Mavic Crossmax (C29SSMAX) 29er Disc Wheelset 2011: The C29ssmax uses ISM machining technology to deliver the lowest inertia of any 29" wheel on the market while maintaining Crossmax stiffness and durability. Available in 9/15mm convertible front hub...
Strengths: Light and stiff. I put these wheels on after 1 month of running the stock Specialized wheelset and it totally transformed the way my bike rides and handles.
Weaknesses: None yet.
Bottom Line:
This is the first set of performance 29er wheels I have used and for and off the shelf upgrade they have performed flawlessly. I have had zero issues and I'm not a small guy, 6'4" and 195lbs.
Favorite Trail: China Camp, Marin County, and the Sandia Foothills Trails, NM
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At: Cambria
Similar Products Used: Bontragers - awful (see other review of Bontrager wheels).
Bike Setup: 2008 Fisher HiFi Pro 29 mostly stock with these wheels replacing the Bontragers. Just purchased a Santa Cruz Tallboy with the 2011 version of these wheels
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Submitted by
shbtown
a Cross Country Rider
from Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2010
Strengths: Looks, true tubeless design of the rims and strength.
Weaknesses: None to date.
Bottom Line:
Superb wheelset which I drove cross country now for about 1,000 miles without issues. They are still true and spin up fast and enabled me to knock off 1.2 lbs off the stock wheelset. Total weight of the wheelset (excluding skewers) is 1,755 grams and IMO it will be tough to find a better wheelset for the price balancing weight, stiffness and ease of running the wheelset tubeless with TLR tires.
I have used these wheels for two years, they have NEVER given me any problems. The only that sucks about the wheels is that the freehub needs to be replaced to frequently, in my opinion. Other than that never had to do anything to them except mount tires and ride. The wheels have all kinds of battle wounds from rocks, sticks, etc. from racing/riding for 2 years in the Wors series and a lot of trail riding.
As usual Mavic has a fantastic product. The Bontrager Rhythms are junk wheels, they are now my back up of which they haven't been touched in two years.
Submitted by
Randall in NC
a Cross Country Rider
from Conover, NC
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2010
Strengths: A durable, somewhat light weight, tubless wheeset.
Weaknesses: The wheels could be lighter if the durability is maintained.
Bottom Line:
I am 179lbs and have been riding this wheelset cross country for the past year on trails with large roots, baby head sized rocks, and a few small drops (20") with no issues. These wheels have not even required truing. If you are shopping for a durable somewhat light 29" wheelset then take a close look at these.
Similar Products Used: 26" Mavic Crossmax, Specialized Roval 26", 29" Industry 9 + Bontrager Duster Rims
Bike Setup: 2010 Specialized Stumpjumper Carbon Expert 29er HT, Fox fork, X9 drivetrain
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Submitted by
1mtjeepster
a Cross Country Rider
from White City, OR, USA
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2010
Strengths: Good looks and fairly lite.
Weaknesses: If you brake or bend a spoke you better have more in hand
Bottom Line:
Better have spare spokes in hand. Bent a spoke, went to my local BS, said it would be three weeks before Mavic could send them out. You see, they said they were out. Called my local BS after three weeks, still no spokes, said it would be another three weeks. So my wheel is going to be down for six weeks in the beginning of race season. Did they run out of Zicral? Did Mavic dropped the ball? Did they forget to make spare spokes? Who knows. On top of all this you can't get one spoke, you have to buy $40.00 worth of spokes for one spoke. I am grateful for one thing though. I do have a spare set of American classics with standard J bends that you can get anywhere. I would give this wheel set one flammin chili, but if you can't use them I think they shouldn't get any. American Classics all the way and there liter and faster. Cheers. Well it looks like I have to at least give them one chili.
Submitted by
Clay
a Cross Country Rider
from Tulsa, OK
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2010
Strengths: Aesthetics, stiff enough for technical riding. Power Transfer, Tubeless
Weaknesses: Rear hub, durability, serviceability
Bottom Line:
I used Mavic 26" crossmax sl's faithfully for 6 years. Other than replacing freehub bodies, I had no problems. HOWEVEAR, DON'T BUY THESE POS's. I got my first pair Dec 2008. I rode them alot, but ran into a problem last July (2009). On a bike trip to Colorado, one of the pawls exploded in the hub. The schrapnel damaged the actual body of the hub that the freehub attached to. The dealer said it was toast. I could send it to Mavic but it probably wasn't a warranty and would probably be $200 with shipping. Instead I ponied up $450 for a new rear wheel. Fast forward to April 2010. Same thing happened. Took the freehub body off and blammo. The pawl is exploded and took out a chunk of the hub. I'm done with these.
Similar Products Used: Crossmax SL 26", American Classic 29er Tubeless
Bike Setup: Titus racer-x 29er. XT rings and cassette, elixir brakes, sram x0 shifting and der.
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Submitted by
mikesbike
a Cross Country Rider
from Laguna, Calif.
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2010
Strengths: Lightweight, good looks, tubeless ready, accelerates faster, previous great experiences with many Mavic products
Weaknesses: Skewers are not as secure and have plastic lever parts. Front wheel is making a strange noise as though the spokes are going to rip out under hard braking or under load. Front wheel does not not track as accurate as the DT Swiss(heavier) I replaced.
Bottom Line:
I was a diehard Mavic fan, never even had to true thier wheels after a season or two of riding. Considered buying
Stan's Arch 29er wheelset and Roval 29er set, all in the 1750 gram weight range.This bike is my first experience with a 29er. My weight is about 175lbs., I ride mostly cross country trail riding and do some amature racing.
Bike Setup: 2010 Specialized Epic Comp 29er with many replaced lighter parts, Thompson post, X9 shifters, Xt crank, Easton carbon bar. Bike weighs just under 27lbs.
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Submitted by
mc
a Cross Country Rider
from redmond wa.
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2009
Strengths: weight, ease of tubeless setup, super easy to service, durablity. Early on I blew a tire off the rear rim from to much air pressure which warped the rim, I did'nt do anything to the rim and have over 2500 miles on it, i've replaced bearings, i've replaced the freehub, i've replaced the pawls, but i have not touched the rim and it has slowly trued itself and balanced the tension of the spokes just through riding, no other wheelset has ever done that before
Weaknesses: they are easy to service but require it often, rim bed is narrow, rear hub is still just 2 pawls vs. mavic's freeride stuff that has 4
Bottom Line:
over 2500 miles in less than one calander year and they are still going strong. i'm 205lbs, ride long epics of 50 to 100 miles over all kinds of terrain and conditions. Multi day expeditions and Xterra events and these things keep going strong. They have good overall weight, very simple and very few moving parts. If the rim bed was a bit wider, the profile they give to the tires would be a bit better but no other real gripes
Similar Products Used: been biking for over 20 years, i've used it all
king hubs which suck by the way
dt swiss hubs which are great
26" versions of crossmax wheels, also great
roval wheels from specailzed which are super great
Bike Setup: specialized stumpjumper ht 29er
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Submitted by
derrdid
a Cross Country Rider
from ketchum, id
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2009
Strengths: Mavic
Weaknesses: Mavic
Bottom Line:
I was under the impression that Mavic could transfer their reputation to a 29" wheel set. After the first few rides with the typical popping and pinging my mechanic said: "Have patience, they're settling in." (My mechanic is meticulous, patient and impressive.) After rides five and six, he added a little tension the front wheel. This worked for a bit and then he sought Mavic's help and their response was: "Lube the nipples." We did; to no avail. By then the rear-hub began hissing a high-pitched squeal. My mechanic mentioned that the Mavic free-hub body is notorious for needing overhaul and maintenance, but in less than three months and for $750 I was confused. We got an RA# and returned the set. Long story short, Mavic stated the wheels were not under the one(1) year warranty, billed me $150 to service the wheels and "Bill" said I should service and maintain my bike more frequently. I have a set of 26" King's on Sun's that I have serviced the hub twice in four years, have NOT touched the tension and there are no problems. Once a season I can understand, but in less than three months I was baffled.
Submitted by
Socialed
a Cross Country Rider
from Waynesboro, PA
Date Reviewed: July 21, 2009
Strengths: Indestructable, they stay true even amongst the narliest rock gardens and 3ft and under jumps around.
Weaknesses: Price, UST doesn't work in the Rock gardens of Frederick & Michaux
Bottom Line:
These wheels are perfect for the rough terrain that I ride on a regular basis. They don't ever need trued and are as tough as anything on the market. I've had friends go through FSA, WTB, Bontrager, etc. and these are still going strong. Great rim at a decent weight!!!
Similar Products Used: Syncros AM, Bontrager Race Lite, WTB SpeedDisc
Bike Setup: Voodoo Canzo 29er, Reba, XTR brakes, XO shifters and derailleurs, Panaracer Rampage Tires
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Submitted by
El Guapo
a Cross Country Rider
from Bend, Oregon
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2009
Strengths: Tubeless, Light weight, good looks.
Bottom Line:
I have been riding the wheels for about 3 weeks. I am running the wheelset tubeless. I went off a small jump and landed akward, burped the tire and tweaked the front wheel. I'm not a big dude and was surprised how easy it was to bend the wheel. I've run 26" crossmax for years and they are bombproof. The 29" wheel is not as strong. They seem to have a great deal of compressive strength but side to side, torsional strength is not what I expected. We'll see how the customer service is.
Submitted by
Crash2Ouch
a Cross Country Rider
from Chanlder, AZ
Date Reviewed: April 13, 2009
Strengths: Great look, stiffness, weight
Weaknesses: Mavic's hub setup
Bottom Line:
I have owned this wheelset (first 29er set) for a little over a year now. I am a clydesdale I ride this bike about 3-4 times per week (about 70miles). so the wheelset has to be used to a lot of miles and all purpose XC riding.
In this time I have had to replace 1 spoke (damn rock), and twice I have had to have the rear hub re-built. apparently I have to much torque for the hub to handle over a period. while I like this wheelset, I am concerned about this issue. and I am not sure if another wheelset wouldn't have the same issue. so for now I am sticking with the Mavic's until I know otherwise.
Strengths: Everything is a strength with this wheelset. I have put about 150 miles on them so far and I am really satisfied.
Weaknesses: I haven't noticed anything.
Bottom Line:
I am a clyde and haven't had any noticeable side effects with these wheels. I manage to bend the front wheel and broke a nipple so we will see about customer service with this company. So far so good with these wheels. Highly recommended.
