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Mavic Crossmax Wheelset

3.85/5 (67 Reviews)

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MSRP : $899.00


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Mavic Crossmax


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Reviews 1 - 15 (67 Reviews Total) | Next 15

User Reviews

Overall Rating:3
Value Rating:3
Submitted by TXTony a Cross Country Rider from Fort Worth

Date Reviewed: September 23, 2010

Strengths:    They look good...light..these are the tubeless disc ones.

Weaknesses:    Flex..maybe it is me..maybe the wheel set I got..but to flexy for for me

Bottom Line:   
I have had these wheels on my Enduro for 4 years. They are still true, no issues with spokes..or hubs. They do not seem to roll fast or hold any type of speed. I have changed tires form 2.3 to 2.4 to 2.1, the 2.1 Maxis helped a bit but they still seem slow to me. When climbing they seem flexy. These issues never really bothered me until recently when I purchased a 2011 Trek Fuel EX-8. The Trek came with Bontrager Duster Rims. So when I got I am thinking well I need to get a set of replacement rimes soon as a upgrade. So after riding the Trek I noticed the cheap Duster wheels are stiff, roll up fast, hold speed and climb very well. So though it is hard for me to knock my Mavics I have to say I am hard pressed to spend 600-800 dollars on wheels these days. I ride road bikes way more than Mt Bikes and swore off Mavics road wheels years ago. There are to many options nowadays and better prices that Mavics just do not seem the value for the money. The next set of wheels I get will be built up at the LBS. If you want bling get em..want value for dollar look at other wheels

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Dino

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Price Paid:    $600.00

Purchased At:   LBS

Similar Products Used:   Stock wheels, Easton Wheels, Bontrager

Bike Setup:   Specialized Enduro Pro..XO drivetrain. Carbon BLAH BLAH stuff, Maxis Tires
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by ragnorrox a Cross Country Rider from San Jose, CA, USA

Date Reviewed: December 16, 2009

Strengths:    Looks great, light, strong

Weaknesses:    none yet

Bottom Line:   
these are great wheels, I have had no issues AT ALL and I own two sets of them and weight 245lbs. My brother nick named me "taco" tony for all the times I've toasted my wheels and so far these things have held up great.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Demo Forest or Downieville

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Similar Products Used:   lots of mavic rims over the years

Bike Setup:   XTR, ROck Shox, Easton, Blah Blah Blah it's my baby
Overall Rating:2
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Aaron W a Cross Country Rider from Needham, MA, United States

Date Reviewed: October 22, 2007

Strengths:    Smooth rear hub design and engagement, solid bearings, etc..
Rim may be junk, but is 28H, so lacing to a fresh rim is possible.

Weaknesses:    All of the straight pull spokes can rotate inside of the hub flange! That's why I got it for free!

Bottom Line:   
If you're buying these as a used wheelset, bring a spoke wrench and check for the rotation of these damn straight pull spokes! If your a wheel builder like me, take some straight pull BLADED spokes and lace the hubs up to some nice 28H rims or some other nice rims if you like the hubs. The bladed spokes allow you to wrench away on the nipple without the spoke rotating with it. 5 for value, the rear wheel was free! 2 for overall, as they are repairable, but problematic. (Remember, back in 1998 this straight-pull spoke idea was relatively new.)

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Similar Products Used:   Mavic XC717, X3.1, Bontrager Super Stock, Crossmax XL, Velocity VXC, WTB LaserDisc, Sun Rhynolite, etc...

Bike Setup:   1993 KHS Montana SS, rigid, tubeless, 23lbs
Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:3
Submitted by Chris a Cross Country Rider from Arlington,TN

Date Reviewed: January 29, 2006

Strengths:    Looks, light

Weaknesses:    weak rims

Bottom Line:   
I purchase these wheels in 1998 and have used them on four bikes. Three years ago the one of the spoke nipples ripped out of the drivetrain side of the rear wheel. Instead of having it repaired for way too much money, I took a alluminium sprocket bolt, drilled it out to allow the spoke nipple to pass through it. I then countersunk a 1/4" hole to allow the nipple to seat inside the new "eyelet". This allows the spoke to put pressure on the inside layer of the rim instead of the cracked outside layer. I have repeated this repair five more times since then as other nipples have pulled through. I have been abusing these wheels on a single speed for the last 3 years. I have had no problems with the front or the hubs, only the drive side of the rear wheel.
If you have a broken older crossmax, instead of trashing it you might try this simple repair, it takes about 30 minutes.
I'm giving them a four because they did last five years with no problems.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Stanky Creek

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Price Paid:    $750.00

Purchased At:   Bike Shop

Similar Products Used:   Spinergy Cyclone...Mavic Crossland

Bike Setup:   GT LTS/Klein Mantra Pro/Santacruz Superlight/Serrota SS
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:3
Submitted by EUAN a Weekend Warrior from TAYPORT

Date Reviewed: January 15, 2006

Strengths:    LOOKS, LIGHTWEIGHT, TUBELESS

Weaknesses:    SPECIAL TOOLS REQUIRED

Bottom Line:   
I only use this bike for proper riding (not for going to the shops) so they get a pounding every ride. never done any maintainence. Bearings still smooth, rims still true! I used to knacker wheels in no time and these have laughed it all off so far. I really should get the special tools to do maintainence.
Recomended for heavy XC users ( I'm 14 stone). I'm getting a disc set soon as i'm upgrading the brakes to disc.
Only 3 chillies for value as they aren't cheap. but running costs are zero. Tubeless rules.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   GLENTRESS

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Price Paid:    $700.00

Purchased At:   DALES , GLASGOW

Bike Setup:   S-WORKS FSR XC 2001
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:4
Submitted by Howard Kaiser a Cross Country Rider from Chandler, AZ

Date Reviewed: November 30, 2005

Strengths:    Light and durable. Holds air. Needs very little maintenance. Alum spokes are holding up well. Looks good when clean...

Weaknesses:    Lots of stickers to get messed up. Black looks crappy when dirty.

Bottom Line:   
Love the tubless! I don't even carry a pump and spare tube on my regular rides. Getting a good tire on it is the trick to reliable rides. Holds air. No leaks. Stays true. Takes a lickin' Bearings and freewheel are showing no signs of going south after 2 years (close to 5K miles) of daily, cross-mountain riding.
I have trued them once due to a dinged spoke and thet's it! I have not kept the spoke really tight as I don't know how much tension the spokes or the rim can tolerate. Based on posts here about spokes pulling out, I have kept the spokes a little slack. The rear feels a littie loose on hard climbs but I've gotten used to it. It has not seriously affected the handling of the bike and I think has preserved the rims.
I've experimented with lots of tubeless tires and the best combo I've found for this bike (wheel) and my riding style (x-mtn) is the XC Pro's. Other tubeless tires were either too heavy or came apart or punctured easily.
Bearings and freewheel have been trouble free. I check them regularly because I've found that sealed bearing seldom stay that way. These boys are still sealed and still rolling smooth.
These are expensive wheels. That's why I gave it 4 on value as there may be equally good wheels out there for less money. I'm not sure that I would spend that kind of money ($800 list) to upgrade my other bike to tubeless, but they came with the bike and I'm glad. I would highly recommend these wheels if they can be gotten new or slightly used for a reasonable price (~$500?).

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   SoMo Geronimo

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Purchased At:   S Go

Similar Products Used:   No other tubeless. These wheels came with the bike

Bike Setup:   Stock 04 Hollowpoint Team - Panaracer Fire XC Pro Tubeless tires
Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:1
Submitted by Gregg a Weekend Warrior from Indy, IN

Date Reviewed: August 5, 2005

Strengths:    light

Weaknesses:    when you make something light, it can't be that strong

Bottom Line:   
I got a deal on these wheels from my LBS, however I ride Clydesdale and these are NOT strong wheels. During one of my many trueing sessions with these wheels, I noticed the valve stem had torn the rim (similar to the nipple pulling through that others have mentioned?). I understand strength to weight ratio but come on! at this price there should be a gold stamped disclaimer if you weigh over 165.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $450.00

Purchased At:   local bike shop

Similar Products Used:   mavic 517's

Bike Setup:   stock KHS soft-tail
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:4
Submitted by Andy Clemmow a Racer from Umhlanga

Date Reviewed: May 7, 2004

Strengths:    Light, stiff, strong, durable

Weaknesses:    The ceramic bush in the freewheel unit is prone to wear

Bottom Line:   
Lurv these hoops. I used to trash a set of XTR 517's every 6 months. I've been riding these suckers for over 3 years, racing most weekends and apart from a few scratches on the spokes they look like new. I've had a few problems with the freewheel unit, where the ceramic bush gets dry, rough and sticky, but regular stripping and relube has sorted it out. I weigh 165lbs and race cross country so I'm not that hard on components, even so, they've never needed truing, no wear, no chipping of ceramic absolutely nothing. I stick about 2 oz of slime in each tubeless tyre, mount it on the rim, and then dont even bother taking a pump, spare tube or anything. Awesome

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Homtini trail Kynsna

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Price Paid:    $510.00

Purchased At:   LBS

Similar Products Used:   XTR / 517,

Bike Setup:   KHS Alite 4000, XTR 03 everything, Easton and USE components, Marzocchi Xfly fork
Overall Rating:3
Value Rating:3
Submitted by Thomas a Cross Country Rider from Bristol, UK

Date Reviewed: February 18, 2004

Strengths:    Looks, weight

Weaknesses:    Durability

Bottom Line:   
Wheels came with the bike (bought 2nd hand) in 2000. Not ridden that much. Lasted fine until lately when rear developed a flat spot and rim starting rubbing on brake pad. On closer inspection saw that the spoke was pulling through cracked rim. Rebuild will cost £200! Whats the point if this an potentially happen again (judging by the other reviews this is not an isolated incident)?

Was happy with them prior to this catastrophic failure so gonna give three chillis. Never can out of true.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Bike Setup:   Raleigh Special Products tinanium frame hardtail, Sid shocks, XTR
Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:3
Submitted by Mike a Racer from Irvine

Date Reviewed: April 28, 2003

Strengths:    Read May22, 2000 review. I retired them for a while when I bought my Fuel with tubeless wheelset.

Weaknesses:    I made a quick wheel change Sunday AM before a training ride (Whiting/Old Camp/Luge). I ripped a spoke nipple through the ferule and rim (rear) on the Luge. The wheel is ruined, not sure it is worth a rebuild as a tubed wheel.

The ceramic surface chipped, but not to loss of function.

Bottom Line:   
Oh well, I got about 3 hard years of use form the wheels, and loved every minute I rode them. Anybody know if Mavic will rebuild as tubeless?

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Price Paid:    $500.00

Purchased At:   Jenson USA

Similar Products Used:   Rolf Propel Tubeless, these had a compeltely different set of problems.

Bike Setup:   An original Trek Fuel 100 with standard XTR and some carbon upgrades
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Adam a Weekend Warrior from Seattle, Wa

Date Reviewed: March 28, 2003

Strengths:    Light, looks good

Weaknesses:    none

Bottom Line:   
I read some other reviews about how these were weak but I rode the hell out of them in Moab and all I've noticed is a slight rub of the back wheel against my brake pads ( nothing a wheel true can't fix) i weigh 165 and they are still working fine, i am very satisfied.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Slickrock

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $100.00

Purchased At:   Bike Swap

Bike Setup:   Zed Team hardtail, manitou mars cl fork
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Michael Best a Racer from Lake Ann, MI

Date Reviewed: October 4, 2002

Strengths:    Super light.

Weaknesses:    They have quite a bit of flex, due to the low number of spokes.

Bottom Line:   
I love these wheels. I can tell that the roll better than any other wheel I've ever ridden. I got mine used after they had been raced on for a year, but they still work just like new.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   North Country Trail

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $300.00

Similar Products Used:   XTR-517's/Mavic Crosslinks

Bike Setup:   K2 Zed Team, XTR everything, Crossmax wheels, Manitour Mars CL fork
Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:3
Submitted by GAVIN a Cross Country Rider from Melbourne, Australia

Date Reviewed: June 17, 2002

Strengths:    Very light weight,great looks,smooth bearings,ceramic coating provides good braking power....


Weaknesses:    Kinda expensive(I got mine at 35% off retail),but if ya want da best, be prepared to pay $$$...Aluminium spokes and ultra light weight rims are too flexible during cornering,rims gets out of true easily,ceramic surface causes lots of brake squeal using standard Avid pads(may try other pads)...

Bottom Line:   
Its a good wheelset for light off road duties. Not recommended for downhilling,heavy XC or stunts. Heavy riders should be mindful that its a lightweight racing wheelset, therefore have to compromise on strength and durability.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $400.00

Purchased At:   Grand Prix Cycles

Similar Products Used:   Mavic X221's on Formula hubs,Shimano WH-M535.

Bike Setup:   2002 Giant ATX Team hardtail with lots of goodies, 9.8kg
Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:1
Submitted by mark from colorado

Date Reviewed: May 25, 2002

Strengths:    They are really really light

Weaknesses:    I have broken two of them. I broke my second one after one ride! I have also heard that the hubs sieze.

Bottom Line:   
I am actually embarrassed that I spent so much money on such a crappy set of wheels. For $600 less I could have a wheelset that is a hell of a lot stronger and not too much heavier.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Similar Products Used:   campy o.r.

Bike Setup:   yo eddy fat chance
Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:1
Submitted by todd a Cross Country Rider from boston

Date Reviewed: May 24, 2002

Strengths:    Light!

Weaknesses:    Extremely weak rims. Eyelest pull through rims. Hubs freeze. Customer service blows. This wheelset sucks for the money!

Bottom Line:   
These wheels suck, that is the bottom line. For the money I would expect that these rims would be strong and come with impeccable customer service. Oh was I wrong. I will never buy another mavic product again.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   More than 3 years

Similar Products Used:   SUP, Cane Creek, Sun Rhyno

Bike Setup:   Merlin XLM
Reviews 1 - 15 (67 Reviews Total) | Next 15

Review Options:  Sorted by Latest Review | Sort by Best Rating

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