Submitted by
redbranch68
a Weekend Warrior
from Australia
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2010
Strengths: Light, strong, simple no fancy spokes just an extreamly well made rim. I sit around 180 LBS use them on a hard tail so they take a beating, thing is, after 15 years (yes 15 years) I've only had them trues once and that was on my first ride out on the new rims back in 1995.
Weaknesses: rim brake only
Bottom Line:
When you have a product that works, stick with it. I'm a believer of KISS, very well designed rim, easy to true if needed, no fancy shaped spokes that might keep you waiting if one needed to be replaced.
Great all rounder, I currently use them with slicks on my commuter. I don't think they make the 517 sup anymore, but their closest modern incarnation would be the Mavic 717
Similar Products Used: Keith Bonti's Mustang rims (stock on my purchase) Mavic 717, and Mavic crossmax tubless, Spinnergy SPOX
Bike Setup: Hand made Mavic 517, DT swiss spokes laced to shimano XT hub.
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Submitted by
Brandon
a Weekend Warrior
from WI
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2010
Strengths: I've owned these rims for 9 years now. They are very strong and stay true even though I ride hard. Best upgrade for my bike. They are very lightweight.
Weaknesses: Sticker is coming off but I've used these rims in all weather and all seasons.
Bike Setup: Cannondale F700. Rock Shock Recon fork. xt components
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Submitted by
Mitch
a Cross Country Rider
from Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2009
Strengths: I've had these wheels for about 5/6 years now with no problems at all!!!! These wheels were built by the bike shop i bought them at. They used Shimano XTR hubs, i started riding when i weighed 230lbs. and ran 50psi. i wrapped them in Michelin Comp S Light tires and they are so light!!!
Weaknesses: the 517 sticker is coming off :(
Bottom Line:
buy them if you want a light, fast, cheap wheel, that lasts!!
Bike Setup: Giant XTC Carbon Hardtail with full Shimano XTR components
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Submitted by
Arnie MtnBkr
a Cross Country Rider
from Evergreen, CO USA
Date Reviewed: September 15, 2006
Strengths: Very Strong
Weaknesses: None so far...wait my 517 sticker is peeling off. (no biggie, couldnt think of anything else)
Bottom Line:
For starters I weight about 220lbs. I ride in the front range of Colorado. So most of the rides are a nice long uphill followed by a long downhll. Plenty of rocks, roots and water bars. I have beat the crap of the the wheels with no problems what so ever. Althought I do think riding with a bit of finesse will get more life our of your wheels. I dont think I've really even had to true these rims since I bought them. They're bomber. Highly recommeded if your on a budget and want a very very solid wheel.
Submitted by
Patrick
a Cross Country Rider
from Morgan Hill,CA
Date Reviewed: December 26, 2004
Strengths: I have XT Discs with the XM819 tubeless rim. Very light with Michelin Comp S Light standard not tubeless tires and Stan's sealant. Strong rim with the triangular cross section.
Weaknesses: Wish they were just a bit wider like the old F519 rims loved those.
Bottom Line:
Posted here because there is nothing for many custom wheels. The fact I use standard tires 460g with Stan's and no rim strip -50g makes for a super light setup. The Stan's seals so well it rarely loses pressure. The XM819 looks ultra cool and the XT Disc hubs are very reliable and have big flanges so you can use shorter spokes with good stiffness.
Similar Products Used: F519,Bontrager Superstock and Rhyno Lites
Bike Setup: Yeti 575 with Fox Talas and RP3.
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Submitted by
Craig
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2003
Strengths: Light, cheap.
Weaknesses: Build quality.
Bottom Line:
Bought these as an upgrade to the heavy "entry-level" wheels that came on my bike. I have ridden and raced for a whole season on these wheels and have been very happy with the quality. The only complaint is that the rear wheel was built very poorly and I had to practically rebuild it after a few rides - not Shimano or Mavic's fault.
Also, I weigh 160 and ride XC (no drops over a couple of feet) so I haven't had the bent rim problems some of the other riders have had.
Highly recommended for XC and racing if you can't afford one of those $800 wheelsets.
Strengths: Strong, stays true. Takes ruddy bumby terrain. 172lbs I've hit 5 foot drops with out truing the wheel
Weaknesses: none so far.
Bottom Line:
I haven't had any problems with 517 rims. I've under inflated my tires and hit a sharp rock to flatten one rim but that isn't the rims fault. This a great setup for the money. I think the dudes who are complaining had hamburgers build the wheel or don't pumb up their tires to at least 58lbs. Alwasy check for loose spokes before you hose the rim. Right?
Bike Setup: XT XTR Airborne Lucky Strike Cross Link in the Front xt/517 in the rear
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Submitted by
B M
a Racer
from Falls Church, VA
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2003
Strengths: ?
Weaknesses: They are WEAK
Bottom Line:
I ride 150 miles a week to work on the road (no off-roading) and run my tires 50-60 psi. I thought I would "upgrade" to the 517's from Mavic's 2 series.
Within 3 months I had the rear wheel's spokes pulling through the rim on the drive side. I bought a new 517 rim since the dealer blamed me for over-tightening the spokes??
Three months later, same thing happened and I didn't touch the wheel. Cracks are appearing on the rim at most of the spokes on the rear wheel drive side.
Called Mavic and they said I am too big for the wheel and I should of known better (6'0, 200). Right...I should of known the 517's are a piece of crap.
Submitted by
Rich
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2003
Strengths: Light-weight, all quality parts (from hubs to nipples to rim strips), did their job for a time.
Weaknesses: When they do go out, there's no saving them! My XT/517s gave me a little over 2 years of good riding, but I wish they had more to give. They started to get noisy and wobbly, so I took them to the LBS. I got them back trued and the nipples and spoke contact points lubed. The good times didn't last too long, though. The creaking and the wobble came back--and they're here to stay!
Bottom Line:
Not the lightest or most durable wheels out there, but for the price they give you a few good seasons, and that's good enough for most. I'll probably salvage the hubs, but I'm pretty sure the rims are toast. The local Trek shop has a cool deal on Bontrager Race-Modified wheels for $200, so I think I'll move on to those.
Submitted by
mattg
a Cross Country Rider
from California
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2003
Strengths: Strong Wheel
Weaknesses: n/a
Bottom Line:
A few years ago, the spoke on my rear wheel pulled thru so I had to upgrade the rear wheel. That wheel was replaced with a Mavic 517 with XT from the LBS.
This is a great wheel. It lasted me three years. Riding mainly in the bay area doing lots of single track and downhill stuff. Not extreme downhill though... (ie: Mt. Tam, Mt. Diablo, SF Bay Area riding).
The 517 has to be replaced because somehow it got a flat spot as well as warped. Not sure what I did, but I'm pretty sure I hit something hard. Up until now, this Mavic 517 never had to be serviced, trued, nada. This is pretty good (IMHO) considering I am 200 LBS and have thoroughly abused the wheel.
With my current 517 unrepairable due to a flat spot, I went on a quest to replace the wheel set. Nothing wrong with the front wheel - but what the heck.
I looked at a lot of the Bontrager and Mavic wheel sets. Mavic has a lot of nice wheels but I'm leary of using their hubs. Heard too many bad things about them. The other issue(s) are some of their hubs must only be serviced by Mavic, and the custom spokes might be hard to come by. If a LBS services them, warranty is voided.
On the Bontrager wheels, I would have liked to get the Valiant with XTR. Had such a difficult time finding a LBS or web vendor that carried it that I gave up. Sorry Bontrager :(
For the hub portion of the wheel, I wanted XTR. Chris King is nice, I have some Chris King components and they work great. In this particular case, I didn't feel like paying up for Chris's Hubs :( So I went XTR. Where I don't have Chris on the bike, I have XTR. I am a big believer in paying up for quality components. They work better, feel better, and last much longer.
To sum it up: Ended up going with a custom build from a web vendor. XTR and a Mavic 517 in the front and just to be safe, a Mavic 519 in the rear. Using wheelsmith double butted spokes.
The web vendor I used sells the Bontrager Valiant, Mavics: 517, 519, 618, among other wheelsets/rims. They all price out about the same. In talking with their techs, they felt the 519 would be a good rim to go with over the 517 (for strength). Since they were all at or around the same price point, I didn't get the feeling they were trying to sell me the higher priced rim - thus, no bias's.
When I called to make the purchase, I was going to get 519 on the front and rear. They recommended doing 517 in the front and 519 rear. Sounded good because the 517 weighs less and, the front wheel takes less stress. I have yet to warp a front wheel :)
I talked to them about the 618's and they felt the 519 would better serve me. 618 sounded interesting because of the Ceramic but I think the 519 is stronger. They also said they sell more 517/519 than 618.
The 519 is slightly heavier than the 517 (60 grams or something). When you are 200LBS, carrying a camelbak with 100 oz of water, plus power bars, plus, .... who cares about 60 grams.
I could have got a complete Mavic 517 wheelset from my LBS for a little cheaper than this custom build wheel set. But, I felt I'd get a better wheelset with exactly the spokes I wanted, hubs, colors, ... rather than the off the shelf set from the LBS.
One other thing: The LBS had the Mavic 517 wheelset with XTR for $360. Found it on numerous web sites for $270 to $290. For fun I haggled. The LBS couldn't/wouldn't match it.
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the 517 and 519 wheels.
Strengths: last forever, after about a month u true em and they stay true
Weaknesses: a tad weighty have to be trued after first month but newheel does had to rebuild rear hub after about a year and a half
Bottom Line:
good wheels, im 175 and i ride hard. do tricks and race. ive used these wheels all the time for everything. very strong. pretty light for the price. good all around wheel
Strengths: Strength to weight is very good. The XT hubs get the job done
Weaknesses: Not the strongest, and not the lightest.
Bottom Line:
I weigh 165lbs and ride relatively technical singletrack. 517's are my favorite wheels because they are light enough to race but strong enough to last through regular riding as well. Also they cost very little compared to other wheels. They will save you money both from the original cost and from the fact that they will last longer. There is nothing worse than buying expensive wheels that last less than six months. I recomend the 517's to XC racers and all around riders who weigh less than 180lbs. And I don NOT recommend straight lace spokes, especially on the rear wheel.
Favorite Trail: Big River, Lincoln Woods, Arcadia, Foxboro
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Price Paid:
$175.00
Purchased At: Pedro's Fest, Providence Cycle
Similar Products Used: Mavic Crossland's (too weak), Sun 0º XC's (these were good, Sun Rhyno Lite's and Sun Mammoths (these are what I use training and practicing trials)
Bike Setup: aluminum hardtail with seatpost shock and front suspension, run 1.95 and 2.1 tires (all of these do factor into how long wheels will last)
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Submitted by
Ziggy Stardust
a Cross Country Rider
from Outer Space
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2002
Strengths: lightweight, look cool
Weaknesses: Needed truing after just a few rides, rims ground down after only one season (from braking in mud)
Bottom Line:
These wheels are lightweight and the XT hubs are decent and durable. You can usually pick them up for about $200 clams from Supergo or Jenson, which aint a bad deal considering how light they are.
However, you must understand that when you get such a lightweight wheelset for this price (which is cheap), they are almost always machine built wheels. This means you must either true the wheels yourself (if you know how) after a ride or two (or three) and keep up on the trueing a few more times, OR have the LBS do it for you. Dont expect to pay 200 bucks and then simply slap 'em on and forget about them...because it won't take long before brake rub, rim warpage and ultimately wheel failure. (like what happened to some of the unenlightened pinheads below)
Another factor is that if you ride in the northeast (or elsewhere there is a lot of mud), these lightweight rims will grind down on you from the V/cantilever brakes scrubbing grit on the sidewalls which then get get dished and paper thin (I actually blew one out last year). I've heard that the ceramic coated rims are much better for this application, but I haven't actually tried them so I personally cannot attest if ceramic has better durability.
All in all, I think the 517 and XT hubset are a great combo offering lightweight and great price. You simply must accept and understand the following:
1. They are not freeride wheels. I would go with something else (heavier duty) if you are much over 200 lbs.
2. The machine built wheels (which are the inexpensive ones) must be trued a few times after first riding them, (either you do it or have the LBS do it).
3. Due to their light weight, brake grinding in muddy conditions will wear them down...if muds your gig, pay the extra skins and try ceramic instead. (or go with disk brakes like I did)
If you can accept these conditions then you will not be disappointed with the overall value and performance offered my the 517/XT combo.
Submitted by
D
a Cross Country Rider
from Kirkland
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2002
Strengths: Light
Weaknesses: Only 6 months and they are out the door
Bottom Line:
Bought these wheels through price point. After two rides the wheels were out of tru, found all spokes loose on the trail, end of a good ride. Had them trued at a local shop on price points dime. Have worked ok until on the last three rides I have broken 3 spokes. This is un heard of!
Oh well, now I bought some mavic Cross rocs, hopefully my reviews will be a little more positive with these.
The real Bottom Line. If you weigh 215 and ride hard, spend the dough and get some better rims!
Strengths: light wheelset, xt hubs have low friction
Weaknesses: dont buy mail order, all the spokes were loose as hell, profesionally made wheelsets
Bottom Line:
they are good after you LBS properly adjusts them. they are light rims, no problems wit the hub seals. went out of true easily due to loose spokes. DONT BUY MAILORDER WHEELSETS!!!! they all suck. if u do have ur LBS adjust them before u ride them
