.4" Enduro Pro UST rear tire. This rider is only 155 lbs geared up so Clydesdales take it with a grain of salt.
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Submitted by
John Sullivan
a Racer
from Austin, Texas, USA
Date Reviewed: August 11, 2006
Strengths: If you get a good 819 it lasts forever
Weaknesses: If you get a bad 819 it lasts 20 minutes
Bottom Line:
My review is very mixed. I've owned two sets of these rims, and the first set was perfect. I rode over 1000 miles on these rims and they were awesome! The second set was not so awesome; the rear rim LASTED LESS THAN 5 MILES!!! Yes, that's miles. I had the rim professionally built with triple-butted spokes by a shop that's been in business for 24 years. I rode a couple miles when I picked the rim up to set the spokes right and then had the same guy true the wheel again. There was nothing wrong with the way the wheel was put together (the same guy built my first set, too). I'm not gonna lie, I ride really hard, but the terrain in Austin is not like it is in Colorado or California. These rims are made for extreme stuff, and I was not pushing the wheel hard since it was still adjusting. I was so upset when my new rim died. I used triple-butted spokes and beefy tires, but the rim still managed to flatten out across three spokes. When I called Mavic tech support to explain the issue, they told me that it was "the luck of the draw." What does this mean? Mavic, your tech support is terrible. I'm now in the market for a new rim company. If I had written this review a week ago, I would have given it the best review ever, as my first set rocked. The second set was the biggest waste of money ever. It worked out to about $16 dollars per mile with the second rim. Come on, Mavic, you guys are better than this. I give it a 2 for value and a 3 for overall rating. Had I written this review two days ago, I would have given it a 5 for both. Had my first rims not been awesome, I would have given it 1's all the way around.
