The XM 819 is compatible with UST tubeless tires, so you can enjoy the benefits of UST, including lower tire pressure, better traction, and no pinch flats.
Submitted by
herdbacker
a Weekend Warrior
from Michigan Date Reviewed: February 28, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Hills Baby
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Super strong wheelset. Requires almost zero maintenance
Weaknesses:
None...
Similar Products Used:
everything else is a downgrade
Bike Setup:
95 Merlin Ti Frame, Sram Groupo, and the 819's w/Deore XT Hubs...
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.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eri
a Cross Country Rider
from DKI Jakarta Date Reviewed: December 15, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Sepeda Kita
Strengths:
Strong rims, very nice rims,
Weaknesses:
none
Bike Setup:
Iron Horse bikes 2008
Bottom Line:
excellence rims with the good value
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
The_Stig
a Cross Country Rider
from Dallas,TX Date Reviewed: December 14, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Erwin
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
Dallas Bike Works
Strengths:
Tubeless ready, strong, Mavic
Weaknesses:
None yet
Similar Products Used:
DT 420SL
Bike Setup:
X-County
Bottom Line:
When you pair these to Hope Pro 2s you got a kick ass wheel set.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
giantsaam
a Cross Country Rider
from Longmont, co Date Reviewed: September 4, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Hall to the ranch
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
store
Strengths:
UST Rocks no more tubes ever these rims are rock solid
Weaknesses:
Hard on the pocket book and you have get them custom laced
Similar Products Used:
mavic 823, crossrides, dt swiss
Bike Setup:
Stumpy with all the cool bling
Bottom Line:
If you have the pocket book to spring for a custom laced set of wheels get these
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andy Smith
a Downhiller
from Bedford, PA, United States Date Reviewed: October 22, 2007
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
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.)
Similar Products Used:
work at a bike shop pretty much seen them all
Bike Setup:
cannondale prophet team replica
Bottom Line:
probably one of the best rims out there for xc and freeride next to the crossmax slr.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
CF
a Weekend Warrior
from Knoxville, TN Date Reviewed: September 3, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
came with my yeti 575
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.
Similar Products Used:
first set of tubeless
Bike Setup:
yeti 575 xt hubs, maxxis ignitor 2.35s
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.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Allen
a Weekend Warrior
from Fussa, Japan Date Reviewed: August 21, 2007
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.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder,CO,USA Date Reviewed: July 29, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Porcupine Rim
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$89.00
Purchased At:
Jenson
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.
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.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Shaker666
a
from Vancouver, BC, Canada Date Reviewed: July 8, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
Fairwheel Bicycles, Tucson, AZ
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.
'06 Devinci Ollie w/Mavic 819 Disc rims laced to Hadley hubs (front is 20mm thru axle, rear is 150mm), DT double butted spokes, alloy nipples. Michelin DH24.1 UST tires (2.5" front and rear).
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.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
font Ninea
a Racer
from Austin Date Reviewed: May 10, 2007
Favorite Trail:
blue blossom
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
LBS
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.
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.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave Kim
a Downhiller
from Ottawa, Canada Date Reviewed: September 18, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Dirt Merchant
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
Beyond Bikes
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.
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.
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.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John Sullivan
a Racer
from Austin, Texas, USA Date Reviewed: August 11, 2006
Favorite Trail:
emma long
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$79.00
Purchased At:
Bicycle Sport Shop
Strengths:
If you get a good 819 it lasts forever
Weaknesses:
If you get a bad 819 it lasts 20 minutes
Similar Products Used:
Pretty much the entire Mavic line.
Bike Setup:
Yeti 575 Race Disc Carbon
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.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Cap'n Crunch
a Racer
from Phoenix Date Reviewed: July 13, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$70.00
Strengths:
Fantastic strength, very low maintenance, stealth good looks
Weaknesses:
Mucho $
Similar Products Used:
lots of other stuff
Bike Setup:
Specialized Epic with SRAM XO, Avid disks
Bottom Line:
I had a pair of the 819's built up on some Hope XC hubs (awsome hubs and cheaper than Kings!) to replace a pair of Crossmax SL's, which I broke twice). I have absolutely tortured these wheels and they still spin like new. Even though they are a just a little heavier than the XL's they are much more bomber and if I break a spoke (which hasn't happened yet) it's no big deal as compared to the XL's.
For the peace of mind of a light and extremely durable wheel, you can't go wrong with the Mavic 819.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tocatta
a
from Whitefish, Mt Date Reviewed: December 21, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Reid Divide
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
250
Strengths:
Stiff, Solid, No Hassles
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager Mustangs, Mavic 517
Bike Setup:
02 Titus Switchblade, 04 Marathon SL, Avid Mech's,.....
Bottom Line:
These are awesome rims. I had Bontrager Mustangs before these and they were good rims but just not meant to be ridden that hard. Going into hard fast switchbacks i could feel the back wheel flexing. When i upgraded to discs i got the 819's built on xt disc hubs and it has made all the difference. No more weird flexy feeling when i turn it up a notch. I ride hard but smooth but i don't like having to baby my bike and these rims do everything i ask. They are perfect for the trail rider who also races once in a while.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
JD W.
a
from Rochester, NY, USA Date Reviewed: December 18, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Sweet 16
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
Mendon Cyclesmith
Strengths:
Strong, light, and solid rims. Really easy to build a good solid wheel with them. Really good system plain and simple. Tubeless works quite simply. These rims are by far the best tubeless platform on the market. Unless you're a idiot you can kill them on a trail bike. Accept a high volume tire just as well as a lightweight race tire.
Weaknesses:
None as far as I can tell.
Similar Products Used:
Ha ha. I am a bike mechanic. I get to try them all.
Bike Setup:
Old skool crap.
Bottom Line:
Good rim for the intended purpose. A worthwile investment. Works well. I love not having to think about my rims.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
gregg
a Weekend Warrior
from waxhaw,nc ,usa Date Reviewed: September 14, 2005
Favorite Trail:
wilson's creek
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$599.00
Purchased At:
www.richardsbicycles.com
Strengths:
great all mountain rim. very well built. nice and stiff. still very true.
Weaknesses:
none yet.
Similar Products Used:
this is my first ust rim. have always used non ust mavic's
great product, tires holds a good seal on the rim. very confident in the durability one heck of a nice build from richardsbicycles
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew Schwalm
a Weekend Warrior
from Rochester Hills, MI 48306 Date Reviewed: August 27, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Stoney Creek
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
KLM
Strengths:
What a difference these rims have made. They have increased the feel and comfort of my bike. Riding on Michigan roads is not as distasteful. I have a checkered past with bending wheels and consistently kocking them out of true. In the last 100 miles the are still factory perfect. Laced with Shimano XT 24 Spoke Hubs, this is a geat wheelset for any serious riding junky.
Weaknesses:
Havent had enough miles on them to truly gage their overall duribilty. Great so far.
Bottom Line:
Great performance enhancing wheel, that looks as good as it rides.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Sebastian
a Weekend Warrior
from Witten, Germany Date Reviewed: April 29, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At:
Bike-X-Perts
Strengths:
Stiff, good looking, TUBELESS
Weaknesses:
none so far...
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 223
Bike Setup:
Specialized Rockhopper, Ritchey WCS, Manitou Black Elite Air, DT 204s, Mavic XM819, Magura Louise FR, Michelin All Mountain
Bottom Line:
I can really recommend these rims! Not only are they good looking but also provide a safe and stable feeling on the bike. Especially the tubeless setup is a big advantage! I didn't believe that it could be such a big difference, but it is! Perfect traction and suspension for my hardtail due to low air pressure. My conclusion: Try it and buy it!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Travis
a Racer
from Michgan Date Reviewed: April 23, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Vassa
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
Dont worry about it
Strengths:
Stiff, light. DO NOT become untrue
Weaknesses:
Not a thing.
Similar Products Used:
XT, XTR, other Mavics, Spinergy, Sun Ringle, Powertools
Bike Setup:
Trek 9.8 Carbon, Sid World Cup, Sram X:0...etc etc etc.
Bottom Line:
Buy 'em.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ming Lee
a Weekend Warrior
from Hong Kong Date Reviewed: March 10, 2005
Favorite Trail:
TMS
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Good price Looks good Good design tubeless technology
Weaknesses:
Not as strong as advertised As a rear tire they eventually become untrue
Similar Products Used:
Mavic Crossmax xl's, Mavic 317's
Bike Setup:
Joker, Truth
Bottom Line:
I've had the 819's on both my ellsworth truth and Joker front and back. I've always used them with tubeless tires and they've held air very well. - Great as a front wheel set-up - On both my truth and joker i've found that the wheels aren't strong enough, i'm not much of a freerider either. - Flattened the rear 819 on a jump once, not really the wheels fault since i landed on a rock - got tired of always truing rear wheel so moved up to heavier duty Mavic 823 EXtreme rim on rear wheel set-up and have no more issues, the 823's are excellent!! and not that much heavier.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pablo Varhola
a Racer
from Quito, Ecuador Date Reviewed: December 2, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Strong, fairly light, tubeless, nice looking, lockrings for the nipples are a good strong alternative for a tubeless.
Weaknesses:
Don't include the tool for tightening the lockring. Come on Mavic, I am not purchasing a cheap rim, you could have included the cheap plastic tool.
Similar Products Used:
X-517, Ritchey
Bike Setup:
Zenith Saga Team, XTR, Marzocchi, etc.
Bottom Line:
Excellent product. The performance that the rim shows is amazing, and the tubeless system is very enjoyable and I think that a great technological advance. It is solid, durable and has many features. In few words almost everything you could want from a rim. However it is an insult that high-end rims don't include the necessary tools to build them! Specially being a tool unlike any other. In my case it is worsened as I live in Ecuador where these things can not be bought so easily.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Cochise
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, Tx Date Reviewed: June 10, 2004
Favorite Trail:
rocky
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
beyondbikes.com
Strengths:
Relatively light for strength. Tubeless, strong, they don't flex, light
Weaknesses:
They could be a bit lighter if they were made out of Titanium or some metal from outer space.
Similar Products Used:
Bone trager, Shi man o
Bike Setup:
Turner Burner, XT, Avid, blah blah blah
Bottom Line:
Got these with XT disc hubs, DT 14G double butted spokes, black alloy nips for just under $300. I mean crap, you can't beat that and IMHO these things blow the Mavic Crossland setup with Mavic hubs out of the water. They are incredibly strong, very light and just roll roll roll. Very very happy with these things. Five Steaming Chilis all around, too good to be true, a steal. Mavic Enduros can eat my dust!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Neal
a Cross Country Rider
from Durham, CT Date Reviewed: April 8, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA
Strengths:
Super stiff, light (enough for me anyway) and strong.
Weaknesses:
Pre nipple tool cost extra. Add a least $8 to $12 bucks more to the rim price if you plan to build these yourself.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 3.1, 717's, CrossMax
Bike Setup:
Intense Spyder with too many parts to list.
Bottom Line:
These are just awesome rims hands down. I done about 20+ rides (on them) around here since the weather has gotten better. They are some of the best rims I have owned. Having blown out my CrossMaxx rear I decided to build a new set of wheels. I had read about Mavics new "Fore" technology and decide to give the 819 a shot. The wheels build up like any other wheel except the nipples are seated in prenipple. As I stated earlier you need Mavics prenipple tool to seat them. I have my rims laced to a set of King ISO hubs and I have to say the setup while heavier than the CrossMaxx is a superior setup. You can’t go wrong with King and you really can’t go wrong with this rim. Here in the rocky, rooty east rims and tires go quickly if your an aggressive rider. In the 20+ rides I have gone on with these rims I have yet to detect a weakness. I will follow-up later in the season. For now they rule.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado Springs Date Reviewed: March 25, 2004
Favorite Trail:
??
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$370.00
Purchased At:
Colorado Cyclist
Strengths:
Tubeless, can choose your hub, strong, not to heavy, holds air (maybe its the choice of tire?, conti vert 2.3 ust, WTB weirwolf 2.1 ust
Weaknesses:
special tool required for spokes that didnt come with the wheel. valve stem seems kinda flimsy, and a replacemnt costs $12 @lbs (mavic also recommends changing the valves every year to prevent air leakage??)
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 717, 221, Bontrager Mustangs
Bike Setup:
SC Blur
Bottom Line:
Ive only ridden these rims approx 50 miles on a handful of rides, but they are fantastic. They are laced to WTB Laser Disc lights. Firt off, these are my first UST rims, and I am running Conti Vert 2.3 ust in the front and WTB weirwolfs 2.1 rear without Stans, and they havent leaked air since I first rode them (ive been checking them before each ride) That alone with the benefits of Tubeless make these a great use of my Tax return. I havent really launched off anything signifigant so i dont know how they will hold up. I think these replaced the 3.1 UST rims mavic used to make. If anyone is on the fence about going tubeless, just get them. They are as good as people say they are. as far as the drawbacks, i.e when you do get a flat, panaracer makes a tubeless patch kit that plugs the tire without removing the tire. No need for stans or tubes or tire removal. Weight is the same if not lighter than my tubed wheels (but i didnt use a ultra light tube) BTW the tires mounted on these rims in less time than a tubed kevlar tire. would have been even faster but my hands were a little soapy from the mounting process. Tubeless: better traction=better climbing, and plusher ride without increased rolling resistance associated with lower psi. I think the list of things you can do to improve your riding, other than riding more, are clipless pedals, full-suspension, disc brakes, and now Tubeless wheels. If you build these up with Chris Kings they will still cost less than Crossmax. P.S Order your wheels from Colorado Cyclist. Beside having great customer service, their wheel builders are fantastic. They changed over all my parts from my hard tail to my Blur, and they locktited all my spokes bec I mentioned that my front wheel spokes kept getting loose at no extra charge. Those Mustangs after they got through with them were bomber. They transformed a wheel that was a pain in the ass (tightening spokes before every ride) to a rock solid reliable wheel.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
What's New
»
BEST OF MTBR - Check out the highest rated bikes, parts, & gear!
»
LED BIKE LIGHT SHOOTOUT 3 - We test all the newest products and latest light and battery technology in this comprehensive guide»
$ 74.95
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
