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Submitted by
emisteve
a Cross Country Rider
from Australia
Date Reviewed: November 3, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | The roads of the world | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Strong for Heavy loads and long distance | | Weaknesses: | Free hub sometimes slips | | Similar Products Used: | Sun rims Shimano XT hubs | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale F500, Shimano XT components, Cross land wheels, disc brakes | | Bottom Line: | Have used the Mavic Cross land on two bikes ridden 9400km's from Just north of Islamabad Pakistan til Chiang Mai, Thailand via India, Nepal, Tibet. Mostly asphalt but some rugged roads in Tibet. The wheels are still going strong. Not a problem except for several days after 5500km when the free hub started slipping. Checked the Mavic dealers servicing site and it seems a simple procedure to service the free hubs. Being a lazy bloke I love the fact that the wheel hubs have cassette bearings it takes a lot of worry out of servicing. If there is a problem with the ball races just toss out the bearing and slip in new ones complete. Haven't changed them yet.
Worth buying. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Not So Fast
a Weekend Warrior
from North New jersey
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Ringwood | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Weaknesses: | As stated in previuos ratings weight of rider may be a factor in rear hub functional. I weigh 215 lbs. There was a grinding noise coming from the rear hub. I had it serviced about 6 months ago. The grinding started again today. I seems to happen when free wheeling. | | Bottom Line: | Other 200+ pounders have had problems with the rear hub. Count me in as unsatisfied. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
aweewawah
a Weekend Warrior
from Bellingham,WA
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Evolution | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$230.00 | | Purchased At: | Jakes Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Cheapest UST wheelset I know of, seem to be holding up well and staying true | | Weaknesses: | rim is very easy to ding, not causing any out of round issues, but if i was running rim brakes i think it would affect stopping power and brake feel considerably. | | Similar Products Used: | none in the UST category | | Bike Setup: | Kona Manomano, Maxxis non-tubeless tires, Stans no tubes sealant | | Bottom Line: | Cheap. I wanted to try tubeless without going broke, and i am very happy I did. It feels like my bike is 5 pounds lighter when riding (not when carrying it!). much better acceleration, it actually seems to have firmer grip on rocks and rough surfaces, the same amount of pressure feels like less so you get better traction and WAY less rolling resistance. tires are very easy to mount once you get the hang of it, it takes some practice though. i did have a couple of pressure losses due to the bead breaking, luckily i didnt lose all the air and was able to air up on the trail, but if you are running tubless it becomes even more important to carry tubes with you when riding (kind of ironic, no?). I also recommend one of those CO2 tire inflators. It seems like it takes several rides to really break them in and get the bead to set real nicely (althought I am running non-UST which might also be the problem), but once you do they keep air great, ussually only losing a few pounds over sveral weeks or even months. Ive had tubes that where worse then that! Stans is the real holy grail of tubeless technology though, not too long ago i noticed a hole in the sidewall of my rear tire that i could have shoved a small screwdriver though. All the sealant seemed to have dried up, which will happen if your tire stay on the rims for 6 months or more. I was about to go ride with some friends and didnt have the money for a new tire so i unseated the bead, put some more Stans in there, and went riding (with a couple of tubes in my backpack of course). that was 2 months ago and i havent done a thing to the tire since. Bottom Line: if you want to go tubeless for cheap, these are the only wheels I know of. Make sure you use lots of Stans Notubes though! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Horhe
a Cross Country Rider
from San Francisco, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: April 2, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Universal Cycles | | Strengths: | Durable, disc and rim brake compatible, strait pull spokes, sealed cartridge bearings. | | Weaknesses: | Hard to find replacements for strait pull spokes, even though none have broken yet.
Ugly yellow stickers, which don't come off easily. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Rockhopper, dual duty as a mountain bike and touring bike. | | Bottom Line: | I've beaten these wheels as hard as I dare on my Rockhopper, I've raced a season on them, and I've toured on them (carrying the entire 40lbs+ load on the rear). The bearings still roll smooth after nearly two years, including one winter's worth of Humboldt's finest mud. It was well over a year before I had to true them.
Basically, if you're looking for a cheap, reliable, strong, low-maintenance wheelset then this is for you. If you're ordering them through a bike shop, try to get some extra spokes along with the wheel set, so you can avoid the pain of tracking them down years down the road. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Deppy
a Cross Country Rider
from Miami, Fl
Date Reviewed: February 25, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Greenslick | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$249.00 | | Purchased At: | Active Cycles | | Strengths: | Super strong, Reliable, and pretty smooth rolling for such an affortable wheelset. | | Weaknesses: | none whatsoever. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic Crossmax (IMO) | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Superlight. | | Bottom Line: | I have two Santa cruz Superlights. One that I use to train and one to race. My training bike has the crosslands and I always considered them to be as good as the crossmax until I threw ceramic bearings on the crossmax. Bottom line: if you rode either of my bikes blind folded; you wouldnt know which bike has what wheels. (and the crossland's are 1/3 or more of the price.
Note: I have been beating my training bike for over two years with the crosslands, and have not trued those wheels once.never. It's mavic. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
thomas hilliard
a Cross Country Rider
from braselton,ga,usa
Date Reviewed: January 13, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | everyone | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | biketown | | Strengths: | light | | Weaknesses: | rear hub is absolute joke | | Similar Products Used: | bontrager select | | Bike Setup: | hardtail | | Bottom Line: | rear hub loosens , for any number of reasons.This throws off the drivetrain.i dont think the rear hub lasted one ride before it started loosening. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dave
a Cross Country Rider
from boise idaho
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | oregon trail area | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$220.00 | | Purchased At: | peerfromance bike | | Strengths: | price, performance, reliable | | Weaknesses: | rim brake sidewall looks goofy | | Similar Products Used: | stans conversion with 717 rim brake mavics | | Bike Setup: | 2006 Heckler built up as heavy duty trailbike | | Bottom Line: | Very reliable I going to buy another set for my hardtail, easy tire mount IF you follow instructions the newer generation of tubeless tires are easier to mount, I run Stans sealant and rim strips in the wheel, forget about airing the tires back up out on the trail if they fail which is a rare occurence pop the Stans rim strip out and install a tube, the stock UST strip is substantially more difficult to get out.I have put thousands of miles on a set of tires and I am convinced this is the most reliable set up Mavics costlier wheels are great if you can afford them, I will NEVER return to inner tubes again. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
patrick
a Cross Country Rider
from st. louis, mo.
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | the chubb | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$235.00 | | Purchased At: | wheel world | | Strengths: | mavic quality, sale price and looks. They role forever and stay true. What more can you ask? Yesterday, I hit a small stump with the back tire and shot off the trail into the weeds. The tire lost 15 lbs. of air when the bead popped. I just aired up the tire and kept on truckin! The rim is still true. Enough said. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Bike OEM's. | | Bike Setup: | 2001 Giant NRS 1. Schwinn Moab 1. | | Bottom Line: | Try em, You'll like em! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ivan Castanos
a Weekend Warrior
from Hermosillo,Son. México
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Correcaminos Culiacan,Sin | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | JensonUSA.com | | Strengths: | Great price for the product, i feel I got a little more than I payed for.is lighter than my old wheelset. sealed bearing cartridge. | | Weaknesses: | none that I can tell, although it seems like a little flex on the rear rim, but still haven't figure this one out. | | Similar Products Used: | shimano low ends (can't remember model), mavic 717 on shimano XT hubs. | | Bike Setup: | Supelight, Manitou Minute 1:00, velociraptor tires | | Bottom Line: | I like them, people keep on complaining about tire mounting, if they read the manual they would know about soapy water takes care of everything, that gives me at least more confidence that the tire seats properly on the rim. they spin forever lets see for how long, I expect'em to last. I like to give maintence to my bike on the "easy" stuff, i don't mess with suspension issues,so I'll try and comeback in the future if any problems. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ike
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$230.00 | | Purchased At: | Sun & Ski Sports | | Strengths: | Lightweight, strong, tubeless, good freewheel | | Weaknesses: | None that I can tell | | Similar Products Used: | WTB Laser Light | | Bike Setup: | Columbus Thron Steel HT, XT rear, LX front, Hayes 9 hydrolic disc brakes | | Bottom Line: | It's a great tubeless compatible wheel for a great price. It's a hell of a lot better than what comes stock on most bikes too. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fernando C
a Weekend Warrior
from San Fernando, Ca
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Red Box to Switzer | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Wheel World | | Strengths: | Price, UST, Strength | | Weaknesses: | A bit hard to mount tires on | | Similar Products Used: | Other lower end Mavics | | Bike Setup: | Specialized XC Pro, FSR. Crossland wheels, Kenda Blue Groove up front with Nevegal's out back. Manitou Minute 4 fork. Fox Triad shock. | | Bottom Line: | I bent the original lower end Mavics (i believe the 217's) that came on my Giant. Then the originals that came on my Specialized. I wanted to go tubeless and I am on a budget so I decided to try these. One of the best upgrades I have done (it's a toss up between my fork and wheels). I am a clydesdale which I assume is why bent those other wheels. These ones haven't even come out of true yet. They spin forever and are oh so smooth ! Get these if you are on a budget and want something durable and tubeless. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Keith
a Weekend Warrior
from Pittsburgh
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$249.00 | | Purchased At: | Speedgoat | | Similar Products Used: | Stock Rims | | Bike Setup: | Trek 4300 | | Bottom Line: | Bought these rims because they were recommended by the bike shop tech as good rims to switch to disc brakes. I had a hell of a time getting the tubed tires on and ended up taking them to the bike shop. They told me they just over inflated to about 100psi and they popped out of the inner tubeless track and then backed it off to the proper psi. Sounds tough if I was out in the field with a crappy hand pump. All in all my rocky pittsburgh ride was great. My bike needs a tune up soon so I will see what the shop tech says about the rims and if they needed too much adjustment. Later. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mimi
a Weekend Warrior
from Texas
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | steep arroyos | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$210.00 | | Bottom Line: | I read in a few reviews that some people were having trouble putting narrow road tires on this wheel... when i put my 1.5 michelins on the crossland, it was pretty tough until i caved and decided to read the manual in more depth that i had been (i glance at the pictures... i'm a picture glancer...) and tried the soapy water on the bead idea those wonderful technical manual writers took the time to include. it worked out really well. i heard some loud popping sounds, as the manual said there should be, of the tire locking into place. no need to cut out the UST plastic lining for me. i just had to take a deep breath and read the f-ing manual.
touche | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO/Williamstown, MA
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS sale | | Strengths: | Strong. Stiff. Versatile (disc or rim brake). Tubeless! Hubs (as with all mavic wheels). Cheap. | | Weaknesses: | None that I have observed yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano hubs/mavic rims | | Bike Setup: | 2005 Jamis Dakar XC Comp/1997 DBR WCF custom build | | Bottom Line: | I think that Mavic has reincarnated the name "Crossland," so the wheels pictures and those that are reviewed earlier are not the same "Crosslands" that are sold in 2005.
These wheels have made a huge improvement to my bike. They accelerate like whoa b/c when run tubeless all the mass is at the hub! Not only that, these wheels are the stiffest wheels I have ever rode. I don't mean to imply that they have a terrible ride. I just mean that you can really feel your suspension work the way in which it was intended (and that goes for hardtails too!). The tubeless feature has been nothing but wonderful for me with Michelin tires. Though some have complained about Mavic freehubs, I have had no troubles. I am only 150 lbs, but I manage to break many bike parts. I have made the complete switch to mavic hubs, as their cartridge bearings are completely and cheaply replaceable.
I can't believe I got these wheels for 250 with tubeless tires. They might have been the best bike related buy I have ever gotten. Try a set...you won't be sorry. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Hemet
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$240.00 | | Purchased At: | Beyondbikes.com | | Strengths: | Has stayed relatively true during its high-milage life. | | Weaknesses: | The rear hub is the Achilles Heel for this wheelset. | | Bike Setup: | Giant VT2 with Minute 3 IT fork (pretty cool!) | | Bottom Line: | With one or two exceptions, I'm noticing that people who ride on this wheelset and weight over 200 pounds are having the same problem: High torque destroys the rear-hub assembly. I weigh 210pds and enjoy long, technical climbs (because I get long, technical descents on the trip home... oh yeah!). Have had the rear hub rebuilt several times. Here's what goes wrong: The free-wheel developes quite a bit of play (3-7mm). The single sealed-bearing it spins on can't handle the torque and lateral forces that a heavier rider can create. With a loose freehub, the derailer will start ghost shifting regularly (and a loose hub WILL bend the 32 or 34 tooth gear on your cassette because the chain WILL mistrack during a shift... I know... I have bent my share on this wheelset). Plus, once the bearing loosens inside the hub, the paws don't track as well. When this happens, only one paw will grab the ratchets (this increases even more lateral force on the bearing... vicious cycle). Eventually, one or both paws will break and it's time for a rebuild.
I have had no problems with the rims or spokes. I had to tighten the spokes on the rear about 2 weeks after I started riding them. From that point on, they have stayed very true.
Here's my final recomendation: If you weigh more than 200pds and like to climb, I would not purchase this set assuming you'll throw them on your bike and never have to think about them again (except truing). You will (most likely) need to rebuild the rear on a regular basis.
By the by, I have put just over 1600 miles on this wheelset. I really don't want to have to chage them out... but now I think it's finally time. Bitter-sweet parting. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Barton
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Gap | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$239.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | Lighter than my XT/Bontragers(non-disc) great price for the wheelset. | | Weaknesses: | Counterweights in front and rear rims have come lose and slide making a noise that is very bothersome. Rear rim was "gutted" of UST to add some silicon caulk to too stop slide of counterweight. It worked but now I have no UST rims. HMMMMMMM | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager Mustang Ceramics/XT hubs, still killer set-up after 8 years. | | Bike Setup: | Jamis Dakar Comp, Psylo SL, XT/XTR drive and disc brakes except for FSA cranks and post | | Bottom Line: | These are great wheels for the dollar. They are a little flexie for some applications, but many rocks and drops later and they are still true. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dave chavez
a Cross Country Rider
from boise
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$229.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | reliable,price,look good | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | stock rolf crap wheels,mavic 717s with xt hubs and stans conversions | | Bike Setup: | 2001 fuel 90,numerous upgrades,huthinson python ust tires with stans sealant,30lbs air rear 25 front.v-brakes | | Bottom Line: | I have had absolutely no problem with these wheels maybe because I use them as intended and I am not racing,I feel in no great need to buy a new bike until maybe next spring,the tubeless technology feels like I have added another inch to my suspension.Compared to my stans mavic 717 xt hub conversion they perform about the same,my conversion wheels use hutchinson python non ust tires,I do have more confidence in the ust system because the bead locks to the rim and the tires are toughter however I have never had a failure with my stans conversion wheels,crossland are a bit heavier but I absolutely would not pay three to four times more for the other mavic wheelsets I will just lose another ten pounds of fat. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brett
a Cross Country Rider
from North Lake Tahoe
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Tahoe Rim Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Cyclepaths | | Strengths: | Tubeless setup, good hubs, durability | | Weaknesses: | Weight | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic non-UST | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain ETSX | | Bottom Line: | These are great wheels for the money. I have used them for a year and no issues and they get a descent beating in the rocky dirt in Tahoe. They weigh more than other tubeless set ups but they are also half the price. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric Haglund
a Weekend Warrior
from Brooklyn Park, MN, USA
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Lebanon Park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$165.00 | | Purchased At: | Employee Purchase Program | | Strengths: | Fairly strong for intended purposes (cross country or light all mountain use). I am a fairly agressive rider and have a tendency to destroy unworthy wheels. If I'm going out freeriding I have sense enough to use my freeride bike and not the one with this wheelset. | | Weaknesses: | I blew up the freewheel within 5 rides. On the positive side it is really easy to overhaul (10 minutes of work max). Our Mavic rep was a pain to deal with and he had tha gall to suggest that I "should have purchased a more expensive wheel". If this wheel destroys another set of pauls I'm going to get rid of it and build my own wheel using a Shimano XT disc hub. | | Similar Products Used: | XT/Mavic 317 wheelsets. Specialized stout disc/Mavic XM321 wheelset. Sun ABBA/ Mavic D 321 wheelset. XT/ Sun rhyno Lite wheelset. Many more | | Bike Setup: | 2001 Enduro FSR pro with Reba race fork, X9/X0 shifting and loads of other goodies. | | Bottom Line: | My reason for purchasing this wheelset was the crash related destruction of my original wheelset. At the time I was a little short on cash and was told that these were a bargain for a tough wheelset. I've given these things some hard knocks and my only complaint is with the freehub issue and the rep's attitude. I'll let you know if the freehub blows up again (I'm hoping it was just an isolated case). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from PA
Date Reviewed: August 24, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Dealer | | Strengths: | Very strong wheelset, affordable, and nice that they can run disk or v brakes incase you get diffetent brakes | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Bottom Line: | They are a very good set of wheels that are also very affordable | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cmdrpiffle
a
from Santa Cruz Ca.
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | tractor... | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$129.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bike Campbell | | Strengths: | Looks good. I'm a big fan of silver and yellow | | Weaknesses: | Unknown at this time | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic rims for 25 years | | Bike Setup: | Ti Clark Kent hardtail etc...... | | Bottom Line: | Figured I'd write on a couple of issues since it was this forum that saved my a**.
I have the back wheel only. Got it 2 days ago. Only one ride (road) on it so far so not much I can say there.
Here's what I wanna say. I was mounting a narrow Conti road tire on the rim and it just would not go on. As I read on this thread, the narrow tires will get 'stuck' in the middle grove of the yellow plastic rim tape.
I cut out that tape, and put in a standard Velox cloth one.
No problems at all. Tire runs great. There was some discussion on this thread if that could be done. It can.
p.s. I've zero intention to enter into the tubeless hype. My idea of a good thing is LESS rotational weight, not a lot more.
Flats can be all but prevented if you de-burr the inside of the rim, use latex tubes, dust the hell out of everything with baby powder, and run at least 40 psi or so.
my $0.02 anyway,
Cheers
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Edmrider
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonton
Date Reviewed: July 5, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Strengths: | UST, Looks good, Mavic Brand Name, Disc/Vbrake compat. | | Weaknesses: | Hub strength, weight, durability | | Similar Products Used: | 317s, Rhyno Lites | | Bike Setup: | 04 Jamis XLT | | Bottom Line: | Front rim has been great - and I'm still riding it. The rear rim is out of round after about 1000km. That doesn't bother me so much as the fact that the rear hub continues to fail.
1000km, 5 rebuilds, the pawls (as my tech said) 'disintegrate'. I'm 235lbs, and like to put the torque to the wheels, climbing everything. A frustrating upgrade.
3 Fire-poops for the value of V-brake/disc UST wheels
2 Fire-poops for the limited durability | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bleebs
a Racer
from Australia
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Lysterfield | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Stiff, Tubless, nice smooth, hub action, cheap | | Weaknesses: | A little heavy, rim cracking | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic x223, wtb disc | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale scalpel 1000 | | Bottom Line: | I've rode raced on these wheels for over a year and overall I have been pleased with there perfomance. The Ust has been good and whe wheels have stayed true throughout there life.
However.... and this is a big however, out of the 24 spokes in the rear wheel I have found that 8 of the eyelets have cracking on the rim. Now at 82kg I don't consider myself to be that heavy and I'm just a pure trail rider/ racer so I am somewhat dissapointed at there lifespan or lack of it, Its only a matter of time before the rear wheel will fail to I've retired them now (I've had no problems with the front). I've got to question if 24 spokes is enough. So now that I am forced to upgrade I have decided to give the crossmax family a miss and build a set of wheels with dt swiss hubs and mavic xm 819 hubs.
I would have rated 4 stars if the rear wheel had not failed. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jared
a Cross Country Rider
from Auburn, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: May 24, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | UST Tubless
Disc option
Durable | | Weaknesses: | A bit heavy. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic X139 | | Bike Setup: | 2003 Rainier Truvativ stylo sl, Sram x-9 accessories | | Bottom Line: | These rims are strong, and are easy to set up with UST Tubeless system. I use Stans No Tube, to seal the tires. I use them with disc brakes and they are smooth and predictable when stopping. I have ridden these wheels over rocks, ruts and roots, and have not had any issues, nor have had to have them trued. The only thing I would like to see Mavic do is shave some weight off. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dave
a Cross Country Rider
from boise
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$220.00 | | Purchased At: | idaho mountain touring | | Strengths: | durability,holds air IF installed properly,look cool,U.S.T. system is bombproof with stans sealant. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | stans conversion with mavic 717 rims xt hubs | | Bike Setup: | trek fuel 90 | | Bottom Line: | if I am going on a knarly ride I use my fuel 90 with these wheels,at 190 lbs I trust these wheels not to fail on me,my stans converted wheels are used on my hard tail, great system If you are patient and follow instructions precisely,can be built up very light. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ron
a Cross Country Rider
from Fairfax, VA
Date Reviewed: May 12, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Hermosa Creek | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | Spokes Etc | | Strengths: | Stay in true | | Weaknesses: | Can't get replacement spokes. | | Similar Products Used: | OEM wheelsets | | Bike Setup: | Enduro FSR with everything that has broken or worn out upgraded (pretty much everything but the seatpost) | | Bottom Line: | I had been pleased with the overall strength and durability of the wheels. The front survived a bad landing that snapped my Manitou fork and remained nearly in true.
However, when I lost a spoke on the rear wheel (they seem to wear out where they cross), I found that they are impossible to replace. None of the local shops stock them, and Mavic won't sell them direct. As solid as these wheels have been, I wouldn't recommend that anyone but the most casual rider buy them. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kyle
a Downhiller
from Ellensburg, WA, US
Date Reviewed: April 15, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Very strong, sweet looking, smooth rolling | | Weaknesses: | Would rather have more spokes for security but oh well, theyre plenty strong for me. | | Similar Products Used: | 321, double wides. | | Bike Setup: | .243 frame, 04 boxxer race, double wide fr, crossland rear, mrp. | | Bottom Line: | I traded my doublewide for this rim because i was tierd of truing it. my buddy had it on an intense m1 and was not easy on it by any means and it has never needed truing or any work. it is a bit difficult to get the bead in but it is deffinately worth it. seriously though this rim kicks ass ive dropped 20' on my hardtail with it and it just smiles and takes it. not to mention the awesome price! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
lvm
a Cross Country Rider
from woodstock, md
Date Reviewed: January 22, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | any | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$215.00 | | Purchased At: | speedgoat | | Strengths: | durability, price, decent looking | | Weaknesses: | weight, skewer weights, UST strip. After I installed them I rode the bike around the block and noticed the tire bead didn't seat straight/correctly. But I've never noticed it on the trails. | | Similar Products Used: | XT/XTR/King/Nuke Proof w/mavic | | Bike Setup: | GIANT NRS, v-brake on the front, hayes HFX disc on the rear. | | Bottom Line: | I was very impressed with the quality and strength of these wheels. I'm 6'3", 200 lbs and ride hard and lots of east coast rocks. I was skeptical of buying 24-spoke wheels. Just one look at the wheels and I knew they would last, and they have.
Don't kid yourself though, these are heavy wheels. They are heavier than even XT/Mavic wheels. And the skewers are nice, but very heavy. Also, I initially installed the 'original' Hayes discs and the bolts to mount the rotors were too long, they started gouging into the hubs. When I upgraded to the new HFX brakes I noticed they have shorter bolts that fit better. The front v-brake hooks up great on the rim sidewall. Great wheels for the price. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tweezersman
a Cross Country Rider
from Hong Kong
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$260.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Bike Shop | | Strengths: | enconomy with good quality hubs that's compatible with disc brake system and tubeless tire. | | Weaknesses: | flimsiness and are leakage from spoke nipples. | | Similar Products Used: | Araya RM-17 | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Sugar 2+
| | Bottom Line: | Bought this wheel set for a reasonable price to replace my beloved super durable Araya RM-17 for my new disc brake system. Thought that big name like Mavic should manufacture reasonable quality product in this price range. But the wheel set turned out offering me troubles.
First, I found one of the spokes came off the front hub easily in a moderate straighr up crash to an obstacle once. Then I found that it's bound to happen with the spoke mounting design of this wheel set as the spoke ends are just click in the hub, so that it can easily pop out when the wheel receive big enough pressure to contract.
Then after a couple months of use, my old tire finally worn and I'm happy and ready to try out new tubeless tire. Yet I sadly found that there are a couple spoke nipples leaking air very slowly. I took my wheel set back to my local bike shop and they said they can't replace them because wheel sets are consuming items. There is no warranty for them. Now I guess I have to put a tube into a tire suppose to be "tubeless" to keep it running. I wonder why I have to spend extra money to buy the UST feature. I feel a little ripped off!
If my Araya are disc brake compatible, I'd rather put them back on and saving me from encounting anymore troubles.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
wpgrider
a Cross Country Rider
from Wpg, MB
Date Reviewed: December 7, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Affordable, visually pleasing | | Weaknesses: | Didn't stand up to the useage | | Similar Products Used: | Rhyno Lites | | Bottom Line: | Chewed the freehub 4x this summer. I'm 230lbs, and put a fair bit of torque to the wheel.
Front is running like a charm, but beware if you want durability when riding 'strong'. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Big Dog
a Cross Country Rider
from Chico, Ca
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | uncrowded | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | nrim | | Strengths: | durability. price. weight (relative ya know) | | Weaknesses: | stickers are peeling off!!!! I can't ride this thing! Where's my skirt! | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager super stock | | Bike Setup: | fisher big sur 00 | | Bottom Line: | Put em through some nice abuse and have stayed quite true. Nice upgrade from the basic superstocks, they're much lighter and feel strong and nimble. I'd recommend them if you're like me and need a strong wheelset but don't want to feed your kids tree bark because you spent all your $ on yourself. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben
a Weekend Warrior
from Richmond RI
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Arcadia | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Stiff and Strong | | Weaknesses: | Not the lightest | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic 223, Mavic 225 | | Bike Setup: | 04 Stumpjumper FSR Comp | | Bottom Line: | These wheels are stiff and strong. If you are looking for disk wheels for your ride and don't have a ton of cash these will do the trick. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
G.K.
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | National - South Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$170.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Value packed, looks great on my ride (oooo, silvery), and they are staying straight. | | Weaknesses: | I wish it was a disc specific rim, but it is nice to know that I have the option if I decide to switch. | | Similar Products Used: | Custom wheel set made back in '95 is my only comparision (back when purple nips were cool). I used Mavic ceramics, DT spokes, and old crappy stock hub and never had to true them. | | Bike Setup: | Marin XC FRS - Minute 3, X0 shifters, X9 rear, XT front, Flite Ti... | | Bottom Line: | My stock wheels were heavy, ugly, and needed to be trued after almost every ride. I eventually gave up trying to true them all of the time and decided to invest in some new hoops.
I, like everyonne else who don't have 'em, wanted to get some Crossmax SL's. However, unlike some other people, have something called a household budget and when I saw them on sale at the Supergo shop, could not pass them up.
My first ride after mounting them was the competitive track at the White Tanks, in the western sticks of Phoenix. I had never ridden there before and didn't know how rocky it was. It felt like a majority of the ride was one big rock garden. I fully expected the my new rings to be out of whack. They weren't. Although I have logged many more rides, 3-4 a week, and I have not been very nice to them, they are still perfectly straight.
I was worried that they would not hold up very well because I weigh around 190lbs and they are inexpensive. But it just goes to show that not all things that are inexpensive are cheap. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
AVCII
a Weekend Warrior
from Fairfax, VA
Date Reviewed: September 4, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Stiffer than my old stock rims. Relatively cheap. The choice of using V-brakes and disc. | | Weaknesses: | Heavy. | | Similar Products Used: | Cross Rides | | Bike Setup: | 95 Stumpy, original drive train, easton monkeylight riser bar, kore stem, chris king head set, hutchinson tubeless light python tires, Xtr brakes, thompson seat post. | | Bottom Line: | I wanted to replace my stock rims but did not want to spend too much. I actually bought the cross rides new. The rear was loose side to side after 2 days of light riding. I went pack to Performance and they through on a second one. Same thing. So, they were willing to swap both wheels with something else. I wasn't going to go with MAVIC again but they didn't have anything else but the cross lands. I read it a review in mountain bike magazine that they were heavy but not bad for the price. Not sure how bias the reviews are in these magazines. When the mechanic put them on, originally I was not going with tubeless to save money, my tires would not seat properly. It was a mess. So, luckily they marked to Tubeless light Pythons wrong in price. I went tubeless. No problems The first thing I noticed was my bike was heavier. Sucked but I didn't spend a fortune for the wheels. However, when riding I don't feel the extra weight. It rolls well, feels faster, tracks well, and feels stiffer laterally. Overall, happy with the purchase. A chili off for the weight | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Snowdog
a Weekend Warrior
from Jackson, Wy USA
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Blacks Canyon/Lincoln Woods | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$230.00 | | Purchased At: | CBO | | Strengths: | Inexpensive, disc or rim brake compatible, strong, UST | | Weaknesses: | UST rim strip will melt if the rim gets anywhere near a heat source | | Similar Products Used: | various | | Bike Setup: | '99 Cannondale Super V SL, Black Comp 100/120, Avid mech discs, Truvativ, Kore, Panaracer FirePro UST, LX/XT | | Bottom Line: | Great Rims-haven't had to even tension the spokes yet & I'm 6'2" 205 and like to hit everything in the trail. Very fast. The hubs actually spin easier than my friend's CrossMax discs. Just watch that they don't get close to heat! I had my bike on a hitch-mount carrier going to Banff, and noticed the tire looked flat. When I removed the tire the UST rim strip had melted! I should mention that the wheel was at least 24" from the rear of the exhaust. NO ONE carries the replacement strips for this wheel (at least yet). No problem when I switched the bikes around on the carrier with the other wheels. A little hard to mount tires, but that's UST. Overall I would highly recommend. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tobias
a Cross Country Rider
from Stockholm, Sweden
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$220.00 | | Strengths: | Good looking (apart from silver brake rim)
Strong? (haven't ridden them long enough to know)
Disc hubs
UST compatible
Quiet hub | | Weaknesses: | A bit hard to fit standard tubing | | Similar Products Used: | Stock wheelset | | Bike Setup: | Sh1tty sh1tty bang bang | | Bottom Line: | I've only used these wheels commuting for a few days but i hope that first impressions last. I can't even compare them with my stock wheels (LX hub and bs rims). They are much stiffer and faster.
I'll try them out for an extended period of time to check if they're still true and so on. Can't wait to test these when doing a bit of XC.
Only problem i had with these wheels were when fitting them with standard (non UST) tires. The tire got stuck in the rims "UST-lane" in the middle. This made the wheel unstable and had to be fixed. I used a lot of soap and water but the problem still persisted, to a lesser extent than before but still. Had to work for a couple of hours to get both tires "perfect". And yes, I pumped and pumped to get it to work as well but didn't solve the problem. After all that work the tires now rest as they should on the rim and all is well.
Now i have to say that i love these wheels, I just my opinion stays this ways after having used them for a bit of rougher riding as well. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff Murchison
a Cross Country Rider
from Canton, GA
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$240.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Price, Strength, Performance, tubeles | | Weaknesses: | Hub cones come loose | | Similar Products Used: | Stock Bontrager wheels | | Bike Setup: | Trek Fuel Disc | | Bottom Line: | This is an update to my earlier review. I have now been running these wheels for 9 months or so and have about 800 trail miles on them. I'm 6'2 215lbs and love to hit every bump, rock, root, and drop in the trail and the wheels still are as true as the day I bought them.
I have been running tubless tires with them for about 6 months and would never switch back to tubes.the only problem I have had with them is the back wheel hub cones came loose twice.
Overall I would buy these wheel again if I ever need too. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Liam Carey
a Weekend Warrior
from Boone, NC, USA
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Yancey's Ridge | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$240.00 | | Purchased At: | Magic Cycles | | Strengths: | Price, 2 year unconditional replacement plan | | Weaknesses: | with V- brakes in the wet southeast the braking surface on the rims is not what you would call durable. Of course mavic has a reputation for that so...
Also I bought them to move to disc so this is not that big a problem, just be warned. | | Similar Products Used: | some oem rhynolites, alex doublewall | | Bike Setup: | hardtail | | Bottom Line: | I don't know how people are having strength issues with these wheels on XC rides... I'm 6'3" 260 and have put a pretty good hurting on these wheels. Needed to retension spokes when they were new, but that's been it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Everist
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson, AZ
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Super Ho | | Strengths: | Mavic Crosslands are affordable, and allow you to equip them with either a rim or disc brake | | Weaknesses: | I crimped the rim about an 1/8th of an inch just by squeezing the brakes | | Bike Setup: | Salsa Bandito | | Bottom Line: | They are cheap, but their strength is not top notch. MAvic Customer support defaults to the place of purchase which will try to fix the wheel, this voiding the warranty. I'm not pleased. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bernd
a Cross Country Rider
from Germany
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | local dealer | | Strengths: | CHEAP | | Weaknesses: | Horrible rolling resistence and awful accelaration. Discs were ringing in turns. | | Similar Products Used: | DT Swiss 240s and 4.1d rim | | Bike Setup: | Giant NRS2 | | Bottom Line: | Jeez - What a crap from Mavic I am shocked, I gave it back after 4 weeks. This is for the 2004 wheelset. Feels like you added 5kg weight to the bike. Brake rotors were constantly ringing in turns, disc was screaming even in dry conditions, chain was rattling and gear switching was bad. Don't believe it? I switched now to a custom made wheel set with DT Swiss 240S, 4.1d rims. And.. Brakes are silent, biting. Chain and gear switch is not noticable and the acceleration, a big smile and a whow. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stephen
a Racer
from Franklin, TN
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Lock4 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bikes | | Strengths: | This review is for the 2004 version of the wheels. Not as light as the Crossmax but a very durable wheel. Hubs are very smooth. Have stayed true through several rides and races. Can take a beating.
I am using these with Hutchinson Pythons non-ust tires and Stans and the tires hold air no problem.
Really good value. | | Weaknesses: | Not the lightest wheel out there. | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Giant XTC2 | | Bottom Line: | Very good value in a UST Wheel. Very strong wheel and smooth hubs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Whiplash
a Weekend Warrior
from Beaverton,OR,USA
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | all | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Price, light, strong, UST. | | Weaknesses: | Having some trouble with tires loosing air. Not sure if it is the rims fault or the tire. UST can be tricky. | | Bike Setup: | GT idrive, MX comp ETA Marzocchi, Cane Creek cloud nine, WTB weirwolf tubless tires. | | Bottom Line: | 1st ride on these was a 16 mile crosscountry trek. Had to re-tension rear spokes afterwards but I expected to. Then when on hard trail ride. Massive roots and log rides in Southwest Washington state. I really abused these wheels. Did a 3 foot log ride drop to flat unexpectedly but once your commited it's best to ride it out. To my suprise the wheels were still true and tension is good all around. This new wheel setup is much lighter and more responsive than my old ones. Well worth the money. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Spangelsare great
a Weekend Warrior
from Kirknewton
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Glentress | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$255.00 | | Purchased At: | H. Middleton Cycles | | Strengths: | Cheap.
Tubed or Tubeless.
Relaceable bearings. | | Weaknesses: | The rim tape (see below). | | Similar Products Used: | Formula OEM wheels.
Hope on Mavic 317. | | Bottom Line: | I bought these wheels for my commuter bike and they have generally lived up to my expectations. They went on okay and work well with my Avid Mech brakes.
The main problem with them is I am using narrow Specilized Fatboy tyres as it is my Commuter bike. The rim tape has a dip in the middle of it with ridges before the rim wall to assist in seating a tubeless tyre. It is impossible to fit the narrow tyres without part of the bead getting stuck in the dip in the middle of the rim. This caused a rip in the bead of my tyre which when I got my first puncture burst causing the bead to separate and caused me long walk to work.
To install the tyres I had to use washing up liquid to get the tyre to pop out of the dip. It is not a huge problem at home but I am sceptical that I won't cause damage to the tyre if I have to do it out in the field.
The jury is out on the rim tapes at the mo. I may have to cut them out and use standard ones if the problem happens the next time I puncture.
Hence the jury is out and I will give it 3 Chilis at present. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff Murchison
a Cross Country Rider
from Acworth GA
Date Reviewed: January 12, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Blankets creek | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Freeflite | | Strengths: | Hubs, UST, looks, Disc or V's | | Weaknesses: | Well if I have to find one it would be the rear wheel needed to be tensioned after a couple of rides | | Similar Products Used: | Botrager wheels that came stock on my Fuel 80 | | Bike Setup: | Fuel 80, Avid Mech Disc brakes, Duke SL 80MM, FireXC Pro Tubeless tires, XT drive train, Monkeylight bars. | | Bottom Line: | This is for the new 04 Crosslands not the older models.
So far this wheelset has been better then I hoped for. I needed a new wheelset to go with Disc brakes and these fit my budget. I knew right away after the first ride that they were a great upgrade. This are so much stiffer then the stock wheels I had and really changed the bikes handling for the better in really show the difference in the corners and taking off. The hubs are also really nice with the way they seem to roll effortlessly and are sealed so very low maintinace.
These are a great wheelset for the price. I won't give it an overall 5 rating as I think they can be just a little lighter. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dustin Bilthouse
a Cross Country Rider
from ATL,GA
Date Reviewed: November 29, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Heritage | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycle Works (Duluth) | | Strengths: | Since the day I bought these wheels I've never had to true them! I ride a XC/DH style and put a pretty good beating on them, nothing bad has happened yet. These rims can be used w/ rim or disc brakes, so if you don't wanna fork over the cash for disc you can hold out. | | Weaknesses: | ....They get dirty I guess? | | Similar Products Used: | Rolf | | Bike Setup: | Manitou Axel Fork w/Lockout, Easton CF seatpost, Avid Mech. Disc Brakes, Shimano Clipless DH pedals, Mavic Crosslands, Maxxis Intimidators, sella italia prolink saddle | | Bottom Line: | A great buy for the MT Biker who plans to evolve his bike. You get the power of light rims, tubeless tires, and dsic brakes all in one package. Best part, you don't have to buy your disc and tubeless at the same time! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Oswald
a Cross Country Rider
from Belgium
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Very light, hubs just keep on spinning | | Weaknesses: | None, if you use them for what they were meant for! | | Bike Setup: | XC-rig | | Bottom Line: | I never had any problems with these wheels. I only used them for XC. I don't think they would survive hard freeriding, but that's not what they were meant for. These wheels were made to go fast. They can take the occasional xc style drop or jump though.
They accelerate like hell, and just keep on spinning.
I never even had to true them! I sold them recently because I had switched to discs. I'm back on V-brakes now, and honestly regret having sold them!
If you can get your hands on a set of these wheels, I would advise you to buy them! But knowing that Mavic has new tubeless, ceramic wheelsets at good prices, a newer wheelset might be better these days... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
NFG
a Racer
from Rhode Island
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Big river, lincoln woods, Foxboro, Arcadia | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | Providence Cycle | | Strengths: | Lightweight. Nice hubs. | | Weaknesses: | The rear wheel was cross laced on the drive side and straight laced on the non drive side. The spoking pattern (and I think the thin gauge spokes) was too weak and after about six months the were toast. Even though I had regularly trued them. | | Similar Products Used: | mavic 517's, Zac's, Sun 0º XC's, Sun Rhyno Lites and Mammoth, | | Bike Setup: | aluminum Hardtail with seatpost shock and suspension fork. | | Bottom Line: | The greatest place to save weight on a bike is in the wheels. Having light wheels not only lowers overall bike weight but it also lowers rotational weight which means faster acceleration. The Crossland's had the lightweight thing down, except they lacked far too much in the strenght department. I weigh 165 pounds and wanted the Crosslands for racing and to take up some of my all around riding. The front, fully straight laced wheel proved strong enough, yet the rear was soon trash. If you weigh anywhere near 160lbs I would avoid any straight lacing in the rear. A set of 517's cross laced will cost less (depending on hubs) and last at least twice as long. Also, even more important than the wheels is who built them (laced them), the spoke tension and keeping them in true. Even if you have a downhill set, it won't do you any good if it was poorly laced and tensioned.
Keep on ridin'. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dean
a Cross Country Rider
from El Paso
Date Reviewed: November 22, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | All of them | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | A German Bikeshop | | Strengths: | Light strong durable | | Weaknesses: | None that I've seen | | Similar Products Used: | Cross Max, Bontrager Race | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale F1000, Stumpjumper FSR XC | | Bottom Line: | I've been using these wheels since 97. I've never had to true them, never had a problem with them. I can't say that about my wife's cross max set. I weigh about 200 and don't jump much but I do ride rocks roots and technical trails whenever possible. I found the crosslands to be less flexy than the cross max for a rider of my size. Get a set of these if you can! I'm giving them 5 chilis for value because I got mine in Germany for a fraction of the US cost. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Burton Coleman
a Cross Country Rider
from Brentwood, TN
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Chickasaw Trace or Lock 4 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$160.00 | | Purchased At: | mtbr.com marketplace | | Strengths: | Cool Looks.
Light Weight.
Silent Roller Hub (rear).
Bang for the Buck.
| | Weaknesses: | Constant Maintenence required. (truing 'em)
Can't handle too much abuse (b/c they're light weight)
I have one spoke in the rear wheel that keeps comming loose, i true 'em up and after a good solid ride they need truing again. it gets old..but if you enjoy tooling around with your bike it gives you something to do.
| | Similar Products Used: | stock shi**y schwinn wheels (araya rims w/ stx hubs) | | Bike Setup: | Schwinn Homegrown, SID, King headset, XT all around, Race face bar, Kore Elite stem, Speedplay frogs... | | Bottom Line: | for the price...a good wheelset. but don't expect to them to be able to handle monster abuse without a little bit of maintenence. I'm only in the 160 lb catagory, so you'd expect them to keep up with me, but i ride hard, so you they require some attention. If you are easy on your bike or like to wrench on it, i reccommend them. but if your heavy or just a hard rider, i'd look for something a little more solid. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jason anderson
a Racer
from san diego
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | anything with single track | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | friend | | Strengths: | nice build realy good tension on spokes. very light and fast . | | Weaknesses: | not made to last .I rode them three times and killed my axle the rear one. im also having problems with my freehub major chain suck.mabie because im very agressive i dont no but never had this much problems with any thing else ive ridden and every budy else seems to like them just not my set | | Similar Products Used: | hadly hubs with cr18 sun chris king with 517 mavic bombshell moto fins with a sun doublewide those are my other wheels i currenty have and no problems | | Bike Setup: | witch one the mavics crosslands were on my homegrown hardtail but no longer or ever again not saying mavics are no good mabie i just got a very bad set because i love my 517s | | Bottom Line: | mavic crosslands arnt my set of wheels and i hope nobody gets the same problems that i had with mine. i give them a-2 | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Allan M
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, Tx US-f-A
Date Reviewed: February 14, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | anything long | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$425.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Route | | Strengths: | Light and reliable | | Weaknesses: | The skwerers don't seem to be too strong. | | Similar Products Used: | I've been riding/racing MTBs for 14 years ...so just about everything | | Bike Setup: | LiteSpeed Ocoee | | Bottom Line: | I put these wheels on my XCountry Race Bike when they first came out (97?). I have another FreeRide bike and a BMX, etc., so these wheels have not been thrash senselessly, but I sure don't shy away from getting air. My local trail has a couple of jumps that require a 90 degree, mid-air rotation which really flexes out the rim when you land; I can hear the tire rubbing on my chainstay. The wheels seems to be able to take this without any problem.
Before, I had some White Industries with a variaty of different rims and I always seemed to be truing/replacing them ...I went through about 6 or 7 hoops one year. And I was always busting out the spoke wrench mid-ride.
I'm a fairly smooth rider of about 160lbs, but I do tend to break the silly-lite stuff like Kooka cranks, Ringle stems and seat post, hyperlite bars, old-style Rockshox (twice).
Bad stuff: I don't think the skwers all strong enough; about once or twice a year I will be cranking up some short, steep hill when the rear wheel slides forward slightly. Also, the hubs loosened up a little at first, but my LBS put a touch of locktight on them --no promblems since. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Racer
from Milwaukee
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | john muir | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | some guy | | Strengths: | extremely well balanced, light (730, 930) strong lace pattern really nice rim (its a 517, awesome bearings (sealed) | | Weaknesses: | heavy nipples and spokes, i actually tacoe'd the rear wheel once, but only cause i was doing stupid stuff on it, | | Similar Products Used: | bontrager race lites, 517/xt combo | | Bike Setup: | fisher mt tam, | | Bottom Line: | great set of wheels, thanks mavic, as i was saying i tacoed the rear wheel once, so i replaced it with wheelsmith spokes and alloy nipples, lightened it up quite a bit, nice work mavic, i am a shop employee and i highly reccomend these ones | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DF
a Cross Country Rider
from Ca
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | Very little maint, fairly light, great customer support. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Standard shimano stuff | | Bike Setup: | XC | | Bottom Line: | I had this wheel for over 3 years when I discovered a cracked hub. (Probably due to loose bearings) I almost never checked them and they were pretty loose when I discovered the crack. I called Mavic and they said to send it in and they would take a look at it. Warrenty ended over 2 years ago and they replaced the hub no fuss. Took about 4 weeks and it cost me $25 for shipping. My next wheelset will be Mavic. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
chris
a Racer
from m-town, nh
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | impossible 2 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Strengths: | Had for three years, still rides excellent, has been hit very hard and only required minor truing. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | lx (even though it's not even close to similar) | | Bike Setup: | next lp, 9.0sl, sid | | Bottom Line: | Very nice, strong wheel. Holds up to a lot of abuse. Had it for three years and still no problems. Excelent sealed bearings, and adjustment. Excellent wheels. If I have to buy another wheelset, I'de go with mavic, and probably get the crossmax. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jay Wnuk
a Racer
from Winona,MN U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything outside in the fresh air. | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Relatively light, held up well given the abuse they've took. My experience with customer service has been good. | | Weaknesses: | The rear hub broke the night before my first race! | | Similar Products Used: | Racelights, stock Specialized junk, stock Trek junk. | | Bike Setup: | Stumpjumper Pro, Mythos XC 2.1's. | | Bottom Line: | These wheels have held up remarkably well in the 2+ years I've had them. I weigh 185 and the front has needed absolutely no maintenance. None. The rear rim bent once but it was off of a jump and the tire blew kinking the rim. The rear hub cracked after 2 years and Mavic replaced it free and it took 2 weeks. New spokes also. I would reccommend a set if you can find them. The rear weighs 955 grams and the front 738 grams. Close to what they claim. Cool. If you find some under 300 bucks buy 'em. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
TOMMY ROBINSON
a Cross Country Rider
from CLARKSVILLE, TN,USA
Date Reviewed: January 12, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | LOCK 4 GALLATIN TN | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | STRONG DURABLE WHEEL THAT HARDLY NEEDS TRUING. | | Weaknesses: | NO CERAMIC BRAKE SURFACE. | | Similar Products Used: | MAVIC CROSSMAX | | Bike Setup: | SPECIALIZED STUMPJUMPER COMP MANITOU SE FRONT SHOX FOX VANILLA REAR SHOX MAVIC CROSSLAND FRONT WHEEL MAVIC CROSSMAX REAR WHEEL | | Bottom Line: | THE CROSSLAND IS A GREAT WHEEL FOR THE MONEY | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Grinder
a Weekend Warrior
from Batesville, AR
Date Reviewed: January 5, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: |
Eagle Mtn. | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Light, Look great, Front wheel is no problem. | | Weaknesses: |
Rear hub is weak --- cracked at pawl pivots. | | Similar Products Used: |
Chris King, Shimano | | Bike Setup: |
Gary Fisher Joshua X, Marzocchi Z1 Bomber, XTR brakes. | | Bottom Line: | Wheels were OK until cracks appeared. Aluminum internal hub parts are not up to the task! Bought Chris King set ---- so far they are outstanding. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Todd
a Cross-Country Rider
from Waialua,HI
Date Reviewed: December 16, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
light & strong | | Weaknesses: |
Hub bearing caps will back-off during rides. | | Similar Products Used: |
217 and 517 | | Bike Setup: |
Litespeed Owl Hollow ,XTR,SID | | Bottom Line: | Great wheel set! The only negative design is the hub bearing caps. These things would not stay snug! If you don't catch this it will blow them up (water,dirt,no grease=bad for bearings). To FIX this just run a small bead of silicone sealant around the bearing caps at the exposed threads, after you set your bearing preload. This will stop the caps from backing off. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Racer
from Farmington,NM
Date Reviewed: October 6, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Colorado Trail-Durango | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Strong and lighter than
spec'ed.
Hub is the same as
Crossmax and is very
smooth,quiet and light. | | Weaknesses: |
Sometimes the 2-piece axle and bearing adjustments get loose but there is a cure. | | Similar Products Used: |
XTR,XT Mavic | | Bike Setup: |
Airborne Lucky Strike,
XT,Manitou SX-ti,
USE post,SRAM Plasma.
Panaracer tires. | | Bottom Line: | No Shimano hub is as smooth or as fast as a Mavic
FTS hub. I just raced this weekend and on downhill stretches I would blow away riders on
XTR and Cris King hubs.The other riders would be
furiously pedaling while i just coasted and occationally pedaled to keep speed. Fantastic hubs
Mavic are.The only problem i had is the axle and
bearing adjustments would come loose.Fixed it with
plumber's tape wrapped around the threads of the 2-piece axle and bearing adjusters.The Mavic hub
is a very simple design that needs only occational inspection and the rim has never needed truing,only when it was first bought at the
LBS.I will continue to use Mavic as long as they
are this good in the future. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve H.
a Cross-Country Rider
from Gulph Mills, PA
Date Reviewed: October 4, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Light | | Weaknesses: |
REAR HUB IS DEFECTIVE! SERVICE HEADACHES.. | | Similar Products Used: |
217, 517's | | Bike Setup: |
Voodoo Canzo Ti | | Bottom Line: | I Ride about 2-3 times a week and in two years of XC riding the REAR HUB HAS CRACKED AND SELF DESTRUCTED TWICE. I'm now awaiting to hear if MAVIC will replace it again. I wouldn't buy another set.. I rate these 1 flaming thing....whatever the hell that is... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
frank
a Cross-Country Rider
from garcia
Date Reviewed: September 8, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
oak harbor | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
never trued them. obviuosly very strong.light.little bearing resistance. | | Weaknesses: |
does loosen from time to time but, can be caught during pre-ride inspection. | | Similar Products Used: |
weimann/parrallux wheelset | | Bike Setup: |
giant atx to super v | | Bottom Line: | I'm 160 lbs. I'm an semi-aggressive rider. crashed several times. bottom line take care of your parts an they'll last forever. Good job Mavic. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
olli
a Weekend Warrior
from Munich, Germany
Date Reviewed: August 24, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Not too heavy
Fast
Strong
Good looks | | Weaknesses: |
None (UP TO NOW) | | Similar Products Used: |
TuneMIG/MAG w Mavic 217
XT w MAvic 221 | | Bike Setup: |
ROCKY MOUNTAIN DH t.o.
Fox TC
Judy XL | | Bottom Line: | I like these Wheels. I weight about 100 kg an I had no problems with them. I really wondere how strong they are. They stayed true up to now and there were no problems with the axles. I think they are stiffer than my set of XT/221-wheels. And the price was very good: 600 D(eutsche)M(ark), thats about 350 Bucks in Summer 1998! Now you get them for about 500 DM, thats less than 300 Bucks. I hope that they won't disappoint me in the future. Five out of Fife! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim F
a Cross-Country Rider
from Robbinsville NJ
Date Reviewed: July 13, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
mercer county park | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
light,strong | | Weaknesses: |
none so far | | Similar Products Used: |
sun cr17a/xt | | Bike Setup: |
trek 6000/z3 light/ XT | | Bottom Line: | good all around x-country wheel for a rider my size (about 170lbs) got them really cheap to. no problems so far. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve Morris
a Cross-Country Rider
from London
Date Reviewed: July 7, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Light rims
Smooth and quick ride
Aesthetically pleasing | | Weaknesses: |
Hubs need regular adjustement.
Sound like a loose bearing when bike first purchased. Returned to MAVIC and replaced.
After less than a thousand miles the other wheel displaying same symptom.
Will soon have to be returned. THis must be a design defect and even if MAVIC do replace, it will either mean several weeks off the bike or getting a new wheel made up. At this price, durability should be better.
a | | Bike Setup: |
Gary Fisher Mt. Tam with Manitou shocks | | Bottom Line: | Great when they work, but not resilient. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron Sherrick
a Cross-Country Rider
from Hershey, PA
Date Reviewed: July 3, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Mt. Gretna and Lamb's Gap | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
light weight
fast
strong
silky-smooth bearings
easy bearing adjustment
price | | Weaknesses: |
none | | Similar Products Used: |
Mavic 220/XT | | Bike Setup: |
Trek OCLV | | Bottom Line: | When I first installed these wheels I was amazed by their performace. They are much faster and just seem to make you sail along. The bearings in the hub are the smoothest I've seen on any mountain bike wheelset to date. Also, bearing adjustments are super easy with the included tool. I was concerned with strength, but after several hard rides I know these wheels are strong. I only managed to knock the rear wheel out of true once, but that was easily trued right up. My only complaint is that I didn't buy these sooner! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
SCOTT LAWSON
a Cross-Country Rider
from DEMOERST GA
Date Reviewed: July 2, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
RELATIVELY LIGHT, STIFF | | Weaknesses: |
REAR HUB SELF-DESTRUCTS | | Similar Products Used: |
XTR | | Bike Setup: |
TREK 9900 SID | | Bottom Line: | I HAD THESE WHEELS FOR ABOUT 900 MILES BEFORE THE
FIRST REAR HUB BLEW. MAIC REPLACED THE ENTIRE
WHEEL (AFTER WAITING FOR THREE MONTHS) BUT IN LESS
THAN 600 MILES THAT ONE HAD ALSO BLOWN UP. MAVIC
ONCE AGAIN REPLACED THE WHEELBUT IN ABOUT THE SAME
600 MILES THIS REAR HUB DEVELOPED THE SAME
SYMPTOMS AS THE FIRST TWO HAD BEFORE BLOWING UP.
THE HUB WAS TAKEN APART AND FOUND TO HAVE A CRACK
WHERE ONE OF THE PAWLS ATTACH. MAVIC REFUSED TO
REPLACE THIS WHEEL AND ACCUSED ME OF USE THESE
WHEELS FOR DOWNHILL RACING IN THE PROCESS. THIS
WHELL HAS BEEN REPLACE, BY MYSELF, WITH A XTR REAR
WHEEL. THE ONLY GOOD THING I CAN SAY IS THE FRONT
HAS HELD UP PERFECTLY THROUGH EVERYTHING. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Porkchop
a Racer
from Littleton
Date Reviewed: June 23, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
C-470 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Lightish | | Weaknesses: |
Defects | | Bike Setup: |
Mt Tam
Manitou SX-R | | Bottom Line: | The rear hub has blown up, just like my friend Dan's. According to LBS the rear axle was Al and not strong enough, it deforms and causes the freehub to bind or something. Off to France!
My earlier review cited the tendency of the front hub bearing adjust to perpetually back off- loctite 242 fixed it.
Lowering review to 2 chilis | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg Kimura
a Weekend Warrior
from Camarillo, CA
Date Reviewed: June 3, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Kanan to Corral Canyon | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Strong, light, great hubs! | | Weaknesses: |
Rear a little wobbly | | Similar Products Used: |
Mavic 217 with XT and Mavic 231 with XT | | Bike Setup: |
GT LTS Thermoplastic 1996 | | Bottom Line: | What an improvement over the 217/XT's. I ride pretty hard and these wheels love it. I have so much confidence with these and they roll sooooo nice! I use Specialized red striped Team Master/Control with latex tubes. What a great setup for my bike. Also saved some $ vs buying Crossmax. Too bad they don't make these anymore. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jesus C.
a Cross-Country Rider
from MA
Date Reviewed: May 27, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Fellsway | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Very smooth hubs, Great front wheel setup | | Weaknesses: |
Rear wheel | | Similar Products Used: |
217's w/LX hubs | | Bike Setup: |
GT Avalanche LE
Judy SL
all XT | | Bottom Line: | the only thing that killed this wheel set was that the friggin rear wheel never stayed true, not matter how many times I went to differnet bike shops, I admit I rough on my wheels but never had the problems with my 217s that I did with the Crossland. At the end I knock it out of round and needed to have it replaced, I laughed when I found out how much the replacement rim was, after much discussion with John (great bike mechanic) from Cycles ETC in Salem NH , I'm not an employee just a very statisfied customer that recommends these guy to everyone, I ended up putting a SUN XC 0 degree rim in the hub, This is how it should be I'm very happy now very strong stup and still light, | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fish
a Cross-Country Rider
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: May 9, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Light, strong, good braking surface, very very smooth hub! | | Weaknesses: |
don't know of any | | Similar Products Used: |
Mavic 217, Sun Ringle rims | | Bike Setup: |
Ti hardtail with Marzocchi Z2 front shock. | | Bottom Line: | I bought the front wheel for $99 as closeout price. They've held up through hundreds of miles or riding and only needed to be trued once. After I trued them, they stayed true. The hub is extremely smooth and are sealed well so that after riding wet and muddy trails, the performance of the hubs have remained consistent. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fast Freddy
a Cross-Country Rider
from Springfield, OH
Date Reviewed: May 9, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Extremely durable. I've ridden these for almost a year now. Haven't had to true them yet. | | Weaknesses: |
The biggst thing I don't like about them is that they don'y use alloy nips. I'm dying to switch them.... | | Similar Products Used: |
I rode Sun/LX rims before. | | Bike Setup: |
I ride a 1997 Super V1000 - Its all XT with Raceface Cranks, Fox alps 5R rear and DD60 Headshock. | | Bottom Line: | These wheels are pretty tough. If my 210 lb but can hit a jump on the trail and blow up a 6 month old headshock and the wheels have no problem, they are ok. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Darrell McMillan
a Racer
from Round Mountain, NV
Date Reviewed: April 25, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Flume | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Very Strong and Light | | Weaknesses: |
None so far. | | Similar Products Used: |
Mavic 220 | | Bike Setup: |
Trek 7000, Rock Shox Judy SL | | Bottom Line: | I'm running the Crossland on the front and the Crosslink on the rear and both of them are awesome. I'm a 195Lb. Cross country racer and have been pounding the hell out of these wheels. They are so light my bike just flies up climbs and they were terrific in the Sea Otter Classic. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bradon
a Weekend Warrior
from Reno
Date Reviewed: April 13, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Peavine | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
lightwieght, price, durability | | Weaknesses: |
hard to true | | Similar Products Used: |
mavic 217's | | Bike Setup: |
hardtail | | Bottom Line: | I think these wheels are pretty good. They're light and strong. The only thing is that I tend to have a hard time truing them. I guess I'm just used to my old 217's. I'm not sure if the 217's were easier to true or if they just got so out of whack that it was easy to see when they got bent. Probably just me. I hope I don't have to send them back because if the other reviews are any indication I'll be waiting for a long time. So far so good. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris B
a Cross-Country Rider
from Little Rock, Arkansas
Date Reviewed: March 18, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Boyle Park here in Little Rock | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
THese wheels have impressed me with their toughness, and their economy. I poaid less for these than a set of CrossMax or Spinergy wheels, and I've only had to true them ONCE! This despite the fact that most of the trails I ride are rocky, rooty and twisty. | | Weaknesses: |
No weaknesses really. The only thing that I can see to improve would be stiffer front skewers. | | Bike Setup: |
I ride a Giant MCM 2 Carbon Fiber bike, with a new SID XC fork. | | Bottom Line: | Overall, these wheels rock! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim Krueger
a cross-country rider
from Green Bay
Date Reviewed: February 22, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought them beacause I neede new wheels and they were light. I love them but have found a couple of flaws. first I could have bought a better wheelset for less money which kinda ticked me off. second, whenever I take corners real fast and hard the spokes buzz and rattle. third, I paid so much I expected a quality freehub body. It was steel with some crazy coating and it marred easily. It was also reaaly quiet so i took it apart and cleaned all the grease out and now it sounds as cool as a king or White Industries | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim McLellan
a cross-country rider
from West Hartford, CT
Date Reviewed: February 19, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Great wheelset, one year without any maintanence. Very strong, no flex and good break surface. May not be the lightest, but the difference in cost just didn't make sense...could buy new again vs CrossMax costs. Well done!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Porkchop
a racer
from Littleton
Date Reviewed: February 18, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Firstly, I would recommend that anyone buy a quality wheelset made with Real or King hubs and Mavic hoops over Mavic pre-builts for less dough.
That being said, these wheels came on my bike. They've been good to me for 11 races and quite a bit of training. I've been certain they're gonna explode or something based on comments below, but they've been good. I've touched up the rear truing a couple of times. The front bearing adjustment is perpetually backing off. Every ride. My LBS gave me one of those cheapass plastic Mavic tools. I'm gonna just use blue loctite on the adjust threads, I think. If anyone knows another, better solution, I'd be grateful. Oh yeah, and Crosslands are fairly light. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt
a weekend warrior
from Westfield
Date Reviewed: February 12, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
These are good wheels. They are pretty damn stiff, but the weight and strenth make up for it!! I have been riding wiht them about 20 times and so far i have had no problems. I know i shouldn't have any problems in that amount of time, but i just have a good feeling about this wheel. Price is a little steep for a weekend warrior, but worth it!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fast Freddy
a cross-country rider
from Ohio
Date Reviewed: February 6, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I am over 200lb rider that is kinda hard on wheels. I took these babies out of the box and threw some tires at them and never looked back. For the money - I got mine for $300 plus shipping 6 mos ago, I couldn't beat them. They aren't the lightest but they are durable! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bob
a racer
from
Date Reviewed: December 20, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Have had mine for about 2 yrs now, beat the crap out of them every weekend, only have had to true the rear once!!!! Never have had to even lube the bearings, not one problem with the hubs. These wheels were well worth the $500 I paid for them, and certainly are a steal at the $300 you can get them for now! By the way, I weigh around 190 and ride a hard tail. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
troll
a weekend warrior
from La.
Date Reviewed: December 13, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I've had these wheels for a year now. I've had no problems other than breaking a spoke in a crash so I had to true them ONCE!! I weigh 230lbs(I leg press 1025lbs). I was 240 when I bought them.I do some jumping and bunny hop all over the place.I break cranks, I bend bottom brackets, in other words I ride very hard!. I ride in alot of different places; Mena, Ark. all over Tx., Leadville, Ca. and any trail I can find here in La. I even have made a couple of down-hill race corse runs on them. The wheels have held up!! I have gone through 3 sets of lesser wheels. I blew-up a 2mo. old LX rear hub on a climb here in flat-@$$ La. Yes, $#!^ happens parts do break it is part of the sport we all love! If you break a part I'm sorry, but before you start bashing the maker of the part try to understand why the part failed. 9 times out of 10 you will find that you are to blame. I work in my LBS part-time and I see some of the B.S. people try to pass off as warranty, I was just riding along and my wheel folded in half! I want it fixed free!!. We have sold 3 sets of cross-lands and 3 sets of cross-max, with no complants,no bad freewheels,no bad bearings. None of us have had to replace bearings yet. But bearings do wear out as do all rims(unless you run disc brakes).I am very happy with these wheels!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kyle
a
from cross-country rider
Date Reviewed: November 30, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
After 20 months and 2500+ miles, I'm happy to say, I've never had a problem with these wheels that were Mavic's fault. I managed to ding the rear wheel a couple of times, and had to tweak the rim back into shape and retrue, but other than that, no problems. I've never even touched the front wheel at all. Which is quite impressive, considering the trails around here are rocky and I'm 6'1 and 195lbs. And the wheels spent the first 13 months on a hardtail. I'm dying to know what these other riders are doing to destroy the freehubs. I disassembled mine last month because I'm getting paranoid reading bad reviews, and the body looks brand new. These are a steel freehub body and not aluminum though. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Clay
a racer
from tucson
Date Reviewed: November 30, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I think these wheels suck. I rode them for a little over a month and all of the non-drive spokes started to come loose. This has been a bit** because Mavic has such $hit about warenty work. I think that all crossland wheels should di and rot in hell. Anyone stupid enough to buy them (including me) should be hit upside the head and buy a pair of 517's with King hubs. You can get a comperable weight for nearly the same price. Mal Mal Mal Mal You suck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a cross-country rider
from Golden, Colorado
Date Reviewed: November 24, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I thought this wheel set was going to be sweet, but I am a little miffed about probs with the rear hub. I'm on my second warrenty replacement in only about 500 miles riding. My riding buddy has had the same problem (though only one time, so far). I agree with the wheel builder several postings down. Go for more beef, and be careful of anything French besides the women. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Herman Donkers
a cross-country rider
from Essen in Belgium
Date Reviewed: November 23, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought the wheelset in december 1998 for my Specialized Stumpjumper M2. This is a very stiff hardtail bike. I find these wheels also very stiff, so I have rather hard-bike. Now I have ordered a Manitou SX fork, to get some more comfort.
When I bought the wheels I had to chosse between Crossmax, Crossland and Spinergy. Now I have them for a year, and I can say it was the best choise. They are very light and fast. And I didn't any big problem until now. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rick
a racer
from Denver, Colorado
Date Reviewed: November 11, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I got these wheels at the beginning of the season and after 900 miles and 8 races, they are as good as new. The freewheel housing cracked after only 200 miles, but Mavic gave me a new wheel within 2 weeks. They said the 97 rear wheel's axle was too short and eccentrically loaded the bearings. I've never had any problems with loose spokes or the wheels going out of true. In fact, I've not even serviced the hubs and they work like the day I bought them. I liked them so much I bought another set (brand new) at the VeloSwap for $250.00; from somebody who's had bad luck I guess. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Christian Droop
a racer
from Quilpué,5-region,Chile
Date Reviewed: October 31, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I'm a junior chilean racer and I've got this wheels since juny.
The only Ican say is that the CROSSLAND'S are one of the best wheels I've ever tried.After a half season of training and racing(really hard),this wheels are still true.Their's hubbs are REALLY GOOD,I say that because since I've got them,I´ve ride across water on every trainig.
If you want a VERY GOOD wheelset for the money,here you've them. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick
a cross-country rider
from Daly City, CA
Date Reviewed: October 24, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Had Crosslands for a year now so here's my review:
1)Smooth, quiet and fast ride, love the look and feels more rigid due to the straight lacing. Due to the straight lacing they go out of true often.
2)Second month, 1 front bearing went rough even with cleaning them, my shop warrantied them without turning in the wheels, they just ordered new bearings.
3)Eighth month the rear free hub would not come out while I was going to service the hub(clean and grease bearings)so I put the cogs back on and yanked the free hub off. Here I noticed a crack on hub body near one of the two pawl pockets. One of the prior reviews had the same problem.
4)I build wheels at a bike shop,www.universalcycles.com, so I built a set of black Chris King hubs, 517UB's and black spokes and nipples. Far better set than the Crosslands.
If you're going to buy on a wheelset, spend a little extra and go King/517, the hubs are stronger with better warranty service and the 517 rims are Maxtal material same as Crossmaxes, the Crossland rims, which aren't Maxtal, are the same as Mavic 217's. So, what am I going to do with the Crosslands when and if I get them back? Put them on my wife's bike.=^)
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian Hall
a cross-country rider
from Fredericksburg VA
Date Reviewed: October 20, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I entered my LBS to see about getting a second set of wheel to use for street and keep my old Bontragers for off road. I didn't think that lighter wheels would really make a difference, and I didn't want to have to re true them after every ride (I am 195 lbs). But the guys at the shop helped to change my mind, and this was definately for the better. These wheels rock!! The improvement of my riding was almost immediate. They roll well and are stiff (even under some fairly hairy down hill). And due to their lightness and stiffness they have boosted my confidence to try new stuff, and made my local trails move faster. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon Kessler
a downhiller
from Millbrook, NY
Date Reviewed: October 20, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have these wheels on m XC bike and I like them. I am not a 'finesse' rider. Ijuump and ride like I am on te DH race course. When I broke my DH wheels I hade to sub these in for them. They held up even throught two races. They were still fine. But after a while and a couple of big hits (one which bent the rim, which I fixed with plyers) some spokes in the rear became loose but I tightened them and they were fine again. The berings are sweet and the ride is smooth. These wheels should be no prob for XC riders and races, just don't jump them or, race DH on them. Take it easy.One chile lost for loose spokes. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ed
a weekend warrior
from San Antonio, Texas
Date Reviewed: October 20, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought these wheels before I knew of this site, so after reading some of the nightmares that people were having with the frogs over at Mavic, I was concerned that I would destroy my wheels and not have them for months. I'm pretty heavy -read, FAT ASS- ,~210lbs (95kg, for the frenchmen), but after doing a few really rocky rides in Austin, they're still doin' fine, with one exception. A couple of posts down, someone complains that they are having to tighten up their spokes after every couple of rides. Well hot damn, I've had that same problem for a couple of weeks now and after a second trip to my LBS, they're gonna use some sort'a spoke specific loc-tite( or however you spell it)on the whole wheel if it continues. Hopefully, this will fix me up just fine.
On the upside, the things roll well and the look on the faces of the people who see my junky ol' steel bike weighing in at less than their new-matrix-tempered-oval-butted-shot-peened-releived bottom-bracket aluminum is worth it. By the way I don't have anything against Al, I just thought y'all would enjoy the rant. See ya.Minus one flaming jalapeno for the perpetual anxiety induced by the stories that I've read here and for the loosening spoke issue.-Ed | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Plaz
a cross-country rider
from Houston, Texas
Date Reviewed: October 15, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Truly a smooth roll and typical durability. I've been riding mine on and off for a year, because of they've been on the disabled list. My problems have been with broken spokes and spokes coming loose (after every ride) on the non-drive side of the rear wheel. Also, what is up w/ the plastic tool used to tighten the hubs, can someone come up w/ a metal one that will not break (if there is someone englighten me, please)? I like my wheels like my women, good looking, demand maximum performance at all times and very low maintenance. They're gonna be playing second fiddle to a pair of XTR & 517's and I'll still ride them from time, because they're so suave. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brad Worley
a cross-country rider
from North Carolina
Date Reviewed: October 14, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have approximately 500 miles of serious off-road riding in the mountains of western North Carolina. I have literally beat the hell of these wheels, not much jumping, that's for the bmx'ers, but ridden really hard to say the least. I weigh 185 lbs., and I have had to true the Crosslands yet, only slightly out of true. So far, I am very impressed. Let's hope I stay that way. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Holcomb
a racer
from Borger Tx
Date Reviewed: October 10, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
To all the peaple out there saying that these wheels aren't that good are idiots. I have been riding with these wheels for about four months and have loved every second of it. They are extremly stiff and deliver a very light and responsive ride. Not to mention the tremendous speed advantage on the rest of my riding partners. It is a great feeling to roll sections that your counterparts are forced to pedal. Plus I recently traded with a friend (some high end ritchy's) for a ride and really realized how much of a difference they make. So if you would like to speed things up for whats really not that exspensive these are the wheels for you. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kenny T.
a weekend warrior
from NYC
Date Reviewed: October 1, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Had my Crosslands for a year and have mixed reviews. The front kept creaking so my LBS sent it back to Mavic and their sending me a new one for free. The rear went out of true so bad it couldn't be fixed so I bought from Mavic a new Crossland rim for $60 dollars and my LBS will relace for free. I guess this situation was expected but Mavic's customer service sucks!!!! I ordered these items a few weeks ago and my LBS had to order them again because the guys at Mavic weren't paying attention the first time. A friend in the industry told me once that is better to deal with folks in the old USA because you get better service as oppose to the French and Italian sissies because they don't like yanks anyways. Just my two cents. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Cebriak
a cross-country rider
from Spokane, WA
Date Reviewed: September 2, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
OK, my 2nd review (see prev. Jan. 29, 1998).Have to send this friggin' rear wheel back to Mavic for a **2nd** warranty repair. This time the rear freewheel mechanism seized while climbing a steep portion of singletrak. And, the axle on the drive-side seems slightly bent.I get a chuckle when I read all the reviews which praise these wheels. Sure the bearings are smooth; in fact, my front wheel is still nearly perfect. However, I almost lose it whenever I hear Mavic or Mavic dealers tout the serviceability of this wheelset. It's not. You send it to Mavic or VOID the warranty--there's your 2 service options.I will NEVER buy another proprietary wheelset again unless I win the Lotto or something. If Mavic decides to not warranty this wheel, I will be purchasing an XTR rear w/ Bonty ASYMS, 14/15s, and alloy nips. I bet I end up w/ a wheel that weighs about the same as that unreliable rear CL.Oh, for the record, I weigh about 180, ride about 3x per week and don't jump or ride heavy--yes, another finesse rider I suppose. The point is if this rear hub was properly designed, I wouldn't be warrantying it for the 2nd time in 8 mos. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
CJM
a cross-country rider
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: August 30, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The Crosslands replaced an LX/Sun CR-18 setup. The old LX cassette was replaced with an XTR Ti at the same time. I weighted the entire bike before and after and noticed about 1 1/2 ponds weight reduction. The Mavic hubs spin freely and quietly, and seem very well machined. The braking surface is wider than my old CR-18s. The geometry of the rim itself seems structurally superior to the CR-18, and the job done with spokes is pretty impressive. The bike is lighter and noticeably more responsive. I got my wheelset from Bikeworld for $350. In summary, when compared to an econo-wheelset, the Crosslands are simply too far ahead and in another category. The only negative is the rumors I heard about having to ship to France for warranty service. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cj
a cross-country rider
from milwaukee wisconsin
Date Reviewed: August 22, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
here's the deal. I bought the Crossland wheelset. The rear showed up with a bent spoke. My boss called Mavic and explained the situation and they said, Fine, send it back and we'll send a new one. Yeah right, three weeks later I get my wheel. So my boss says, Unacceptable, he's got a race in three days. Mavic says, How about we overnight them, you'll see them in two days? Now that's acceptable. The moral of this story is: don't puss out when you talk to these companies on the phone. All these complain about bad service and it's because you aren't telling Mavic what the deal is. The deal is that you paid a bunch of cash for a product and you're pissed that it's messed up. My bosses X-Max rear wheel pulled a spoke right through the rim and he had a new wheel within a week.
Special note: Our shop never dealt with Mavic before this. We've ordered a total of three wheelsets from them so it's not like we're the Mavic super store or anything.
Oh yeah, the wheels, they kick ass. Tight hub-body that loosened up and a few ever so slight out of true experiences (after 3 races and some training).Only 4 flaming piles of crap because the X-Maxes and the new Bontrager Race Lite set are still lighter! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
g
a
from lok
Date Reviewed: August 19, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
ving just received my Mavic Crosslands thru my LBS as an early x-mas
present, and I incredibly happy. These wheels weigh in at about 685g and
880g, as opposed to the 730g and 930g they were advertised as. Not only
are these wheels sharp looking, the have incredible bearings. Just
letting them spin with the bike upside down is amazing. I am too
impatient to wait for them to stop! At 450 dollars, these are by far the
best wheels for the cash, second only to the Mavic Crossmax wheels, that
go for 800 a set. These wheels are uniquely spoked: On the rear drive
side, there is a cross-three pattern. On the rear non-drive side, that
are radial laced. The front wheel is completely radial laced. This makes
for a stiff ride, but front suspension takes most of the bite out of it.
I shaved about two punds off of my old LX hubbed wheels... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jonathan McIlvaine
a weekend warrior
from Ft. Bragg, North Carolina
Date Reviewed: August 7, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
When I first saw went out to upgrade my wheel set, I was looking at the new Spins. But, when I saw the Mavic CrossLands, I fell in love with the look. More impotantly, the easy serviciability of the hubs. I have had to replace the rear bearings twice so far, but that's only because I love to ride throught water and constantly submerge my hubs. 5 Stars all the way | | Overall Rating: |
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