The EX 721 rim is a new rim in Mavic's "extreme-mountain" family. They're built to perform under the worst conditions - these are the strongest series of rims in Mavic's lineup.
Submitted by
speedy_gonzales
a Downhiller
from Cheshire, UK Date Reviewed: October 7, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Pila WC Downhill Course, Italy
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$575.00
Strengths:
Built on Hope Pro II's, light and strong rim that comes highly recommended by a lot of riders.
I've given them a good beating for a few months now and theyve not gone out of true, though Ive kept on top of them maintenance wise. Gave them a couple of flat spots after a weeks riding in the Alps, but they should straighten up no probs...
Weaknesses:
None I can think of..
Similar Products Used:
Alex BH Supra,
Bike Setup:
White Sunday Factory Frame, White 2009 Fox 40 RC2, Fox DHX 5.0, Saint drivetrain and shifting, white EX721 on gold Hope Pro II, Maxxis minnion and high roller combo, direct mount sunline stem, Avid Code 4 Brakes...
Bottom Line:
Top rim, tried and tested, awesome when paired with a well proven hub and spokes..
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rob
a Weekend Warrior
from Como, NSW, Australia Date Reviewed: October 3, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Reactor, Menai
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$400.00
Strengths:
STRONG. Can build up a nice tight strong wheel with near DH strength but not the weight
Weaknesses:
None. Some may say weight. These are not at weight weenie wheel
Similar Products Used:
Ditchwitch, Rhynolite, Dice Duke
Bike Setup:
Trance X
SRAM X9
EX721 with Hope hubs.
Bottom Line:
Great all purpose wheel for a clyde like me. Ride thes day to day and race on 819s
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matty
a Weekend Warrior
from london Date Reviewed: May 28, 2009
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Super strong rims with looks to match. I ride dj so mine have taken some serious beats. Iv had to get mine trued once coz some spokes started working loose. Iv had one or two flat spots but they fix easily
Weaknesses:
None
Bike Setup:
SC Jackal
Bottom Line:
Get these rims if youve got the cash. You wont regret it
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Slydee
a Weekend Warrior
from Slovenia Date Reviewed: August 17, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Decent strength for the money.
Weaknesses:
Made a dent after a few days of riding.
Similar Products Used:
rhyno lite
Bottom Line:
I was quite surprised to see a dent on it after a few days of riding, but it was repaired and it runs like new for a month or two now..
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rob Esquire
a Weekend Warrior
from UK Date Reviewed: May 31, 2008
I had a pair of 521's for years. Built them myself on a hope bulb front and LX rear, 36 spoke. Batter the hell out of them whilst jumping, street riding, drop offs and downhill. Only even manage to put them a bit out of true with dodgy landings and big crashes, but if I didn't tun rims I never would have noticed. It took a huge crash where I snapped the arch, bent the stantions and basically completely trached my X-vert forks to write off the rim. I replaced the rim and still use the same rear, but I built a new bike and got the 721's, which are identical other than the colour and the logo (which looks even better!). Buy them, abuse them, love them, and for god's sake clean them so people can envy you.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dave wood
a Downhiller
from ellesmere port Date Reviewed: April 2, 2008
Favorite Trail:
cwm carn
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
the edge cycleworks
Strengths:
looks, strong for the PRICE, feel extreemly wel built
Weaknesses:
there are none to be said about these rims other than the person who builds them.... (make sure you take the wheels to some shop that knows there stuff on building wheels.... it really makes a huge difference)
Similar Products Used:
deemax, mavic ex321
Bike Setup:
carrera banshee(ashamed:( but still nice feel) marzocchi 888(06, marzocchi TST-R(awsome), saint crankset, hope m4, 50/50peadles, mavic ex721 laced into hope pro2,diabulus bars and stem, e-thirteen chain guide/tensioner....and a lot of other stuff
Bottom Line:
awsome rim ... jus make sure you have a good shop building them for you it WILL make a masive difference... gr8 rim i love mine and they look mega cool
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Acworth Date Reviewed: June 8, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Pinhotti
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Ebay
Strengths:
Strong, zero flex
Weaknesses:
Heavy for my application
Similar Products Used:
XM719, RinoLites, Valients, Mustangs, DS2 XC.
Bike Setup:
El Saltamontes, quad bearings, Talas, X9,, XTR, SD7, Thomson, King HS.
Bottom Line:
Needed a bomb-proof set of training wheels. Being 6-4 tall and 210lbs with gear, I was going through a set of lighter rims each year. Decided to buy a set of XTR Hubs on 721 rims for $250.00 on Ebay and rest my $500.00 race wheels. Allthough they are very heavy, these wheels go perfect with a stiff frame like my Salty. Been beating the s#!t out of them and I have done no damage to them at all. I'm not using them for what they are made for but I'm gettin a little extra work out pushing them around the trail and I just dont care what I hit anymore. Its a nice feeling coming from wheels that forced you to ride your FS bike like its a hardtail.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Isaac
a
from Kendal Date Reviewed: April 14, 2007
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
strong, light (ish)
Weaknesses:
the only weakness of this rim will be the person who builds it
Similar Products Used:
521, ex 325 singletrack
Bike Setup:
kona coiler
Bottom Line:
i had a 521 and used it for light jumping etc and it cracked badly, however i bought the 721 which is the same basically and got the 36 spoke version. i thought that the 521 must have been built badly to fail like that so i made sure the 721 was a top build and its fallen short on stair jumps whilst on my hardtail, flatted allover the place and still its good, a bit buckled but not enough to worry over. in all a top wheel that is cheap and strong, and looks good too if u keep it clean. MAKE SURE THE BUILDER KNOWS WHAT THEYRE DOING COS THIS HAS A BIG EFFECT ON THE STRENGTH OF THE WHEEL
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tim
a Downhiller
from Sydney Date Reviewed: March 13, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Mt Coramba, Dayboro, OBR
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
They're light compared to the other options available, and comparatively strong. They look good, they roll fast and so far, they seem to have a decent life span. My front ceramic 721 is 3 years old and never trued, still tight and straight.
Weaknesses:
They crack around the eyelets, but I've had a small hairline crack in my front rim since day 3. 3 years later, it's still strong as. My rear wheels have had the same cracks (only small lines forming, not full cracks. This doesn't bother me. I find that the side walls are a little weak. I ride rough terrain, tipical mountain goat tracks and generally find a new flat spot after a days riding. Hasn't caused any issues yet though, I'm just aware that they are there
Bike Setup:
223
Bottom Line:
A good solid light weight downhill race rim. There's a lot of talk about them cracking, but so far I have only noticed stress lines forming around the eyelets, no real cracks. I generally get about a year + out of a rear wheel which is pretty good. They get ridden every week, hard. Shame about the strength of the sidewalls, but they still perform. This is a DH rim, not a huck rim. You want to huck on your hardtail, buy something heavier. You want a fast DH rim, do it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Larzveenz
a
from Apeldoorn, Netherlands Date Reviewed: March 10, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
friend
Strengths:
It's one of the strongest rims in the world, that says it all. Great for FR / DH / DJ etc.
Weaknesses:
None as far as I discovered.
Similar Products Used:
Sun Ringlé Single Track, Mavic EX 325
Bike Setup:
Specialized P2, Juicy 5, Holzfeller Cranks, Truvativ Boxguide, RockShox Pike 409 U-Turn, EX721 with Hope Pro 2 hubs and sapim strong spokes.
Bottom Line:
Just buy it, they're better than the Deemax wheels, which are a lot more expensive. Easier to replace spokes etc. Put Hope Pro 2s in it, they're strong and cheap. Second set for my DH bike is on it's way.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Davin
a Downhiller
from Tempe, AZ Date Reviewed: March 9, 2007
Favorite Trail:
national-south mountain
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
tempe bike
Strengths:
it's a mavic so there ya have it.
Weaknesses:
none so far...anyone who has one crack either hit a hard/sharp edge or the wheel was not built correctly...i have an alexrim dm-18 i have been riding for 8 years now on the front-use a tensionmeter when building your wheels-don't waste your time otherwise-if your not building your own...learn! Shops aren't always the best at this!
Similar Products Used:
none like this
Bike Setup:
haro x1, xt hubs, mavic ex721 rear, 2.25 geax sturdy tires, tru-vativ bars, race face 22/32 prodigy cranks with bash ring, marzoc mz comp fork (need to remove this...)
Bottom Line:
good damn wheel-has not gone out of true yet, i urban and mountain ride-i ride fairly hard and will take crazy drops now and then...the rim is fine.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Adrian
a
from Radium, BC, Canada Date Reviewed: January 29, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Whu?
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Strengths:
This wheel is the strongest on the market and anybody who says it isn't really doesn't know what they are talking about. Don't buy the DeeMax wheels - unless you really like yellow. There is no need, these are just as good. Oh yeah and if you break a spoke on the DeeMax you better find a specialty shop pronto. With the 721s you just put in another one and forget about it.
Weaknesses:
None - people who say weight don't understand the game. It's freeride people! The strength to weight ratio is second to none. People say they crack - yeah they do but they don't bend.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 521, Alex DX24
Bottom Line:
I've used the old 521 and the newer 721 and as far as I can tell they are exactly the same. I have one bike right now that has a 521 in front and a 721 in the rear - identical. I've retired some of these rims in the past after slamming them on concrete and rocks riding them on my urban hardtail for two plus seasons. Probably the hardest thing you can do to a wheel short of dropping 20 plus feet with it. The wheels never failed - they just had cracks from wickedly hard, blunt impacts and it was time to retire them. Don't be fooled - anybody cracking these wheels is hitting them HARD on sharp edges. After years of abuse the wheels are still perfectly round - cracked but still round. That doesn't happen with other wheels that weigh even more. Buy Them!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mitch
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Canada Date Reviewed: November 14, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
??? lasted 1yr and 10000km
Weaknesses:
cracked around the spoke nipples and then the entire rim wall cracked and caved in, almost left me stranded in the middle of nowhere
Similar Products Used:
Syncros
Bike Setup:
a Koga Miyata touring bike
Bottom Line:
-I would be careful about these, seems that Mavic rims have these "cracking" problem, even though they did last me about 10000km. I expected more from a downhill rim especially when I only used it for touring with mostly paved roads and a few gravel ones.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike N
a Downhiller
from North Van, BC, Canada Date Reviewed: March 10, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Upper-Lower Boundary
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
On Top Bike Shop
Strengths:
Excellent value. This rim holds up to the same conditions, is 50% cheaper and is 100g lighter to the Mavic 729.
Weaknesses:
The 721 is narrower than the 729 thus you lose a bit of tire width when inlfated. You might want to go a little fatter on the tire width that you match with this rim.
Similar Products Used:
Sun Single Track, Mavic EX729
Bike Setup:
Brodie Devo, Boxxer, Swinger 4-way and Shimano Hydros and Arrow Racing Bite 2.5 tires.
Bottom Line:
Strong, lightweight and affordable DH rim.
Props to Lane @ On Top for the wheel-build.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ian
a Weekend Warrior
from Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada Date Reviewed: June 24, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Urban
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$74.00
Purchased At:
Centre du bicycle sainte-foy
Strengths:
It's a mavic The spoke tension makes it very very hard to untrue(haven't succeeded yet) Looks nice in black anodized finish with black spokes. Makes my friends jealous I feel more stable on manuals because of the slightly higher weight
Weaknesses:
Weight(maybe it's just because I was used to my older not-nearly-as-strong rims) Sun Ditch Witch
Similar Products Used:
Sun Ditch Witch
Bike Setup:
Stock '05 Kona Stuff, except for cheap lock-on grips, Mavic EX721 anodized rims.
Bottom Line:
Great rim, and you've probably heard so many good things about it too. The extra weight makes it harder for me to bunny hop but it will simply take a bit of getting used to, so that's not really a problem.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Graham King
a Weekend Warrior
from UK Date Reviewed: June 9, 2005
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
chain reaction
Strengths:
pretty strong wheel haven't had to true it much
Weaknesses:
got a dent in it wen landing a 20ft drop on my hardtail
Similar Products Used:
521 719 519
Bottom Line:
quite nice rim good for novice downhill although i wouldnt recomend for pros cos its not quite strong enough and u might as well get a better dics only rim
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
eric
a Weekend Warrior
from madison wi Date Reviewed: April 19, 2005
Favorite Trail:
quarry park
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$75.00
Purchased At:
eriks bike shop
Strengths:
everything
Weaknesses:
a few dings, but thats my fault
Similar Products Used:
horrible alex rims
Bike Setup:
giant stp1, fox fork, xt disc hubs, hayes hfx9, tru-vativ holzfeller, easton vice, fsa bar, bling bling tires, pimp
Bottom Line:
these are very strong rims, i have had people tell me that they are cross country but that is bull, if you look at the bikes that they come on like the 2005 Specialized Demo-8 pro you will know that these rims can really take a beating. i have only had to get it trued once but that was right after they were built and they loosened up a little. i would recomened getting these bulid by a bike shop b/c Eriks did a great job at it. if yo have these rims you can ride and have no worrys!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
a Downhiller
from Thousand Oaks Date Reviewed: December 31, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
light
Weaknesses:
Cracks easily, Won't hold a maxxis tire.
Similar Products Used:
Rhyno lites
Bike Setup:
02 Turner DHR
Bottom Line:
My front wheel has held up ok. The rear is pretty terible. It flatspots like it's made of lead and about half the eyelets have formed cracks. Not to mention that it will not hold a maxxis tire on the bead. This rim is weak and under sized. Don't use it for DH.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nik Smith
a Downhiller
from New Zealand Date Reviewed: November 26, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
This rim is incredably strong, however, having said that, i buckled it after two weeks of riding, but that was because i overshot a 40ft gap jump to flat. but i think most rims would have bent on that impact.
Weaknesses:
When i bent it i went to the LBS to get it trued, however because it is so strong the spokes were unable to true it back again, thus leaving me with a useless rim and having to fork out more money, for a new one.
Similar Products Used:
alex
Bottom Line:
These rims are seriously strong, and although i bent one i will be getting the same rim again, if you are considering buying one (or two) go for it, but just remember, its strength can also be its weakness. just because the spokes may not pull it back into shape.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
eric
a Weekend Warrior
from seattle Date Reviewed: June 1, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
www.dropnzone.com
Strengths:
These are re-badged Mavic D521's, if thats not a strength I dont know what is.
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
D521's
Bike Setup:
Kona Bear, romic rear, 04 Z1 freeride, d521 rear EX 721 front, HFX Carbon brakes, CK head, Thomson Seat post. FSA stem, bar and crank.
Bottom Line:
If you want a rim that can handle some SERIOUS abuse then these are the rims for you. 10 ft to flat, no problem. Just make sure your tire pressure is up because of the thin cross section of these rims they may be more succeptable to bending the braking surfaces due to bottoming out. I have a D521 on the rear and a EX 721 up front and these rims are identical. I have had 521's on my stinky primo for the last 2 years and they have seen more abuse then I'd care to talk about. They have stayed true and straight for longer then I could have ever imagined. Get these rims if you like the thought of never having to worry about rims again!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom
a Downhiller
from Wales Date Reviewed: April 17, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
CRC
Strengths:
Incredibly strong, not as heavy as competitors, refuses to come untrue.
Weaknesses:
Plain silver version isnt great looking but no performance problems
Similar Products Used:
Sun rims, D321s Halo Combats and SASs
Bike Setup:
Muddyfox hardtail, cheapo RST fork soon to be discarded, Saint cranks, rest of group Deore, Deore hydraulic discs, XT hubs, EX721 rims, race face everything else.
Bottom Line:
Awesome rims, I weigh 14 stone and Ive been beating the hell out of them for about 5 months and they havent even needed truing yet. I regularly drop off 6-7 ft drops to flat on a hardtail with an effectively rigid fork and they take it all. BUY THEM!!! Cheap as any other rim to.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom
a Weekend Warrior
from Wales Date Reviewed: April 9, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
CRC
Strengths:
Super Strong, not too heavy, refuses to come untrue
Weaknesses:
None so far
Similar Products Used:
Halo Combats, D321s, D521s, Sun Double Tracks
Bike Setup:
Muddy Fox hardtail. MX comp coil, Deore hydro discs, mostly LX group, XT hubs,721 rims, cranks and pretty much everything else raceface
Bottom Line:
Incredibly strong. Have held up incredibly well to any number of dodgy drops and doubles and are yet to come untrue. These are so much better than my old D321s which I bent off a 6ft drop with a sloping runout. I couldnt reccomend them more. Quite cheap really to.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John W.
a
from Fort Collins, CO Date Reviewed: March 31, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$65.00
Purchased At:
jensonusa.com
Strengths:
Strength. Compatibility with rim brakes may be a nice option for some.
Weaknesses:
You can go cheaper.
Similar Products Used:
Ryno Lite, Mavic 217, Sun SingleTrack
Bike Setup:
KHS FR2000 with Ryno Lite on front, Mavic 721 Rear. Marz. Z1 front, Romic rear.
Bottom Line:
The value of a rim is determined by durability as much, if not more, than by price. For a rear wheel on a ~40lb freeride bike, this was a good choice for me.
I got the rim, spokes and build for under $100, and I definitely feel I got my money's worth. I have ridden on it quite a bit and it is still as true as the day it was built.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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