Submitted by
Brett Wolmarans
a Cross Country Rider
from Thousand Oaks Date Reviewed: May 26, 2006
Favorite Trail:
space mountain
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
used
Strengths:
follow up to previous review. Just got back from Sedona, was riding around on sub rock, going too fast and twice went over this 2 ft drop to flat, BANG totally bottoming out the 4" travel frame. Oops. But the wheels? True and straight, no hops. The person that posted that these wheels are too weak and flexy for their 170lbs must have got a defective set because these are some bomber wheels ( for XC what they are designed for ). I suggest that person return the wheels because there must be something wrong with them.
Weaknesses:
Cost if bought new
Similar Products Used:
Buddy's hand built Stans 355's
Bike Setup:
Stumpy
Bottom Line:
great
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brett Wolmarans
a Cross Country Rider
from Thousand Oaks Date Reviewed: March 13, 2006
Favorite Trail:
space mountain
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
used - had to drive to Ontario!
Strengths:
very strong - I'm 215Lbs and hit some rocks and little drops pretty hard. I think the chainstays would break before these would. Easy to service.
Weaknesses:
none so far - maybe one a little tricky to mount tubed tire, first time the tube popped off at 35lbs made a sound like a pistol going off, good thing my hand wasn't there. Oh, and the price, I would never pay new for these, I got these used these are the 2003 CrossMax UST ( not XL, not SL, just original one)
Similar Products Used:
crappy Deore hub 223's
Bike Setup:
Stumpy comp 04 - the silver dream machine
Bottom Line:
great. use the mineral oil (buy it at home depot, etc butcher block oil) to lubricate the pawls to get that nice snick-snick sound. Remember to pull the cap off to get the 10MM hex wrench in there. Giving 3 value chillies because even though I only paid $250 these are just so freakin expensive for mass produced wheels when new.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Josè Luis Cendejas
a Cross Country Rider
from Mèxico Date Reviewed: January 29, 2006
Favorite Trail:
La Resinera
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Light, faster, UST, great desing, another good product from mavic, blade zicral spokes and ceramic coating sidewalls are the best.
Weaknesses:
Weak in side to side movements, hard to find spokes replacements, even ceramic brake-pads (because ceramic rims are not popular in Mèxico).
Similar Products Used:
Mavic X517-XTR hubs-DT Swiss Champion spokes, Mavic 217-XT hubs-Wheel smith spokes, Sun Rhyno Lite-Spec. stout hubs-DT swiss revolution spokes.
Bike Setup:
GT I-Drive Team-Manitou Qrl shock, Full XTR 2002, Rock Shox SID 03 w/pop lock remote, FSA aheadset, Easton carbon/aluminium components, Time Atac TITAN pedals, Hutchinson Spider UST tires, Specialized Alias saddle and of course... mavic crossmax UST.
Bottom Line:
These wheels are made for racing, but is possible to use it for training, also these are made for low weight raiders, but they are strong to carry me whitout any problem (210pds is the number in my scale, YEA... I'M HEAVY!!!).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chad
a Racer
from Park City, UT Date Reviewed: October 18, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Porcupine Rim
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Lightweight, cool looking
Weaknesses:
Flexy, rear hub has to have constant TLC, rim is weak, ceramic finish chips off.
Similar Products Used:
Spinergy Xyclone Race
Bike Setup:
Rocky Mountain Element TSC. Built up frame with various components
Bottom Line:
This reveiw is for the Crossmax SL's non disc. I weigh 170 lbs and these wheels are too light and flexy for my weight. When riding, it always feels like I have a low or flat tire due to the rear wheel flexing so much. I constantly have to true these wheels and service the rear hub at least once a month. The rim is very weak or made of a softer aluminum as there are a bunch of dings and dents. I have had to replace one of the spokes and many of the others are bent. The ceramic finsish is chipping off. For the price you pay for these wheels, I would expect a better longer life product. After two years of use, my LBS has recommended I retire these wheels and get some new ones.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from Port Hueneme, CA USA Date Reviewed: May 30, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Los Robles
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$331.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Super strong and stable wheels. Ceramic braking surface.
Weaknesses:
I hear the hubs are wishy washy. I havent had any issues.
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager asym wheelset.
Bike Setup:
Trek 6000. Upgraded with xt/xtr der's, shimano crankset, xt 8 speed cassette, 04 Marzocchi Marathon S (see my review) Bontrager seat post and handlebar, teflon der cables. Much to follow
Bottom Line:
Bought these used but from what i can see so far these are very strong and stable. Little or no flex when leaning to one side. Cermaic braking surface is good shortening your stopping distance. More in control of bike which gives confidence. These are super fast and super smooth. Glad i chose to go with these.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bill Sornson
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA USA Date Reviewed: September 30, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Noble Canyon
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$450.00
Purchased At:
Blacksmith Wheels/Rose Cyn Cycles
Strengths:
Stay true, flats rare (with tubeless tires, at least).
Weaknesses:
THE HUBS!!! They both suck, but the rear is unbelievably bad and even Mavic can't fix it (see below for story).
Similar Products Used:
Various mtb wheels (517s on XTR hubs, Sun Ringle, etc.)
Bike Setup:
Titus Swithblade, full XTR, non-disc
Bottom Line:
These wheels were the worst cycling purchase I ever made. Although they look nice, the hubs are ridiculous. Besides spokes pulling out, the bearings drag like nuts and the parts come apart with NO TOOLS.
History: I bought the wheels in the summer of '03, and the rear wheel dragged right from the start. Cranks would turn while wheel spun, and if back-pedal the wheel would turn backwards. In other words, BEARING DRAG. I lived with it until I finally got a "death squeal" that caused a terrible vibration and moise thru the whole rear end of bike.
The guy who sold 'em to me replaced the bearing (blaming me for the problem, by the way), but the drag was just the same and the death squeal returned after very little use. A friend just took the wheels to a race where Mavic supposedly worked on them (both hubs come apart by hand, no tools required), but the drag is STILL THERE!
Someone on a newsgroup I read (AM-B) with the more expensive SLs (I have the Crossmax XLs)had the EXACT SAME PROBLEM (death squeal), but the sales guy treats me like I'm from the moon for even suggesting there's a problem.
First a spoke pulled out (snapped back in), then the death squeal, then BOTH hubs came apart by themselves. I just visited Mavic's site and there's not even a way to write or call them.
Bottom line: avoid these Ps OS. If you even LOOK at water, then the hubs will seize up. Mine bite the big one; not sure why others seem satisfied...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott Turnbull
a Weekend Warrior
from Superior WI Date Reviewed: August 28, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Munger trail
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$519.00
Purchased At:
Price point
Strengths:
Light,stiff beutiful wheels will make any bike look grest.Improved cornering ability on my hardtail Stumjumper dramaticly.
Weaknesses:
Pricey,owners manual.But you get what you pay for.
Its almost Sept here in upper Wisc and winter is not far off. I just purchsed theese wheels two days ago and have been riding as much as I can.Its almost like theese wheels added another dimension to the bike,a step beyond shall we say.The Stumpjumper is already a fine bike and with addition of theese wheels makes it a GREAT bike.Get a set
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Thunder bay Date Reviewed: August 26, 2004
Favorite Trail:
uhh shuniah mines
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$500.00
Strengths:
i have taken these wheels off ten foot drops and and they're soild. for how light they are the strongest wheel set i have ever riden ceraminc coating is awesome ude have to like smash them on a rock to chip it.
Weaknesses:
havent found any yet
Similar Products Used:
mavic crossrides and crossrocs
Bike Setup:
trek fuel 98
Bottom Line:
i first tried these wheels and the 2004 ontario summergames. the course was pretty intence and i ride hard and these wheels are still perfectly true. the bottom line is these wheels rock
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matthew Vangelisti
a
from Markham, Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: August 15, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Durham Regional Forest
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$750.00
Purchased At:
Markham Cyclepath
Strengths:
CXM UST wheels roll very well and are quite light. They do look extremely cool and will turn heads at any race. I have found that they hold air extremely well with either UST or regular tires.
Weaknesses:
I ride real trails, not the kind you will see during the olympics or some NORBA races. If you ride enough you will enventually lose it, from time to time for sure. Our crew rides that edge/mix of cross country and freeride. As such after a good wipe a rim can become a little out of true. After 6 in one ride, both can. While it is a bit of a pain, I don't think it makes the rim a bad one. A little more rider still would help. It is likely a trade off you have to make if you chose to ride such a light rim.
Similar Products Used:
Rolf Dolomite.
Bike Setup:
2004 M5 S-Works. Full XTR, Easton E709, Shimano 959.
Bottom Line:
Bottom line is that these are high performance race wheels for skilled cross country riders. They are not for hucking gaps or big drops. They are for winning X-C races. Buy accordingly. Also buy a set from your local bike shop. You will get the tools and the instructions needed for proper care.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Racer
from Melbourne, Australia Date Reviewed: May 21, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$415.00
Purchased At:
BikeNOW
Strengths:
Tubeless, fairly light for the price
Weaknesses:
flexy, fancy stickers come off quickly, threaded axle started chewing out the dropouts in my yeti frame. grrrr. freehub tight from the factory
Yeti ARC, Avid Single Digit 7, Maxxis Larsen TT UST
Bottom Line:
This review is for the 2004 Mavic Crossmax Enduro. These are the cheapest Crossmax and you can tell, if you buy them because the stickers look cool enjoy them while they last, after a couple of months they'll be so tacky the wheels look better without them. Whereas the SL's and XL's have a nice round machined part on the axle these have a Hexagonal thing that has started eating into my Yeti. It has pushed away all the powder coat on the frame and now the wheel sits noticeably off centre in the frame although perfectly dished and trued. Makes for a hell of a job to get the brakes working nicely. The front is radially spoked and while the Sl's and Xl's have no problem with this the Enduro seems to flex a fair bit. No matter who sets up my brakes or how they do it when i'm out of the saddle ing they flex and you can hear them hitting the pads. The last annoying thing is that the freehub was tight from the factory, tight enough to peddle the bike when you spin the wheel. On the other hand they're tubeless and I love it, they are relatively light weighing in at 1720g and are in a more reachable budget. I bought these because I needed new wheels but wasn't lashing out on SL's as I want discs. They're an Ok wheel but when I get discs I'll be buying Sl's.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Craig
a Cross Country Rider
from Thousand Oaks, CA Date Reviewed: April 17, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Trails in Pt Mugu and Chesboro
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
This review is for the 04 SLs. Light, smooth hubs, stiff, ceramic coating for improved braking.
Weaknesses:
None yet.
Similar Products Used:
02 Mavic Crossmax
Bike Setup:
Ibis Silk Ti
Bottom Line:
I like them. Light, strong-I weigh 185 and ride them fairly hard-smooth bearings. Excellent XC race wheelset that seems strong enough to use for everyday riding.
I was using the 02 Crossmax wheels prior to purchasing the SLs. Those wheels held up well. I replaced them purely for the weight savings. The other wheels still work fine.
I've read the other reviews re: spokes pulling through and the like. Have I just been lucky? I don't know. But I do know that I trust these wheels.
I'll post again after a few more months of riding.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom S
a Racer
from Auburn NH, USA Date Reviewed: March 5, 2004
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$750.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
Very Strong, Good looks, Durable
Weaknesses:
not much, the plasic spoke trueing tool was useless, pricy, but worth it
These wheels have lasted a rather long time, and have survived three race seasons. They are rather light, and look awesome, they can seriously make any bike look nice. Since purchasing them I’ve had to replace two spokes, and the bearings in both front and rear hubs. The bearings lasted two years of NE riding, which usually includes a lot of mud, so I’m quite content with the length they lasted. I’ve used these wheels on my last three bikes (Trek STP, Trek Fuel, and Klein Attitude Race), and I’ve always been impressed with them. They are very stiff, with no lateral flex. I may retire them this year, but if i do, it will be with a pair of CrossMAX SL’s.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Craig
a
from Thousand Oaks, CA Date Reviewed: March 4, 2004
Something broke lose in the rim cavity. It isn't a spoke nipple. Aside from an annoyning noise from time to time, it isn't a problem-at least that's what the folks at Mavic told me.
Similar Products Used:
Fisrt tubless wheelset
Bike Setup:
Ibis Silk Ti
Bottom Line:
This is a 2 year follow up. Fortunately, I haven't had any of the problems others have listed-spokes pulling through, bad bearings, weak. They've worked well for me. In fact, my next wheels will probably be Crossmax SL disk. And I've been riding them fairly hard-including several XC races. I weigh 185, so I'm not exactly a lightweight, either. I think these are the '02 Crossmax wheels. Perhaps there has been some QA issues since then? I've gotten used to the feel, but I still remember the first time I took these wheels out. What a difference! Much better traction, slightly better comfort.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jason Hill
a
from Christchurch Date Reviewed: February 24, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
Nothing really apart from looking nice.
Weaknesses:
Rim eyelet strength. Ceramic coating on braking surface.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 517 and 618 rims
Bike Setup:
2003 S-Works FSR.
Bottom Line:
Steer clear of these wheels. I have ripped 4 spokes out of the rear wheel and it cost me $350(NZD) to get a new rim that took 1 month to arrive. The ceramic coating on the front rim is starting to flake off. A friend has the same wheels and has experienced exactly the same thing. Mavic told him that the spokes ripping out of the rim was just normal wear and tear. Save your money and some weight and get something else. By the sound of it Mavic are making too much money off everyone to care so lets stop buying their product.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Roger
a Cross Country Rider
from Lincoln, NE. Date Reviewed: December 14, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Anything in Moab
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
EBAY
Strengths:
Smooth hubs, stay true.
Weaknesses:
Spokes pulled out of rear wheel on initial ride, cost $180 to replace rear rim. Ceramic brake surface "peeled off" on new rear rim after < 2 months riding. Front and rear wheel very "flexy".
Similar Products Used:
Rolf Dolomites, Bontrager Race Lites, etc....
Bike Setup:
Klein Adept, XTR, AVid brakes with XTR Ceramic pads.
Bottom Line:
I have wanted a set of these from the time I first saw them and finally bought a pair in July from EBAY. On the first ride, a 2" diameter stick flew up from the trail and jammed into the rear wheel, causing the spoke to pull from the rim and ruin the rim. (I understand this is not the wheels fault, but it still cost $180 to fix and was gone for 4 weeks) I then rode for a couple of months without problems, but I did notice quite a bit of flex in both the front and rear. I'm around 190lbs and not a real aggressive ride and I heard brake rub on technical sections. The wheels stayed true and have remained so. I then went to Moab in late October and when I returned I noticed the ceramic surface had a chip out of it and quite a bit of the rim had what looked like blisters on it. I took it back to the LBS, (those guys are great) and they sent the wheel back to Mavic. The Mavic rep told them to ask if I had used XTR ceramic pads. (I have been using them) He said he had seen it several times because the XTR pads are too hard. Has anybody else heard of this? I normally am not to hard on anything on my bike and try to take good care of it. I think Mavic is going to warranty this last thing, but I'm not sure. These might be okay for only racing, but I don't think they are durable enought for everyday use like they are advertised as.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
sean
a Cross Country Rider
from winston-salem Date Reviewed: August 3, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Stokes County
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Looks cool, has smooth hub action, and the ceramic braking surface is a nice touch.
Weaknesses:
Spokes will rupture through the rim!
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager Race Tubless
Bike Setup:
Cannondale hardtail with headshock, xtr throughout.
Bottom Line:
Hesistate ever buying Mavic products again. I keep hearing more and more incidents where people have had their Crossmax spokes pull through the rim. Might be a suitable wheel for racing only, but they're pretty damn expensive to be so unreliable.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dale
a Cross Country Rider
from Vail Date Reviewed: July 21, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
good looks, ceramic brake surface, smooth bearings!
Weaknesses:
haven't experienced any!
Bike Setup:
Giant MCM, XTR
Bottom Line:
reluctant to buy at first from reading some bad reviews about the poor mavic rims but gave in b/c of vanity! after riding along some rocky trails, over 500km, only had to retrue the back once, and only slightly! handled all the abuse and still rolling! in fact, I notice that I gain speed on decents and have to hang on to my brakes! have to adjust the cones once in a while, but that is it. still using v-brakes and perform exceptionally in the rain. no probs and very glad i invested in these wheels.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Somxay
a Racer
from Philadelphia Date Reviewed: July 3, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
Ebay
Strengths:
light wieght, tubeless, strong and great looking wheels
Weaknesses:
hard to install tubeless tires
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
RM Vertex team SC, full XTR, Crossmax UST, and Sid Race fork, sub 21 LBS race bike
Bottom Line:
Great race wheels there light and strong. I got mine on Ebay for $400shipped. The only problem I have with them are installing tubeless tires, there a pain in the butt. Rather then that they hold up great and looks great. Maybe later on in the future I will get the Crossmax SL. But for now, these wheels are great.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Robert Graham
a Cross Country Rider
from Provo, Utah USA Date Reviewed: June 19, 2003
Favorite Trail:
It's so good I don't want to share...
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
Came with 2001 S-Works
Strengths:
Durable, lite, quiet, low maintenance, Great looking.
Weaknesses:
Flat spokes will not double well for shishkabobs...??? Also, I suppose they are a bit on the pricey side.
Similar Products Used:
Nothing compares!
Bike Setup:
2001 Specialized S-Works with XTR, SRAM X.0, Easton Monkey lite, Thompson stem, Chris King headset, hutchison tires. Huffy seat, handlebar streamers and air-horn (joke).
Bottom Line:
I have loved these wheels from the day I got them. I keep checking them to see if they are out-of-true, but they just stay perfect. I have read many of the reviews and all the complaints seem to deal with Mavic customer support; If what the complainers say is true then I suppose I'm lucky I haven't needed to try to get a fee replacement or anything. However, I think some riders perhaps are just plain spastic and break everything they touch--and then want the manufacturer to take care of them with a new replacement when anything goes wrong.
I weigh in around 190 (all muscle ;) ) and I don't go easy on these wheels-lots of riding on rock, stairs, logs, moab's skickrock, etc. So far I don't have a single complaint about them.
These wheels are stiff. I have read complaints about too stiff, too flexible. I say they are stiff. As for "too stiff", let your shocks do the flexing.
And, as an added bonus to the outstanding performance of these wheels, THEY LOOK SOOOOO SWEEET!!!
My recommendation is BUY, BUY, BUY.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
j rocco
a Racer
from dc,dc Date Reviewed: June 18, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
500
Strengths:
weight,looks,brand name
Weaknesses:
weight
Similar Products Used:
crossroc ust(2yrs)
Bike Setup:
hardtail,crossmax SL
Bottom Line:
save your money.don't buy em. these were purchased as a replacement for my worn crossrocs. the rocs never gave me any problem, but they were tired and i was ready for the upgrade. in the first race with the max sl's the front came out of true. kinda weak for a front wheel, but at 650g i was suspect of their performance. goofy spoke wrench makes it easy to realign, but im not interested in doing this everytime i ride em.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Riaan
a Racer
from South Africa Date Reviewed: June 3, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$700.00
Strengths:
UST related strenghts - low roll resistance, better traction, etc. Wheel set itself - stiffness, weight, looks, reliability & responsiveness
Weaknesses:
None (yet?)
Similar Products Used:
X315's & Mavic Cross Ride
Bike Setup:
Race orientated, but with a preference towards functionality (stiffness & durability) rather than pure weight freak.
Bottom Line:
I have the Crossmax XL. I've chosen it above the SL due to increased weight (I figured it would be more stiff and reliable). When I first received the wheels I had to use tubes (couldn't get my hands on Michelin tubeless). Fitting: getting the tube and tyre on was as easy, or as difficult, as an ordinary wheel. Ride: at low speeds a bit of flex was noticeable from the front wheel, otherwise I came away impressed - refer to strengths excl UST remarks. Tubeless: I prepared myself for a struggle to fit the tyres, it turned out to be easier than the tubes versions! (I used soapy water as recommeded - but didn't do anything else out of the ordinary). To help prevent leakages and punctures I squirted a "slime" like substance (a SA product - designed for road tyres, light and with the ability to get it throught a presta valve)in just before completely fitting the tyre (no need to use the valve - another adv of tubeless). With this system I only have to touch up on air pressure every 3 to 4 weeks! The ride turned out to be just as promised - it is really a step above the rest. The flex in the front I mentioned above was totally gone?! I've experienced two puncture flats - apparently the "slime" like substance couldn't sort this. On the recommendation of a mountain bike mag review I deflated the tyre, and squirted some glue inside. I coudn't believe that it actually worked! My weight is 190 pounds and tyre pressure used 2.3-2.5 bar. I do mostly cross country in dry rocky, sandy and hardpack areas. Riding style: semi aggresive.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eladio Roca
a Cross Country Rider
from Caracas, Venezuela Date Reviewed: May 6, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
Specialized bike shop
Strengths:
NONE
Weaknesses:
Ceramic flacking off from side walls, UST forget it, air leaks no matter what trick you use, I try it ALL. The Worst thing Mavic customer service.
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager Race X Lite Tubeless
Bike Setup:
Specialized S-Works FSR 2002
Bottom Line:
In sum a very weak product.
I bought my Specialized S-Works FSR 2002 with Mavic wheels installed as standard, thinking that at MSRP $800 wheel set would hold up in time. After 2 months of use, ceramic flacking started. Not what I would call a reliable and durable product, but a terrible one. Mavic France hasn’t been really supportive with anybody (Specialized retailer and local Mavic representative), after an 8 months claim. Buy wheels you can repair yourself, because Mavic sure isn’t interested in helping you repair theirs.
If Mavic Crossmax it’s a super wheel why 2002 price drops down so drastically compare with the 2003 wheel set (check any internet bike shop). Why did Mavic introduce an improvement call “Ceramic2” on Crossmax XL 2003? Mavic needs a serious revision of customer care, knowing they have a faulty product in the market and not taking any positive action to solve it. Specially in countries near the Equator.
I’d think twice before buying Mavic’s products that can fail on you so bad. This is a message to the bicycling community worldwide. Support what supports you!!! and companies that back up their products and where customers are the main reason of their existence.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
sal
a Cross Country Rider
from san francisco Date Reviewed: April 22, 2003
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$500.00
Strengths:
great xc wheelset, its stiff for its weight and better traction because of lower tire pressure.
Weaknesses:
its a f!@#$%g joke to get parts replaced for this wheel. see below.
Similar Products Used:
original crossmax, chris king wheels
Bike Setup:
superlight with xtr and manitou fork.
Bottom Line:
I bent a rim beyond repair and it has to be sent back to mavic and its going to cost me over $250 to get a new rim and some spokes. the front wheel didnt even cost me that much. it will probably take more than a few weeks to get it back also. Its way too expensive to repair, im better off buying a new front wheel. The only thing making me keep this product is the performance i get out of them when they are working.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Wingsprint
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, AZ. Date Reviewed: April 15, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Cave Creek Dam Reserve
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$499.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Great wheels! Strong and light. No wheel is perfect, but these are very good.
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
You name it.
Bottom Line:
Now that you can get these $800 wheels ($499)on clearance at many places, run don't walk and get some.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ethan
a Racer
from Steamboat Springs, CO, USA Date Reviewed: January 28, 2003
Favorite Trail:
anything on 18 Road
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Tubeless is the way to go. At 28 psi control is unbelievable. And I haven't flatted any of my tires to this date.
Weaknesses:
Stifness. But that is relatively minor in book. If you learn how to ride them then it isn't a problem
Bike Setup:
20" Moots YBBair, Full XTR, SID Race Carbon.
Bottom Line:
I have experienced none of the customer support problems that people below have. When I finally pulled a few spokes out of the rear rim, this fall, two years after I got the wheels, Mavic had the wheels back to me in less than two weeks. The tubeless thing is amazing. At the National in Mt. Snow, I hit the rim three times and didn't pinch. And they weren't easy hits. I've ridden and raced some of the most demanding trails from Moab, to Snowshoe and most of what's in between. The wheels held up superbly. In October, while riding slickrock, I pulled three spokes through the rim. But I had been expecting that. I didn't think that the wheels would last as long as they did, but they did, and that's what is important. I don't plan on riding anything but tubeless wheels from now on
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Manolo
a Cross Country Rider
from Germany, Black Forest Date Reviewed: January 7, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Kandel
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
- Tubeless system (grip, less flats, damping) - good weight / stability ratio - looks
Weaknesses:
- frontwheel stiffness
Similar Products Used:
Mavix 517 / 521, Wolber AT 18, Rigida and so on
Bike Setup:
GT Zaskar LE, XTR, Atom Race, etc.
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up of my earlier review. On the trail hundreds of miles of singletrack riding have confirmed my first impressions: the use of tubeless tires (i ride Michelin XLS / Front S) generates a very smooth ride feeling with excellent grip. You really feel closer to the trail, cornering is excellent as well. I cleared sections, I never did before. Another advantage is the fact that pinch flats are a thing of the past. I did not have one single pinch flat since I ride these wheels for one year now and I really bashed over some rocks and roots ! In total I had only one flat at all because the rear tire picked up a nail on the street.
I had to true the rear wheels two or three times and the fornt wheel once, which is ok for me. Truing is quite easy with 18 / 20 spokes. The spoke wrench should be made of metal and not of crappy plastic. However I think Mavic wants to prevent that people do overtighten the spokes and therefore crack the rim.
The other gripe besides the spoke wrench: to my opinion the front wheel should be a little bit stiffer. When hard downhill bashing causes the fork to use all of its travel I notice some flex in the frontwheel which decreases steering precision.
For the bottom line I would say that this is a great wheelset for cross country riding. Tubeless is the way to go !
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike R.
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix,AZ USA Date Reviewed: December 11, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Organ Donor/Shultz Creek/Little Bear
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Light weight, Strong Rims and Spokes, Sealed Bearings, UST tires fit these rims better than most other UST rims.
Weaknesses:
Spokes(expensive), Front wheel not as stiff as other combos, spoke wrench is a joke.
Similar Products Used:
Bontragers and other Mavics.
Bike Setup:
'01 Sugar 2 ordered with special sauce...
Bottom Line:
IF you ride XC and want to be able to corner quicker and climb better then the lower pressure you can run with a UST setup WILL make you a faster rider.
From a durability standpoint I have broken some spokes and the wheels have gone out of true but not any more than any other wheelset that I have owned. I have not experienced the issues w/durability that other posters have below. I weigh 200 pds and live in a rocky (a.k.a desert) environment that is brutal on wheels and this wheelset has held up VERY well for me and my style of riding.
I've ridden in the east and west and ride w/guys that are just as fast as I am or faster and they will be in front of me riding on NON-UST tires and I will literally catch up to them on every turn and literally stick to their back wheel. It's almost comical sitting there watching them really riding on the edge in the turns while I'm just coasting letting the UST tires and lower pressure grip the ground. Try it..and you'll see what I mean...
One word of advice -> If you live in a place where there are lots of thorns, goatheads, etc, then put a sealant in your UST tires such as Stans or Slime. I use Stan's w/my tires and it's a bullit proof setup for desert riding. The sealant also helps seal the tire to the rim and prevents any air from escaping.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bob
a Racer
from Boulder Date Reviewed: December 11, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$450.00
Purchased At:
Mavic Rep
Strengths:
Very Fast Wheel set when they are straight and working.
Weaknesses:
Very Weak Product. I bought these wheels thinking that at MSRP $800 they would hold up. A reviewer below had the same problem
Bottom Line:
Very Weak Product. I bought these wheels thinking that at MSRP $800 they would hold up. A reviewer below had the same problem. During the 24 hours of Moab I had 3 drive side spokes pull right out of the rim. The rim cracked around the nipples. Not what I would call reliable and durable. Mavic hasn't been really supportive and I need to find a local bike shop that I didn't buy the wheels from to help me with the warranty. I have to pay for the shipping and don't know if they will warranty them or not. Not good customer support. Build up your own wheels with standard spokes so you can repair them yourself, because Mavic sure isn't interested in helping you repair them.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin Merritt
a Weekend Warrior
from Boone, NC Date Reviewed: November 15, 2002
These are some sweet wheels. I have improved speed by only switchin wheels. These things are great. Tires sealed beautifully, and those bladed spokes really turn heads. I cant say enough about them. Find them on MTBR classifieds used, be sure that they are in good shape, and buy them, bottomline!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
sergio
a Racer
from Portugal - PAFARRÃO Date Reviewed: October 31, 2002
EXPENSIVE!!! VERY DOLAR!!! the claimed weight is not the real weight
Similar Products Used:
radas sem jeito que vinham com a atx 840
Bike Setup:
uma das boas
Bottom Line:
Quem quiser saber o que ta aki escrito que traduza isto no GOOGLE que eu não tenho paciencia para estar a escrever em ingles: google translate english -> português
very good wheels buy them !!!
THE REAL WEIGHT IS: FRONT: 730g + 60g skewers REAR: 890 + 60g skewers
reduce 1000g on my bike!! and they are stronger!! excelent!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Craig T
a Cross Country Rider
from Thousand Oaks, CA Date Reviewed: October 21, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Chesboro, Pt Mugu
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$750.00
Purchased At:
Cambria
Bottom Line:
I'd like to address some of the complaints from the previous review. Stripped the spoke wrench in one use? What was he doing? Front wheel flexing? Hey, that's from the fork, not the wheel. I think the review was a blatant attempt at pushing Stan's. (He mentioned notubes.com at least 4 times in the review.)
These wheels are great, not perfect, but great. With the right tires, they hold air very well. Okay, they aren't the lightest out there, but they are close-especially when you consider the quality of the wheelset. Once you get the hang of installation, setup is simple. If you flat on the trail, stick in a tube; don't try to patch it. Do that at home.
You don't have to worry about goo and mixing toxic substances or using a compressor/Co2 cartridge to fill up the tires, as you do with Stan's. That's something you don't hear very often about Stan's.
These wheels work as advertised. I'm very happy with them.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Phil
a Racer
from LA Date Reviewed: September 17, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$450.00
Purchased At:
MTBR
Strengths:
Bladed spokes look very cool.
Weaknesses:
See Below
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 517s on XTR Hubs and Specialized S-works hubs
Bike Setup:
Superlight
Bottom Line:
I wanted to love these wheels like my own child, but the love connection was just not there. It took me 6 months to realize that although these are the coolest looking wheels in the world, they are not worth the hype.
Gripe One: Lightweight race wheels? The wheels and tires are heavier than my XTR 517 set up with Maxxis flyweight tubes and Python airlights. No advantage to the Crossmax.
Gripe Two: The plastic spoke wrench stripped in one use. Then I started using plyers that scratched the nipples. Not that cool when you pay $800 for a wheelset. Value rating??? Lets face the fact that in a couple of years these will be selling for $300.
Gripe three: I weigh 158 lbs and when I get out of the saddle the front wheel flexes so much that it causes brake rub. What the heck!!
The solution: So here is the real decision. You can go pay $700+ for some crossmax or go pay $55 at notubes.com and get the system of rimstrip and goo that will make your regular wheels go tubeless. I just did this myself to my 517/XTR set up and I am running 345g Kenda Klimax tires with NO TUBES. Not only do they hold air better than the Crossmax, but they are lighter, stiffer, faster and I am laughing all the way to the bank. In addition, the notubes.com system will self heal any leaks or punctures. It would seem to me that I am getting all of the benefits of tubeless without the big bucks. I would like to apologize to the dude who bought the Crossmax from me for $550, but sorry sucka!
If I were a wheel manufacturer I would be VERY afraid of the notubes.com going public with some marketing. It is FAR superior to this Mavic system. Check out the reviews on this sight and wake up people!
Final thought, the Crossmax are still the sexiest looking wheels around with those bladed spokes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dan
a Racer
from Arkansas Date Reviewed: September 11, 2002
Favorite Trail:
warda in central texas
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$600.00
Bottom Line:
A follow to my previous review. I've been having problems with leaks. I've done everything to solve the problem but have been unsuccessful. The wheels have been leaking at the nipples (both front and rear). I've had 4 flats in 7 races. the tires are easily cut up by sharp rocks. these are almost impossible to fix on the trails during a race.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff Bulger
a Racer
from Orem, UT, USA Date Reviewed: September 6, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Ridgetrail 157
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$450.00
Purchased At:
Bike Shop
Strengths:
Nothing, other than looking way cool
Weaknesses:
Mavic CrossMax UST Wheels totally fell apart. The spokes cracked the rim, and tore right out. Mavic does not warranty their products and charged for shipping.
Bike Setup:
Trek Carbon fiber frame with RockShock Race shock, all XTR, with Beebop pedals, Easton bar, Thompson stem, top of the line.
Bottom Line:
Mavic CrossMax Wheels.
My experience with Mavic CrossMax Wheels has been one of utter and total dissatisfaction with both the CrossMax wheels and Mavic as a company. First: the idea that Mavic CrossMax UST (tubeless) wheels will prevent snakebites is a farce. In other words what happens is that instead of the rim cutting through an inner-tube the rim will cut through the tire, usually with one cut right next to the rim so that the tire is impossible to repair, i.e., instead of costing $2 for a new tube you will pay over $40 for a new tire. Solution, keep your tires pumped up to the same pressure you would use for tube tires. However, being able to ride on lower pressures and not get pinch flats is what UST was suppose to accomplish—i.e., Mavic’s CrossMax UST’s do not give you the low pressure tire performance as promised. Second: The Mavic CrossMax UST rear wheel kept going out of true after every ride as a couple of the spokes were constantly unscrewing. The wheel was sent back to Mavic only to find out that the $50 delivery charge, $25 each direction, was imposed on the customer, i.e. me! Not only was this manufacture defect an expensive fix for the customer, but it also took over a month for Mavic to get the wheel back. Thirdly: The Mavic CrossMax UST rear wheel totally ripped apart while doing a climb in the middle of nowhere. Several of the spokes on the drive-train side, cracked the rim, and tore right out—very ugly and an hour and a half hike-a-bike back to the car. Note: you will notice that there are other mtbreview complaints about the Mavic CrossMax UST wheel spokes just ripping out of the rims on the drive-train side. Adding insult over injury, and to rub more salt into the wounds, it took over a month, once again, before Mavic informed the local bike shop that Mavic was not going to warranty the repeat offending CrossMax UST wheel and that the customer was going to be charged $25 for shipping the wheel to Mavic. By the way, Mavic still has the doG damn wheel. Do you think Mavic will have the audacity to charge an additional $25 for returning the defective wheel to the customer? Finally: If you still are thinking about buying some Mavic wheels because you just can’t imagine riding hard enough to have any of the problems I have just mentioned, save yourself some money and buy a Huffy at Wal-Mart and take the wheels. The Huffy wheels will be much more reliable than those made by Mavic, and even if that is not the case, it will certainly be the case that Wal-Mart will have a better return policy than Mavic. For the future: Avoid buying Mavic products as they do not stand behind their product and they have crappy customer service. Instead, build up your wheels with Hugi or Chris King hubs and a good rim and you will have a much stronger, stiffer, and reliable wheel than any Mavic CrossMax UST wheels. Mavic CrossMax UST wheels are crap and most of all the company sucks big time with regards to standing behind their products. I lost time, money and got blisters on my feet! Like many other customers, I am phucking pissed off at Mavic’s customer service and Mavic’s phucking poor quality products.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ratt
a Racer
from Carlsbad, CA Date Reviewed: September 3, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Jacobs ladder
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
Stiff, light, tubeless, nice skewers, and chi chi
Weaknesses:
High retail $$, non-standard components could be a problem to repair and replace.
Similar Products Used:
Rolf Dolomite UST (they suck)
Bike Setup:
Lite weight FS XC
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up to the post below. I still love the wheels but the rear spokes unwind constantly. I will try some locktite on them next. I wrote they were stiff above but that is relative to other racing Xc wheelsets, compared to them these wheels are very stiff. But not quite as stiff as a 32 spoke, 3x, 517, 1500 gram, chris king hub, 14-15 DT spokes (non-revolution), brass nipples wheelset. Like all racing wheelsets I don't recommend them for anyone over 180 lb or hucksters. When you get your set don't forget to buy ceramic pads too
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ratt
a Cross Country Rider
from Carlsbad, CA Date Reviewed: August 16, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Jacob's Ladder
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$386.00
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
Stiff, light, tubeless, nice skewers, and chi chi
Weaknesses:
High retail $$, non-standard components could be a problem to repair and replace.
Similar Products Used:
Rolf Dolomite UST (they suck)
Bike Setup:
Lite weight FS XC
Bottom Line:
I have been a tubeless believer since last year and the Xmax is the best UST system out there. If the price is scaring you off of these excellent wheelsets, eBay has new, never been ridden wheelsets off of S-works M5s for $375-$500. Be sure to get the very kool skewers included.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Doug
a Racer
from Connecticut Date Reviewed: August 12, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Dave's Cycle and Fitness
Strengths:
BEST 2BLISS WHEELSET ON THE MARKET:very durable,great hubs, cool skewers lots of tire compatability, ceramic sidewalls
Weaknesses:
slight weight penalty over Bontrager's Racelite Tubeless
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager RL Tubeless
Bike Setup:
Specialized S-Works FSR '02, selle seat, king headset, answer carbon fiber stem and bar, mosquito tires
Bottom Line:
In the end this is the best Tubeless rim. It is much more durable than Bontrager RLT, and the hubs are a lot better. Plus with bontrager you can't run the best tires. The rims came with the bike which I got an awesome deal on, so the price was not an issue. GREAT SET OF RIMS.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
C
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada Date Reviewed: July 23, 2002
Favorite Trail:
The One No One Else Rides
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$750.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Lite, durable, ease of replacing spokes, handles tough riding conditions.
Weaknesses:
Tool for truing and resources provided by Mavic.
Similar Products Used:
Crossrocs, other mavic products.
Bike Setup:
Seven Sola with all the fixinz.
Bottom Line:
The product design and materials are solid. The problem is the company's desire to provide a flimsy plastic spoke wrenches that strip like mad. I have gone thru 3 of these babies in 6 months and they have the gall to sell them at $20 CDN per shot. I have asked for the rumored metal version available for LBS's but Mavic says it doesn't want to supply because the LBS has to fix wheels (apparently they don't trust riders who can afford their top of the line MTB wheels). What crap! I ride 2 hours from the closest bike shop and know how to fix bikes. How dare Mavic tell me whether or not I can have a metal tool to spare me the 4 hour round trip so I can ride my rig. Thanks for the trust, thanks for taking my money time and time again. I suggest that if your shop is unwilling to supply the metal spoke wrench at the same time as the wheels you quickly look for the next best wheelset.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Sunshine
a Cross Country Rider
from Gay Bay, CA Date Reviewed: June 2, 2002
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
OTE in Fruita, CO
Strengths:
Strong, fast, look cool...
Weaknesses:
NONE so far...
Similar Products Used:
Mavic/King and Bontrager/Big "S" combos.
Bike Setup:
Titus LOCO-Moto with the good goods.
Bottom Line:
These wheels have been great to me. I have always used them with traditional tires/tubes despite Mavics warning not to. With this set up I have has NO problems thus far. I haven't had to true the wheels yet. I did finally have to take apart and clean my front hub after taking my bike for a swim in a mud puddle during my last race. YUCKY! Other then that I have yet to have any trouble with these bad boys.
I have yet to swith to the UST tires because I'm afraid of ruining the great track record I've had so far.
I will mention that I'm fairly light weight. However, I've ridden these on plenty of techincal trails with rocks, roots, drops, etc. So don't think these can only handle the smooth fire trails.
I can say they are an all around good package for little tough chicks that like to tear it up. :)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Zoly
a Cross Country Rider
from USA Date Reviewed: May 19, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Hartshorne Woods
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Fast, looks Good. Easy to true. Tubeless. Good braking wit the ceramic rims.
Weaknesses:
Expensive, would expect a lot more quality for the price, Catastrophic instruction manual, No information about the hub mechanics. No technical support. Their website sucks(not much to find there about products).
Similar Products Used:
517/XTR
Bike Setup:
GT Zaskar, XTR ,....
Bottom Line:
Had to true them twice until now, today I have put some locktite and hope that they will not go out of true so fast in the future. The casette developed play, I have removed my XTR casette and noticed that the free hub has actualy the play, here I found myself without any information on how to correct that. I finaly managed to tighten it, put it back but there was still some minimal play there that I was unable to get rid of. But now I have some new noises comming from that area, so I brought in the wheel to the bike shop.
In more than 3 years I have never had to touch the XTR hubs, even after 3 years the casette has no play at all, compared with the crapy Mavic.
I don't think that a 800$ product should behave like this. And they encourage to go to a mechanic for everything, by not giving you the info on how to fix things. So that costs aditional money ...
UST is really a good thing, but somehow if you can use other UST products
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tim
a
from San Mateo Date Reviewed: May 15, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Looks exotic
Weaknesses:
Spokes pull out of eyelets, rims crack at spoke holes, skewers mysteriously self destruct, bearings not well sealed, spare parts hard to get, CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS, valve stem can be impossible to remove by hand unless you remember to lube it periodically
Bottom Line:
DO NOT BUY THESE WHEELS. Give your business to a better company.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dan
a Racer
from Arkansas Date Reviewed: April 24, 2002
Favorite Trail:
warda in central texas
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$600.00
Strengths:
Fast acceleration. Strong, durable. I haven't had to work on them at all. have stayed true for over a year now
Weaknesses:
Initial problem with leaks, but I've replace the stem and tire and pump them up to 60 for overnight. then let off to the desire pressure. theis seems to help set the bead of the tire.
Similar Products Used:
my first tubeless set
Bike Setup:
voodoo bizango, xt/xtr, ct2 bar, alien sus. post
Bottom Line:
these are fast, corners better then my skill would allow. they make me run out of reasons why i'm not fast enough to be on such a fantastic set. low pressure doesn't feel as slow as i would have thought. I've race these and have ridden in some very rocky conditions. the ceramic sides have a couple of dings and scratches. thus i gave them 4 chilis for value. i think these wheels are well worth the money if you're a relatively light rider. I'm 165 lb. I've wash the front wheel out several times so i'm gonna change the tire on it to the contis explorer pro. I've race them and have crash them and they still want more.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mark Harman
a Cross Country Rider
from Dublin,Ireland Date Reviewed: April 21, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Djouce wood, Co wicklow
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
Cycle inn, Tallaght, Dublin
Strengths:
The wheels are extremely light and the hubs glide for ever.They are the fastest wheelset I've ever used!.The tubeless facility allows for great traction due to the ability to run the tyres at lower pressures.
Weaknesses:
They have a tendancy to buckle under relatively minor impacts,not what you would expect from such an expensive wheelset.The spoke tool that comes with it is a joke(It rounded off after about twenty seconds!).Spares are also tricky to source
Similar Products Used:
In the past I've used xtr hubs on 517 ceramic rims which were not as flexy but didn't have the tubeless facility.Overall i would prefer the crossmax
Bike Setup:
BH coronas team bike with a full xtr gropset(The whole shibang),crossmax,Easton carbon parts,Flite titanium saddle,Sid race and other trick componentry.
Bottom Line:
The crossmax wheelset is for weight freaks(like myself) or cross country racers witk one thing on their mind - speed.The ultimate in trick componentry but it will cost you
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Trail Surfer
a Cross Country Rider
from Black Forest Date Reviewed: March 25, 2002
Tubeless system, lightweight, looks, ceramic coating and sidewalls
Weaknesses:
frontwheel could be a bit stiffer, price
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 217 / 517 Ceramic with XTR hubs, Wolber AT 18
Bike Setup:
´99 GT Zaskar Team, ´02 Marzocchi Atom Race, XTR, Easton EA 60 stem, King Headset, Easton Monkeylite lowriser, CT2-seatpost, Flite TT saddle, Shimano 959 pedals, Michelin XL S and Front S tubeless tires.
Bottom Line:
So far the impressions of the first 2 hours of singletrailsurfing:
Use of tubeless tires makes a difference. I am wheghing 155 Ibs and love to ride any kind of forest singletrails. So I drive them with 29 psi and this gives a very smooth ride. Traction and grip are great. This results in a very good flow on the trail. The improved traction helps a lot in difficult climbs and descents and the smooth ride helps to keep up the speed as the tires somehow just eliminate most of the small bumps. The whole wheelsets runs without making almost any noise. That´s very nice. So far I am really satisfied with this upgrade. As regards of durability time will show. I will post a follow up.
My only technical complaint is that the front wheel could be somewhat stiffer. When going out of the saddle, I can hear the rim touching the brake pads (can´t be the fork as I did not notice that when using my old 517/XTR-combo). This doesnt really make you slower, but I do not like it anyway. On the trail however I did not notice any disadvantages from a lack of stiffness. On downhills, I could go full speed; cornering might be a little less precise, however the enhanced grip of the tubeless tires makes up for that. At first I was a bit unsure if the Crossmax would be able to hold up with the Marzocchi power at the front, but the combination of the Z2 and the Crossmax works really great.
My other complaint is about the price: regular prices are up to $ 650 and this is simply too much for a mtb-wheel which you might crash on a rock the next day... (so only 4 chilis for value rating!)
As a bottom line, I would quote the following:
One of the greatest wheelsets out there for bike enthusiasts looking for the perfect singletrail flow (or XC racers), for those guys for which singletrail riding is more a religion than just a sport; especially for those fanatics riding on tough aluminum hardtails like me.
On the other side to my opinion this wheelset is not suitable for the following purposes:
- freeriding - big jumps - very abusive and / or heavy riders (180Ibs+)
Maybe Mavic should make another tubeless wheelset between Crossmax and crossrock, suitable for every day riding ?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
FritzMan
a Cross Country Rider
from Ottawa, Canada Date Reviewed: February 20, 2002
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Overall strength
Weaknesses:
Ceramic braking surface is chipping in the front
Similar Products Used:
Crappy conventional rims
Bike Setup:
SantaCruz Superlight, SRAM brakes and shifters, Raceface
Bottom Line:
This is a follow-up to my first review almost a year and a half ago. I still have yet to get a flat after all that time and thousands of kilometers of riding/training. I've had to true the rear wheel only once (Mavic tool is a piece of junk BTW), and it was nothing major. My biggest complaint is that the ceramic is chipping. The braking performance is still good, but another year or so and the front rim will be done. UST still rock and was the best investment I've ever made.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Silver City, New Mexico Date Reviewed: February 17, 2002
Favorite Trail:
CD South, Gomez area trails
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
Tubeless tires allow lower air pressure without pinch flats. I do like running the lower tire pressures. I still get flats from punctures, but some of the punctures don't cause these tires to flat right away as happens with tubes.
Weaknesses:
These wheels are weak. The 18 spokes in front just aren't enough. I knock them out of true at least once a month. The rear wheels are slightly better, I've only had to true them four times.
The tires do not hold air as well as tubes. But I check inflation pressure before every ride, so thats not a big issue for me.
Too expensive for what they are.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic crossmax UST Disc
Bike Setup:
Lightspeed Tanasi with XTR
Bottom Line:
I am having a new wheel set built with Chris King Hubs, the new Mavic X3.1 UST rims and real spokes. Tubeless technology is good, but these wheels are just too weak for anyone who rides rough, rocky singletrack.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Johnny
a
from Plano, Texas, USA Date Reviewed: February 9, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
smooth
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
whatever came stock on the bike...
Bike Setup:
jekyll with xt, xtr, ct-2 bar, thompson elite seat post, selle italia, etc...
Bottom Line:
Great product. I didn't think that these would make such a bid difference, but they do! I am looking forward to many years with these wheels.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Todd
a Cross Country Rider
from Aliso Viejo Date Reviewed: January 21, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Sullivan Canyon Loop (L.A.)
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$650.00
Purchased At:
Hutch's Cycles
Strengths:
Very tough wheelset. 14 months and I have only had the rear trued once. Air loss is minimal. Lower air pressures allow for better traction and a more supple ride. Set is fairly light. If you flat, you can mount tubes inside.
Weaknesses:
Mounting takes some gettng used to. If you use soapy water on the beads and rim inner, creates a seal that does not leak. Thats it though!
Similar Products Used:
none.
Bike Setup:
Merlin Fat Beat, Heashok Fatty Ultra, Shimano XTR, Time Carbon Pedals, LP composites seatpost, bar, barends, Michelin Wildgipper tubeless tires, Sell Italia SLR saddle.
Bottom Line:
This wheelset is fantastic! After an initial problem with leakage and air loss through the sidewall bead on large jumps, I learned to use soapy water to mount for a tight seal and also either inflate the tires more or use a smaller diameter tire such as the Michelins.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Barry
a Cross Country Rider
from Folsom Date Reviewed: January 15, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$799.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Light, fantastic traction, no pinch flats, great braking and all built with Mavic quality hubs/rims.
Weaknesses:
Pricey, spoke availability
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 517s-King
Bike Setup:
Fisher Sugar 2+, Easton MonkeyLite Bars, Thompson Stem/Seat Post, King Headset, XTR Shifters/Cassette/Derailleurs, Hope XC-4 Disc brakes, Raceface ISIS Next LP Crankset, Raceface Signature XS Isis Drive Bottom Bracket, Time ATAC Titan Carbon Pedal, Selle Italia Evolution 3 Saddle, Mavic Crossmax UST Wheels, Hutchinson Python Tires
Bottom Line:
I was a bit hesitant about making my CrossMax purchase upon reading previous reviews here about large air loss, tire removal problems, rim quality. I may be among the few, but I have had none of the above issues and would recommend the purchase to anyone willing to spend the $.
Once you transition to tubless you will never want to ride tubed tires again. A softer ride combined with a huge increase in traction will make you a faster and better rider.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ricky King
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix Arizona USA Date Reviewed: January 4, 2002
These wheels are the best rolling wheels I have seen. They really show their worth on climbs and decents. It is sweet to run 30 psi especially on a hard tail. The ceramic coating almost through me over the bars the first time I used the brakes hard, sweeet. Thought about buying a full suspension but thankfully invested in these wheels instead. They make that much differnce for us hard-tail die hards. The only problem I have had was leaks from thorns. I put some slime in them and they run like a champ now. Buy these wheels if you want to climb faster, decend faster and just be faster over-all. 5 chilis!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Hans-Peter Verhoeven
a Cross Country Rider
from Wendover, UK Date Reviewed: December 12, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Dunsmore
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
Tring
Strengths:
Light, Good scuff resistance on rims.
Weaknesses:
Just so weak! Spokes pulled thru in two years on a premium priced rim. And I've seen plenty of other Crossmax wheels do the same. Mavics tough, no help attitude is deplorable.
Bike Setup:
Orange frame, Xt chainset.
Bottom Line:
Don't touch 'em. If Mavic are going to supply a crap product for a premium price and then deny there is a problem then the sooner the word gets out the sooner people will stop wasting their money on this trash.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dan
a Cross Country Rider
from fort smith Date Reviewed: December 10, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$600.00
Strengths:
light, fast, traction is awesome, second to none
Weaknesses:
LEAKS!!!!!
Similar Products Used:
first set of tubeless
Bike Setup:
Voodoo bizango, XT all around, Easton M90 stem, CT2 carbon bar and post.
Bottom Line:
I can't stand the leaking. It has gotten worst and worst. the front can't hold pressure for more than 2 hours if that. I haven't crash yet and still they can't hold pressure. I've change the stem and still have problems. maybe i got a bad set. i weigh 170 and haven't ridden on anything really rough yet. if you can put up with the leakage, then it's a pretty good set of wheels. they are very comfortable and makes my bike ride soooo much better.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Craig T
a Cross Country Rider
from Thousand Oaks, CA Date Reviewed: November 9, 2001
Favorite Trail:
trails around Chesboro Park
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
Cambria
Bottom Line:
Update to previous review. I've been riding and racing on these wheels for 10 months now with zero flats. The wheels have been knocked out of true a couple of times, but that's to be expected. Besides, it's easy enough to fix. I'm very pleased with my purchase.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
KC
a Cross Country Rider
from Burlington, VT, USA Date Reviewed: November 8, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Have to ride them all first
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$660.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Strong, fairly light, low maintenace, excellent traction and good braking surface.
Weaknesses:
Price, proprietary components, lack of tire selection right now.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 517's.
Bike Setup:
Specialized Stumpjumper M2 hardtail and Specialized Pro FSR-XC full suspension.
Bottom Line:
Hey, hardtail holdouts. Buy these wheels and you will have 90% of the advantages of a full suspension XC bike without the weight and extra maintenance. These wheels are that good. Didn't believe it myself until I rode them. Way too expensive, but that should change as competitors get on the band wagon.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rearrango
a Cross Country Rider
from Albuquerque NM Date Reviewed: November 2, 2001
Favorite Trail:
South Boundary, NM
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Mavic -Shop Employee deal
Strengths:
Quality of Mavic Hubs and rims! Less rotating mass by losing those tubes!
Weaknesses:
Truing Pricey unless you can get a screaming Shop employee deal! Thorns can create leaks.
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager tubeless
Bike Setup:
Trek 8500, 'Zoki Z4 Fly Air, still running 8 speed
Bottom Line:
Tubeless is the way to go!!! Mavic hub and rim quality are superb!! You gotta ride it! These rims don't use a rim strip like the Bontragers which have leak quite a bit. This is where the Mavic design is better in the long run.
Weighing in at 175lbs, I need to get the rear trued about once every month or so, but no flat spots or dings! Bomb proof!
Couple these with the 2.1 tubeless Wildgripper XLS and its traction unlimited! I run mine at around 34psi for all conditions. Awesome is really the best word for this setup! If you do get a leak just slip a tube in, like a normal tire.
I think this is one one best upgrades any bike can receive because you lose weight, gain traction (climbing, descending and cornering). I am amazed at how comfortable my hardtail has become with this upgrade. You won't be disappointed.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nate
a Cross Country Rider
from Charlottesville Date Reviewed: October 21, 2001
Litespeed Ocoee, Sram 9.0, White Bro's super light.
Bottom Line:
When I first bought these I was a little sceptical. Before riding I ran the wheels through a few tests before riding with them so I could return them if there were problems. I pumped up the tires (Hutchinson Mosquitos) to about 30 psi and left them for a few days, there was negligible air loss. I then broke the bead and tried to reinflate. If you do not follow Mavic's direction and push the tire into the center of the hub you will never inflate it. Following the directions I was able to inflate the wheel easily with my frame pump. You must inflate to 50 psi or higher to seat the bead, then let air out to desired pressure. Phase 1 went well so I then hit the trails.
I always preferred lower tire pressure but was plagued with pinch flats. With these wheels I ran about 30 front and 32 rear. This gave me amazing traction and a very smooth/comfortable ride. I would compare it to having a short travel FS XC bike. I was initially concerned about excessive flex but after 50 or so miles (half race conditions) I never noticed any problems on the trail.
All in all I think these wheels are great. If you are concidering a move to a short travel full suspension this may be a good alternative. The wheels are expensive but a fraction of the cost of a FS ride, and can actually make your current ride lighter.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Craig T
a Cross Country Rider
from Thousand Oaks, CA Date Reviewed: September 10, 2001
Favorite Trail:
trails around Chesboro Park
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
Cambria
Strengths:
You can run much lower tire pressures. This means you get much greater traction on the climbs and a happier rear end on the flats and on the way down. Light weight. Strong. Lower rolling resitance. Ceramic rims.
Weaknesses:
Can't really think of any. My rear wheel has come a little out of true after over 6 months of pretty aggressive use and a couple of races, but compared to other wheels I've had they are much stronger.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 517 CD.
Bike Setup:
Stumpy M-2 w/ SID XC, Speedplay Frog pedals, King headset, USE XCR susp seatpost, XTR, Selle Italia Flight saddle, Paul Motolight brakes and Love levers.
Bottom Line:
Great wheelset. No problems with premature leakage. I've used both Michelin and Hutchinson tires with no problems. No pinch flats. The biggest advantage I've noticed is the fact I have much better traction on steep, lose climbs (and it is noticable). These wheels also allow you to take the edge off of rough flats and decents.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ron Miles
a Racer
from Clarksburg, MA, USA Date Reviewed: August 24, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Dubuque Forest
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
frt CO Cyclist, rear Phat Tire
Strengths:
Pretty light, amazing hubs, look great
Weaknesses:
nothing yet
Similar Products Used:
old CrossMax, Bontrager Mustangs with King Hubs. This is my first set of tubeless
Bike Setup:
Bontrager Race Lite with XTR, SID, King Headset, Speedplay Frogs
Bottom Line:
Wonderful wheels. I was impressed with the old CrossMax wheels, until I smashed the rim twice - Not cheap. Love the Mavic hubs, though. They have always made great hubs. These new wheels are more user friendly (can be rebuilt by any good mechanic). I had a problem with the weak/thin sidewalls on the Python tires, though.
Despite what somebody said below, you can install and remove these tires without tools. I did it trailside today.
All the advantages others have listed: weight, rolling resistance, no-pinch flats, etc. seem to be confirmed by my short time on these wheels.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rick
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenixville, PA Date Reviewed: August 21, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Emma Long/MX Trail - Austin, TX
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Performance, rim durability, rigidity, appearance, weight, general reliability.
Weaknesses:
Spokes are expensive and hard to get, crappy/chinzy plastic spoke wrench strips VERY easily at recommended tension specs, plastic spoke protector on rear wheel actually damaged spokes from rubbing on them rather than protecting them.
This is a long-term update (almost 10 months of riding) on the Crossmax UST's. Here's the good news. These wheels do make me a better rider, and flats have been non-existent with the Hutchinson Pythons. WARNING: Do ***NOT*** buy Michelin tubeless tires unless you like to piss away money. The UST wheels have almost no rim wear thus far, but I have broken two spokes. They are expensive to replace and hard to get (and must be purchased in bags of 10, meaning that you'll need 30 spokes to have a spare for each). Worth it, though, cuz you'll have these wheels for a long time. On the downside, the spoke wrench is a piece of crap. Should be made of metal, not plastic. Also a pain was the plastic spoke protector grinding away on my drive side spokes. Hopefully caught it before it trashed them. Throw that thing away and set your limit screw properly. Lastly, if you ever have to ride home with a tube, you can, but the tire will not sit evenly no matter how much you screw with it. It'll get you home, though.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nik Yeap
a Weekend Warrior
from Penang Island Date Reviewed: August 16, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Penang Hill
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$699.00
Purchased At:
Bike Store
Strengths:
PERFECT!~
Weaknesses:
Nothing bad......this is a perfect cross country wheelset!
Similar Products Used:
Dont really similar
Bike Setup:
Freeride
Bottom Line:
good luck
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andreas
a Cross Country Rider
from Innsbruck/Austria Date Reviewed: August 11, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Tremalzo/Gardasee
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Radstudio Innsbruck
Strengths:
light, stiff, perfect and beautiful combination
Weaknesses:
high price
Similar Products Used:
mavic 517
Bottom Line:
best combination, never had a defect with tubeless system yet, you can ride the ust with more pressure for fast uphill and with lower pressure on single trails and for downhill
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
j b
a Cross Country Rider
from evergreen, colo. Date Reviewed: July 25, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
pro deal
Strengths:
Traction is the best of any tire/wheel combo I have ridden in 14 years! Rolling resistence is the lowest of any mtb wheel set I've owned of many, many.
Weaknesses:
front tire leaks fast( overnight). I just need to reseat it on the rim.
Similar Products Used:
old crossmax, crossland, mavic 517/king.
Bike Setup:
manitou fs w/ afterburner shock, manitou sx ti fork w/ lockout, all xtr, king headset, carbon brake boosters, easton carbon bars, thompson seatpost.
Bottom Line:
I was very sceptical, maybe even cynical about the advantages of these wheels. I have climbed Vail and Winter Park ski resorts and then decended pretty hardcore lately and have not come close to a flat yet. The lack of rolling resistance alone will make you a faster rider!! Get 'EM! Traction is insane!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jp
a Cross Country Rider
from nyc Date Reviewed: July 18, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$650.00
Purchased At:
bay ridge bike
Strengths:
hop and fly
Weaknesses:
tire removal (of course thier kidding ...use your hands only!)
Bike Setup:
stumpjumper
Bottom Line:
paired with wild grippers these things grip, climb,hop and fly.pricy , but the best upgrade regardless of the cost.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
scotty K
a Cross Country Rider
from Los Angeles,California Date Reviewed: June 21, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Cheseboro Cyn / Bell Cyn singletrack
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
H A N D L I N G
Weaknesses:
D i n e r o
Similar Products Used:
Bike was prciously equipped with S-WORKS (Hugi) hubs/Mavic 517-greenlight tubes Continental Explorer Pro(grey)Kevlar (frnt)/ Mythos XC Kevlar (rear)
Bike Setup:
2000 model Specialized S-WORKS FSR-XC / X T R drivtrain,Brakes / Specialized (red) pedals / 2001 Manatou Mars-Super (80 MM)W/Anti-BOB. Mountain-Speed Link and needle-bearing kit.
Bottom Line:
I might not have ever spent the $ for this but my wife and kids gave them to me 4 fathers day. I've had 2 rides on this wheelset, so do the math, this is not a long-range test. I had to post because after off-road cycling since the late 80's I feel totally different on the bike. The ride with 30 PSI is extraordinarily fluid and without any negative high-frequency input. My contact patch feels MUCH more secure and peaceful when I'm off my line and in loose (and off-camber) corners. I haven't read this from others in these postings but my braking power is increased 2 or 3 times with the ceramic surfaces on these rims and XTR ceramic pads. I can lock up my wheels instantly with the most gentle 2 finger squeeze, braking modulation is EXCELLENT. The overall handling improvements make me feel like I'm floating on the trail, in control, fast & peaceful. By the way, these hubs are silent. The noise difference when coasting compared to my original hubs(which sound like a coffee-grinder) is sweet. Forgive me for going 2 far, but I feel like I'm part of the mountains more on these wheels.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin
a
from Phoenix Date Reviewed: June 19, 2001
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Reasonable weight, flat resistant, looks
Weaknesses:
loses air slowly, not flat proof!, very vulnerable to pinch flats if a tube has to be placed in it for trailside repair, high price.
Similar Products Used:
Previous wheelset king/mavic
Bike Setup:
using python tires
Bottom Line:
I waited until I had a racing season on these wheels before giving a review. It is important to read (and follow) the instructions thoroughly before using the wheels. I didnt and paid the penalty when it came time to fix a flat trailside. It is important to push the bead into the center of the rim when removing or installing a tire, or the bead is almost impossible to push over the rim. Using the same technique as a conventional tire will only result in frustation, believe me I know. I suggest that you practice several times at home. I find the lower pressure to improve handling and traction. Sharp edged rocks can cut through the tire and cause loss of pressure. The tires loose pressure slowly which means checking the pressure before each ride, that is not a big deal to me as it only takes a couple of minutes. The weight is the same as a 550g tire and 200g tube. Yes you can get at 380g tire and 100g tube, but you have to run 60psi and it will pop at the first sign of a rock garden. Not perfect, but pretty damn good.....now if only it was cheaper.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nick Evans
a Racer
from Cranleigh, Surrey, UK Date Reviewed: June 14, 2001
Favorite Trail:
The Dippers
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
Beyond Mountain Bikes
Strengths:
SPEED, amazing looks and performance to match.
Weaknesses:
none discovered so far the heavy tyre weight possibly showing on the hard stuff, not a problem off road, stunning!
Similar Products Used:
N/A
Bike Setup:
2001 Trek 9.8, SID SL, XTR, CrossMax, Thompson & Chris King
Bottom Line:
I bought these wheels from the shop in the UK where i work, making them considerably cheaper and bringing them within my reach. The first weekend of owning these wheels i raced, and was amazed by the stunning traction on all surfaces from sand and rocks, to mud. These wheels are a must for any XC rider who has ever considered racing! They are worth the huge price tag.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
DL
a Weekend Warrior
from Taipei, Taiwan Date Reviewed: June 10, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
Alan Bike Shop
Strengths:
Traction, cushion, rigidity, beauty
Weaknesses:
defective rim, tire weight
Similar Products Used:
CrossMAX
Bike Setup:
ASTRO AZX-F, SID SL/SID shock, XT/XTR drivetrain, Thomson/Titec cockpit, Flite Gel saddle, Avid Ti brake
Bottom Line:
In the beginning, my rear wheel leaks air (very annoying) from valve and nipples. Why from the nipples? Because MAVIC's rim (by their proprietary SUP) is defectively made. There is some invisible gap around the pin on the connection, so air leaks from teh lower layer to the upper layer, then goes through the nipples...
Fix it with some AB glue, then everything comes back. The ride is incredible, much much more than expection. The traction and cushion is superior; nothing else can be compared. The wheelset is significantly more rigid than its predecessor (CrossMAX), more beautiful, and also easier to tune the spoke tension.
The tubeless tires (Hutchinson Mosquito/Python) deliver the performance I have never known and dreamed. But the heavy tires (730g) plus its superior traction does not help on rolling-assistnce. My old wheel/tire combo (CorssMAX+Conti 350g Twister Supersonic) weighs much lighter and rolls faster. But as long as on dirt, CrossMAX UST is unbeatable.
A future technology available right now! Enjoy it without hesitance if you have the money. Or wait a few months for a cost-down version (CrossRoc is still too expensive for most). Anyway, it is the future, and any MTB biker should own it.
One flamin' chili off for the defective rim. If not, it is PERFECT (regardless of teh sky-high price).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brett Dempsey
a Racer
from Missouri Date Reviewed: June 9, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$280.00
Purchased At:
Bike Stop
Strengths:
Great Deal. No pinch flats, have not fixed a flat yet. Stiff rims and being able to run the low tire pressure makes a big difference especialy on my hardtail it gives me a softer ride and great grip. Would not ride on anythig else.
Weaknesses:
Every couple of days need to top off tire pressure in one tire. Would rather do this than change a flat during a race.
Similar Products Used:
N/A
Bike Setup:
Specialized Rockhopper buildup with XT.
Bottom Line:
Great product, must have for any offroad rider. Low pressure gives you a soft ride, great grip in or out of the saddle. They are awesome.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Al McWilliams
a Racer
from Ann Arbor, MI Date Reviewed: June 8, 2001
Favorite Trail:
The Poto!
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
In two years I haven't had to fix a flat on the trail. No pinch flats and the punctures that I get leak so slow that I can just ride them out and fix it at home. They are the best thing I've ever bought for my bike. Their performace as far as platform goes is also superb, stiffness and acceleration are far better than my former wheels (Rolf Propel). Not to mention the whole traction thing!!! I can stay out of the saddle on the most washed out of climbs and still get all the traction I need.
Weaknesses:
Not a thing
Similar Products Used:
Rolf Propel, XTR/517, King/517
Bike Setup:
Ibis Ripley, SID Race, XTR.
Bottom Line:
Woop woop to these wheels. When I started racing them I was the only one out there... now its hard to find a b9ike at the races that isn't equipped. Most of my team is on them now... even the hard-core traditionalists. This is the way to go; no excuses.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Techno-Slut
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver,Colorado Date Reviewed: June 7, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Anything in Moab.Durango is awesome too.
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Came with bike
Strengths:
Better grip,smoother ride,and less rotating weight than a tube/tire set up,and NO PINCH FLATS!Pretty stiff and decent strength for a non-traditional racing wheelset.Good quality hubs and braking surface.
Weaknesses:
Only 2 major compliants: 1)These things lose a LOT of air if they are left to sit for too long.Maybe it's the bead?Having to inflate my tires before every ride is swiftly becoming a pain in the butt. 2)Requires a special spoke tool.This is okay though.The Crossmax spokes hold up pretty well under my 150 lbs.
Similar Products Used:
XT/Mavic 517,LX/Sun Sub-IV
Bike Setup:
2001 Jamis Dragon
Bottom Line:
Great wheelset that's sturdy and has all the benefits of tubeless:greater traction,smoother ride,no pinch flats,and less rotational weight.Overall,this would be enough to earn a 5/5 score easily,but..
Inflating the tires before every ride is a real pain!Is this a normal problem with tubeless rims?Or is it the tire bead that's screwy?My Hutchinson Pythons appear to have no defects that I can see.Because of this annoying problem,I'm forced to give only 4/5.If you're not having problems with flatting,stick with a traditional setup until they work the bugs out.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Vaughn Joslyn
a Racer
from Colorado Springs Date Reviewed: June 7, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Durable, light and great traction.
Weaknesses:
Price
Bike Setup:
Cannondale CAAD4, all XTR.
Bottom Line:
Where I live, 99% of flats are due to pinches and the terrain is gravelly. Most people increase air pressure to 45-50 psi to fight the pinches. This is exactly the opposite of what you want to do in gravel/rocky terrain.
Now with the tubless you can actually run the pressure where it should be at about 30-35 psi. The traction is great and I can now rip around loose corners with new confidence. Breaking is much better and rolling over small bumps is way smooth.
Rolling resistance on smooth terrain feels equivalent to a 45 psi tire/tube combo. If you are going to ride a smooth course, then you still have the option of higher psi if desired. Tire/tube guys don't have much choice but to use to much psi all the time.
Bottom Line: Greatest product to come out since the suspension fork and clipless pedals. One thing good about the high price is that not all my competition is willing to shell out for them and I retain the advantage.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dan Burros
a Cross Country Rider
from Minneapolis, MN Date Reviewed: May 15, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Butthole Beach, Mary's Loop
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Traction, durability
Weaknesses:
Price, but you get what you pay for!
Similar Products Used:
A bunch of different Mavics.
Bike Setup:
Litespeed Ocoee or Jamis Dakar, Z2 Atom Bomb, XTR, etc.
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up review to an earlier review. I have used them now for six months or thereabouts and I still love them. I went to Moab/Fruita with them and they worked great. Excellent traction, held up great, and no flats at 30 psi on Porcupine. These wheels work, I went out and bought a set of the Crossroc UST's as my second set of wheels since I run a HT and a Duallie and they work just as well, although heavier they spend most of they're time on my Duallie. I just didn't want to ride convential tubes and tires anymore. Get em' you'll love them!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
TJ
a Racer
from Waco, Texas Date Reviewed: May 14, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Cameron
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$499.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Hubs have sealed bearings and are simple to adjust. Truing is a snap. Pinch flat resistance is unmatched. Rotational weight is improved over standard tire/tube combinations. Prices are coming down.
Contrary to popular opinion, UST tires are no more difficult or time intensive to change than patching and replacing a tube.
Weaknesses:
Compared to other lightweight wheelsets with latex tubes and sub 500-gram tires there IS a weight penalty (approximately 1 LB). However, rotational weight brings that number down (relatively speaking).
Racers will absolutely LOVE these wheels, but . . .
Weekend warriors may not like the price. Weight weenies will not be interested in the additional weight. Gadget geeks will likely hate the spokes (computer and heart-rate monitor tabs will not fit these wheels.) And the mechanically challenged will probably not care for the adjustable hubs, non-traditional spoke wrenches, and/or the UST tires.
However, for those serious about pinch flat resistance, traction in sloppy conditions, increased climbing capacity, and for those looking to reduce rotational weight -- these are the wheels for you.
For everybody else -- stick with what you've got for now.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Darren Roderick
a Cross Country Rider
from Montreal, Canada Date Reviewed: May 11, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Various
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$750.00
Purchased At:
ABC cycles
Strengths:
This Wheel set is amazing! I did a lot of research for 3wks prior to buying these wheels. I still had my old wheelset from my Cannodale F900 (with Magura disk brakes), however I would need to spend @ $160 to covert these to a 'V' brake set-up. To cut a long story short - I decided to go tubless. These wheels climb faster than the Chris kings (thanks to the lower weight) and they look so good. I read reviews about the hasles of the tire "popping" off. Well this has not happened to me "YET". Also some people have had problems putting the tires on. Well as some people have rightly qouted - "use a little bit of washing soap liquid (even then you do not need that!).
Weaknesses:
Firstly, I tried to use standard tubed tires before splashing out loads of money on Tubless. I had two sets of 2" nobblies and a pair of 1.65" Semi-slicks. I tried so much to "seat these on the rims with no success. Also with the tires bead - it was so hard to mount this onto the rim.
Similar Products Used:
Handmade Chris King Discotech with 317 Mavic Rims and DT Spokes (1750g).
If you have the spare cash - go for it. This technology is amazing. I am not a serious racer however I am very active. If I can feel a huge difference then it has to be good. These wheels climb and accelerate very fast. The added bonus of no pinch flats and lower PSI for dirt trails give this my vote. I am however eagerly waiting for the arrival of a semi-slick UST tire with a low weight.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bill Hunt
a Racer
from Canberra Date Reviewed: May 8, 2001
Favorite Trail:
all of them
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
Full Cycle Albury
Strengths:
Their light and the hubs a very nice indeed.
Weaknesses:
They are a bit flexy, Trueing is a royal pain.
Bike Setup:
Mongoose NX, SID race (hence some of the flex), XTR
Bottom Line:
I have endless trouble running the tire off the rim in races. I have been useing the Hunchinson Pythons and running them at all different preasures from 30psi to 50psi and still if I really ripe into a corner or hit a good rut the tire pops out and sits me on my arse. I think the fault may lye with the tires though I can't be sure. I'm now running the wheels with Mechilins at about 55psi, have been doing so for a about 4 mounths and I have had less flats then with the tubeless.
And don't believe it, these wheels will go out of true just like any other if you push them too hard.
I still like the wheel set, they have much jee wiz value and by all standards are very light. But only buy them if you race and can afford to maintain them.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Artur
a Cross Country Rider
from Maia-Portugal Date Reviewed: May 4, 2001
Favorite Trail:
any
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$545.00
Purchased At:
Local dealer
Strengths:
Smooth hubs, very stiff wheels, high quality construction, very easy to maintain,light. It allows to run much lower inflation, wich increases confort and traction
Weaknesses:
Very hard to mount a tire - oohh, my hands, - not a weight advantage compared with traditional concept of good wheels + good tire + good tube. Not very handy to repair a puncture in the trail - will have to mount a tube and repair the puncture later at home. that's what I did .
Similar Products Used:
Mavic CrossMax (Mk1) but not tubeless
Bike Setup:
Merlin Taiga, Pace AF38 Fork, CrossMax wheels, Flite Titan/Carbon saddle, EDR Titanium seatpost, ITM millenium stem,ITM Carbon Handle Bar, Sram 9.0 SL group
Bottom Line:
I've owned the first model of CrossMaxes when they came out, for 2.5 years and I was very pleased with its low weight, construction and hassle free operation. I am running these UST for almost 18 months and I am as pleased as with the first set. Only one flat in 18 months - very good record - and that happened as I was downhilling with the rear tire at a mere 20 psi, so I've learned the lesson. To repair a flat in the trails, just forget it. Better and faster to put a tube inside and repair it at home.
Hubs are first rate, only needed a bit of a trueing after one year in the rear wheel and I've made it at home - very easy.
Also I checked last week for the bearings and surprinsingly they were OK and dry - although the frequent washes and 7 months of ininterrupt rain. Very impressive.
The weight savings is kind of nonsense, as the tubeless tires are more heavy, although there is new tires coming in with some grams less than the Hutchinson's I own, but I read that they are not as good as the Hutch's and Michelins. However, one can feel the difference in confort and traction, as I use rear tire at 27 psi and the front at 29. And believe that in loose rocky sections,the traction they give is kind of "magic".
I own also the road Ksyriums and all in all, I am a very satisfied Mavic "wheelset" customer. I won't change for other brand.These guys at Mavic know what they are doing
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve English
a Racer
from Phoenix, AZ Date Reviewed: April 1, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Trail 100
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Incredibly fast ride, I've never climbed so well. I've had them for about 3 weeks now and I like them a lot. Lower moment of inertia (no tube) - the wheel spins up faster no contact friction between the tube and the tire - more efficient
lesson learned: submerge the tires in water when you buy new ones as there are sometimes pinholes in the interface of the two tire sections (tread and sidewall)
Weaknesses:
However, today's thrashing out on the rocky decents seemed to have warbled the wheels a little. (note: I am 205 ~ 215 with gear) I think these wheels are fantastic but wonder about the robustness. I will be learning to true them ASAP. I'll check back in another 6 months
Bike Setup:
Sugar 2 with monkeylite bar, ti ritchey clipless, Chris King headset
Bottom Line:
I think they are a leap in the technology.. If you're on the lighter side and have some spare tax money, these wheels will amaze you and stay true (probably) forever.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a Racer
from Tempe, Arizona Date Reviewed: March 14, 2001
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$650.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Great ride, nice and stiff, and super light
Weaknesses:
Expensive, rim damage...
Bike Setup:
Waterford 2400 hardtail frame, Marzocchi Bomber, XTR, Syncros Revolution tubular steel cranks, Syncros Headset, Syncros Ti post, Race Face stem, Ibis Ti bar, LP composites braids bar ends. Reallyu a fantastic bike, I couldn't be happier!
Bottom Line:
WEll, I loved these wheels until today... This morning I would have said they were worth the price. However, today I managed to ding the rear rim slightly on a rock (bottomed out the tire with 35 - 40 pounds of pressure). The tire went flat over the course of a few minutes. The worst part is that with this incredibly small ding the tire won't seal properly with the rim... Even with a brand new tire it goes flat almost immediately. I'm not sure what will be required to fix this, but I'm concerned. I'm sure replacing the rear rim will be very expensive, if that's what is required...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Chapel Hill, NC Date Reviewed: March 13, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Snowshoe
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
Paceline Bicycles
Strengths:
See my previous review in October 2, 2000. Everything continues to be true.
Weaknesses:
Can still get flats (puncture) but this has not happened to me yet. Tires have tendency to lose pressure overnight but then so did my conventional tires/tubes set-up.
I promised I would review this wheelset and tires after a period of time to comment on durability. I have had the set-up for about 5.5 months. I am 6'0 and 180lbs. and I bike 2-3X/week, about 10-20 miles, mostly through typical east coast rocky and rooty terrain. I run 35psi in the front and 30psi in the back. I have NEVER flatted. No punctures. I still have the same Hutchinson Mosquitos but do anticipate replacing in the next couple of months. The wheelset is still in perfect tru. So, what can I say? For me this wheelset has been a Godsend! So much so that I have purchased the disc variety for my second bike. The only complaint I have is that the tires tend to lose pressure overnight. But, I must say this is not a problem, as I always dealt with this with conventional tire/tube setups. I have no regrets.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a
from VA Date Reviewed: January 31, 2001
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Bottom Line:
Follow-up to my previous review: after 6 months experience with them and alot of races, I was wrong, it is not the greatest new thing after all.
The rims themselves are great, incredibly tough and require little truing. Truing is very easy. The bearings are good and do not need replacing yet, but I have heard they are easy to replace. They are super easy to tighten if they develop a little play in the bearings. The ceramic rims are excellent, no concave wear on the brake surface yet. I have felt the tire hit the rim on many occasions after hitting a rock with low pressure in tires, but the rims do not get dings or dents.
Lately though, I have been using regular tires and tubes on the rims. Mavic says not to do this, I have had zero problems, as long as I inflate the tire to 60 psi to seat it, then let the air out back to normal.
Why? Because I have had so many problems with the Pythons. When they work properly, it is awesome, riding along at low psi is incredible. But, I have pinch flatted them 3 times,using 25-27 psi, which is less than the 29 psi Mavic says is the low limit. But, I weigh 157, and if I weighed 200 and used 29 psi I am sure the same thing would have happened. Many other problems with pythons including: heavy weight (more than tire+tube), high price, more prone to sidewall tears than reg tires, bee-yatch to get on/off rims (you are supposed to do it with just your hands, what a joke, I have broken so many tire levers!).
The worst problem is the "mystery flats". After about 12 thorn holes, I finally figured out after never actually finding one in the tire, that they weren't really thorn holes - what happens is that when you ride over rocks, the tires can get little punctures that look just like thorn holes, the tire just basically splits and a hole is formed, air leaks out in 5 minutes to 8 hours depending on the hole size. This only happens to me on rocky terrain, not roots or dirt. Rocks is where you really want to use the low psi, but the hard sharp edges cause the mystery holes.
Also, if something like a tiny pebble, stick or blade of grass gets caught between tire and rim, there will be a fast leak. Happened to me twice.
The only thing I have found that patches a hole, tear or pinch-flat cut is clear silicone gel from a hardware or auto parts store intended for sealing/waterproofing around windows etc. It works great and has fixed EVERY hole and tear I have ever had, but you have to wait for it to dry (takes hours), so it is not a good trailside repair. Patches, slime did not work. Bring a tube, and be prepared for a long struggle to dismount/mount tires from rim. And then, you have a super heavy tire/tube combo.
Hopefully, the other new UST tires will be better. The rims still get 5 stars, but the "system" gets less for now.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Glenn Farnham
a Weekend Warrior
from Sodertalje, SWEDEN Date Reviewed: January 28, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Any and all that will have me
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
LBS (Cykeltjanst , Sodertalje)
Strengths:
-Look and feel real sturdy. -Air tight for the most part -Nice reflective logo tape on outer rims
Weaknesses:
-Quickly lose air under certain conditions -Cheesy plastic QR levers that rattle!
Similar Products Used:
Custom built wheels round Chris King hubs and Mavics X517 Ceramic rims. Standard Magura Pro hubs/mavic rims.
Bike Setup:
-99 GT XIZANG custom built dream bike with all the great stuff on it.
Bottom Line:
The good hype: I can’t under any conditions be considered to be a hard core bike masher, but I like to get my share of bumpy trails every now and then. And for this purpose they have held up well, still true after numerous hits to roots and small rocks. The ceramic coating on the rims give greater stopping power in sloppy conditions. Low tire pressure now possible to use without running the risk of pinch flating.
Now the not so good: These hops are Xpensive, but then again aren’t all we MTB’ers rich dudes with more money than brain capacity? The front tire (Hutchinson Python UST) has deflated itself a couple of times when me and my bike hit unexpected obstacles broad sided (I believe it’s called to jack-knife or something like that). The first time this happened I found blades of grass situated in-between the rim and the tire (right where the tire is sealed to the rim, for an airtight lock). Plucked the grass out and pumped up the tire pressure and away we went again, no biggie. This problem comes with the construction of the rim and tire I guess. The weight savings compared to other conventional name brand high-class wheelsets are nil/nada/none from what I can see. The quick releases are not in pair with the rest of the setup. The levers are either made of composite or plastic, I really don’t care which. But they shake and sound like a baby’s rattler and that concerns me! These pieces of plastic that serve as handles are loosely connected to the piece of metal that in their turn make for the tightening of the hubs. C’mon MAVIC you could have done better than this on a pair of ridiculously expensive/high class/cutting edge wheelset…
In conclusion: I consider these wheels to be very good, but unfortunately they are not the wonder wheels we have all been waiting for. Lets see if Bontrager picks up the ball, and does a better job on his tubeless wheelset construction I’ve been hearing about. If nothing else this competition might help bring down the price of these things.
By the way, why are there two columns on this site for this one product? For the Maxic Crossmax Tubeless and the Mavic Crossmax UST are one in the same…
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
gary
a Racer
from SoCal Date Reviewed: December 26, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
-Increased traction, like Velcro -Ceramic braking surface increases stopping power and silences pads. -No pinch flats at 29 psi! -Small puctures dont flat tire all at once. -Bladed spokes are laterally stiff. -Sealed replaceable bearings are smoother than XTR. -Stayed true from day of purchase. -Supple and smooth ride, like full suspension.
Weaknesses:
-Installation of tire is a little more challenging. -Soapy water must be used to get the tire to seat. -The tire is tough to get on the bead. -Drive side rear spokes have had some paint chipping off due to fast fireroad descending. -Spendy$$ -Warranty involves special parts and repairs.
KHS Alite Team Issue, XTR, Crossmax UST's with Kore Elite Skewers, Pythons 2.0 UST, SID SL, King headset, Flite Ti, Thompson post, CT2 bar, etc.
Bottom Line:
For XC racing there is no better wheelset. These will make you a better rider instantly. You will be able to ride down and up stuff faster than ever before. Traction is unbelievable, highly recommended!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rick
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenixville, PA Date Reviewed: November 27, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Red/White - French Creek
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
Local shop
Strengths:
Performance, enhanced traction & ride at lower pressures, no pinch flats after 5 brutal rides, appearance (way stylie!), quiet & smooth, better engagement in rear freewheel than with XTR. When used with the Pythons, great handling overall!
Weaknesses:
Price, availability of tires (many planned, few available), concern over punctures & repairs to tires, Pythons give it up when laying the bike over in loose stuff.
Similar Products Used:
I swore by XTR/517 combo for years. Frequent pinch flats & rim wear got me looking...
Bike Setup:
Intense Uzzi SL, Fox Air Float RC, Manitou XVert Super, XTR drivetrain, RaceFace cranks, Avid SD 2.5 brakes, Hutchinson Python tires, Time ATAC carbon pedals.
Bottom Line:
Really "confidence inspiring" thus far. I've taken them on the toughest rides in the area for a baptism by fire in both dry & wet conditions, and they truly did make a noticeable difference (unlike many upgrades!). Pricey yes, but seem to be worth it thus far. We'll see if I'm so happy after my first thorn adventures...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jay
a Cross Country Rider
from Saratoga Springs Date Reviewed: November 25, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Severed Dick
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Mavic delivers and ultra light and strong wheel set that rolls true and requires little to no maintenance.
Weaknesses:
The bearing locks come loose frequently.
Similar Products Used:
Every hub that Shimano and Syncros has ever made with Mavic rims, of course.
Bike Setup:
Serotta CST with all the bells and whistles.
Bottom Line:
These wheels are bomb proof. I ran a stick throught the rear wheel which bent one of the spokes and chipped the paint. This did not even put the wheel noticeably out of true. When I got home I bent the spoke back into position and trued the wheel. It was very easy and the wheel has not budged since.
I think Mavic has yet again set a high water mark for others to follow. I hope that they continue to push the envelope of weight and performance. I would recommend these wheels to anyone. As for the tires? Well I have not had an unusally bad experience with the Hutchinsons. The tread is design is excelent and hooks up wet or dry roots or rocks. But tires aside, you could easily run your favorite clincher on these rims.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Shane Nelson
a Cross Country Rider
from Springfield, MO Date Reviewed: November 24, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Berryman Trail
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
A friend
Strengths:
Traction is great, look really cool and pinch flat protection
Weaknesses:
Hard to mount computer magnet
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 517
Bike Setup:
GT Zaskar, full XTR, Race Face stem and bar, Chris King headset and USE shockpost
Bottom Line:
Great ride and traction, takes the jarring out of the trail and are super stiff and light.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Fritz Man
a Cross Country Rider
from Ottawa, Canada Date Reviewed: November 23, 2000
Maybe not a weakness, but the tires are a real pain in the ass to mount!!! Cost if you buy them new. Have to be innovative to mount your bike computer magnet to the oversized spokes.
Bike Setup:
GT Zaskar, Mavic Crossmax UST rims with Hutchinson tires, RST XMO O2 fork, SRAM 9.0SL grip shifts, SRAM 9.0 derailleurs, Easton carbon bar, USE XCR suspension seatpost
Bottom Line:
OK, I finally got these puppies and they have not disappointed me. Sure even my purchase price of $500 including tires is not cheap (especially when you factor in a 50% hike in price due to Canadian dollar conversion) but I gave up a twin turbo RX-7 to pursue my love of mountain biking, so I can splurge every now and then. While I'm not a racer, I love to ride and ride hard. I weigh almost 200 pounds and was getting really sick of flats, having to ride conservative, or being bounced around (due to to 50 psi pressures).
Here's some notes that I've acquired. 1) The bead in the tire is really tight making the mounting of tires a dreaded affair. 2) Interesting in that one of the used tires sold to me had a small puncture on the sidewall near the bead which is actually protected by the rim - no idea how anything can get to that part of the tire. I then discovered that regular tube patches, duct tape, or Shoe Goo does not seal a puncture. I've got Crazy Glue in mind next. 3) The tires actually seal by 'locking' onto the rim. To remove the tire afterwards, the tire has to be litterally peeled away from the rim before you can try (and I emphasize *try*) to pull the tire off by hand. 4) By hand, the weight wasn't really much lighter than my previous wheelset (don't know what it was, but it was aftermarket), but I could really feel the weight loss benefit while pedalling. 5) Traction (going up or in a corner) is *VERY* confidence inspiring. Several previously impassable soft sandy climbs on my local favorite trail were easily handled by the UST tires. I would imaging the larger surface area of the tire due to the lower pressures is the main reason why. I was using a 2.1 Panaracer Fire XC Pro which in their own right, have good floating capabilities, and an agressive tread. Yet the Hutchinsons/Mavic combination offers better climbing abilities. 6) Plushness however, is probably the best benefit after pinch flat resistence (that aluminum GT frame, while stiff, can be very punishing). I'm riding 30psi front (recommended minimum pressure) and 32psi rear. Anything lower, the tires get sketchy in the turns.
BTW - the Hutchinson tires seem to be OK. Good rolling characteristics and good traction. The semi-knobby design seems like it should shed mud fairly easily (especially compared to my Panaracer Fire XC Pro).
If you can afford a set, get it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kuhl
a Racer
from Mechanicsburg PA Date Reviewed: November 11, 2000
Favorite Trail:
lambsgap
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
supergo
Strengths:
Amazing pinch flat resistance Super light and tough wheelset make great for racing Awsome traction every where
Weaknesses:
umm none
Similar Products Used:
nothing comes close
Bike Setup:
trek 9.9 with full xtr now with ust crossmax's
Bottom Line:
These things rock. I am running 30 psi front and rear with no problems. I weigh only 145 so if your a little heavier you might run more pressure but for me 30 psi sticks to any thing you can throw at em. Even wet rocks here on the east coast. I only have one complaint but it would of happend to any tire, I was riding in a thick rock garden when i tore a whole in my python in the rear. So now I am running a python up front with a new misquito in the rear. This set up rocks! now go buy em and stop worring about pinches in races.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Louis Gomez
a
from Cairo, Egypt Date Reviewed: October 26, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Bottom Line:
UPDATE: Well I managed to get a flat and knock the rear out of true. No suprise given the abuseive riding I have put them through. *The Hutchinson Python tire patched easily enough. *Trueing was a breeze! *Both patching and trueing were easier than with standard tires or rims. Still impressed!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Louis Gomez
a Weekend Warrior
from Cairo, Egypt Date Reviewed: October 11, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Wadi Digla
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
Trajectoire, Chamonix FR
Strengths:
Traction, toughness, durability (to date)
Weaknesses:
lack of tread selection-hopefully soon to be rectified!
Similar Products Used:
Nothing to compare to in this class
Bike Setup:
Heckler, XTR, Z-1, Raceface
Bottom Line:
The future is now: Buy as soon as practical, I passed over a disc upgrade and am still laughing! Currently the best upgrade for the dollar! With more tire and rim choices tubes will be relegated to Wallmart bikes! The climbing traction is phenomenal: 35 PSI sticks to anything, I find that I can climb in higher gears what was once a lung blooding challenge, and that I can caress technical stuff that had previously stood me up. Unexpected durability: Wheels are amazingly in original true after some serious combat riding that included cracking the Heckler's rear tiangle (driveside). Unbelievable pinch flat resistance: three footers at 35 PSI, and you keep rolling. I wrapped my tire around the rim and just smiled as I rolled on as my bike bro's gasped in awe. Tires (Python) are tough (to date): But I would prefer more tread as I have encountered some drifting on the front. I freeride in a jagged limestone wasteland and have had only one tire issue: a crack in the sidewall that I rode for four days on the Tour De Mt Blanc (France) without further failure. The tire was patched (inner) and regained its original form and now is serving as my spare.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Chapel Hill, NC Date Reviewed: October 2, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Tsali and Snowshoe
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$790.00
Purchased At:
Paceline Bicycles-threw in the tires at no extra cost
Strengths:
No pinch flats, stiff, light wheelset.
Weaknesses:
Price. Used to be that there were relatively few tire choices but that is about to change with Specialized joining the show
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager Race but actually there are no similar products as far as I'm concerned
Bike Setup:
Klein Mantra Race, stock except for Speedplay frogs, Gore-tex cables, Specialized BG comp saddle, with the MavicCrossmax, I have Hutchinson Mosquitos.
Bottom Line:
Preliminary assessment: finest upgrade I have made since switching to a full-suspension bike. I am a relatively serious recreational rider (raced only once), 6'0" and 180 lbs. The trails in Chapel Hill are relatively rooty and rocky and I tend to ride seated = tendency to pinch flat. Consequently, I had to run high pressures (55psi). With these babies, I run 30-35 psi, my wheels stay on the trail, easily clear off-camber roots and cornering is unbelievable. The wheels are also incredibly stiff not to mention light (1540g). Although pinch flats will be virtually non-existent, punctures may still occur (My understanding is Mavic is working on a quick seal systemt similar to that used in cars). I have not experienced any punctures yet but see previous reviews as others have. There is an excellent review on mountainbike.com.
I would recommend these wheels not just for serious racers but for those of you like me who thoroughly enjoy and want to excel in the sport of mountain biking, especially if you are prone to pinch flats. The biggest drawback is the price. You should know that Mavic is about to debut a disc-compatible version (1775g)as well as a lower end model called Mavic CrossRock ($379.00, 1820g) (see November Mountain Bike Action). At this point I cannot comment about durability but will review this aspect in the near future.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a
from Draper, Utah Date Reviewed: September 16, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Tsali, NC
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
Local bike shop.
Strengths:
Light, fast, super durable and they look real cool.
Weaknesses:
I have flatted only once on a Hutchinson Python, but I hit a broken branck on a log that pierced the tire. Otherwise, I have had no problems.
Similar Products Used:
Cane Creek Wham Ti
Bike Setup:
Trek 9.9 Pro Carbon Fiber, XTR components, LP Composite bar, bar ends, and seatpost. See the bike at www.mountainbikingaddiction.com.
Bottom Line:
The best upgrade I have made since suspension forks. I used to suffer through flat tires at many races costing me a few positions. Since I switched to these wheels, I have never flatted again at a race. I also love running super low tire pressures. The wheels are very firm and accelerate well. I love how quiet the spokes make the wheel. A great ride!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Trickle
a Racer
from Lake Tahoe, CA USA Date Reviewed: August 17, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Downieville Downhill
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$741.00
Purchased At:
Universalcycles.com
Strengths:
Light, stiff and very fast....However
Weaknesses:
The Tires, this new technology of tubeless tires is going to be big some day but not now. The Hutchinson Pythons are the biggest pieces of crap ever made! These tires puncher sooooo easy and can't be patched because the patch kit for tubes are a different type of rubber, Hutchinson France is aware of this but don't have a solution yet!!! What a joke! A $50 tubeless tire on a $850 wheelsets and you can't fix the tires! I don't get it....
Similar Products Used:
Mavic CrossMax, UST, Race Lites
Bike Setup:
GT XCR LE, all XTR, Z1 CR Bombers, Monkey Lite Carbon bars, easton 70 stem, and now Dave's Speed Dream Wheelset with Chris King Hubs! The BEST!!!!
Bottom Line:
I flatted 4 times in one weekend because of punchered Python Tubeless tires. The wheelset is great, but if you can't complete this product with something that will work, then what is the real value here? Hutchinson France blew it with this tire. Unless you get free tubeless tires, to get stuck 10 miles out on a single track and flat. And no, tubes won't work, they pinch sooooooooooo easy with this system. Went through 4 of those to get down the hill. What a nightmare. DON'T BUY THESE RIMS UNTIL THERE IS A MORE AGGRESSIVE TIRE MADE.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Burros Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Annandale, MN, USA Date Reviewed: August 9, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Marys Loop, Fruita, CO
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
Unbelievable traction, nice ride, very fast rolling.
Weaknesses:
Price.
Similar Products Used:
Mavic 217,517, and Michelin Comp S
Bike Setup:
Bontrager Hardtail, Atom Bomb, XTR.
Bottom Line:
These things rule, there are really not that many products out there that you can bolt on and be a better rider immediately, but this product is. They are not just lighter, stiffer, and cooler (although they are all that), but they are a whole new experience in riding. The traction is awesome, I run them anywhere from 30 to 40 psi, and have noticed that picking lines on off cambers, and scaling roots, and rocks is tremendously easier. They just wrap themselves around things and roll right over them. I am using the Hutchinson Pythons, and am sold that this is the new way to do tires and wheels. I have only used them for a short period of time so I don't know about durability yet, but I will review again later in there life and let you know.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mike
a Racer
from VA Date Reviewed: August 4, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Too many to list
Weaknesses:
Price. Low pressure can be slower on smooth trails. You can still flat if you tear or puncture tire.
Similar Products Used:
Various others
Bike Setup:
Typical hardtail, ceramic pads on Vbrakes prevent squealing
Bottom Line:
Even without tubeless, these would be the best. The spokes will not break (spokes do not bend around each other, same as in Krysium road wheel). The wheels are fast and aero at 15+ mph speeds. The rim sides will not get concave. The bearings are easy to adjust and replace. They are very light. They are super strong, not trued yet after 12 races.
Now, consider this: even if these had "regular" old spokes and non-ceramic rims, they would still be the best due to tubeless. I usually run 25-29 psi (157#) and the ride does not even compare to tubes. I think many Olympic racers will use these even if not sponsored by Mavic, to avoid pinches/defective tubes and to ride faster (except on very smooth trails/fire roads).
Will NOT pinch even at 10 psi (don't try this). Thorn holes still happen, but usually leak very slowly. Use silicone caulking (from hardware store) to repair small holes, put a dab on inside of tire and let dry. Regular and "quick" patches did not work.
IMO, these rank with clipless pedals, front susp and V/disc brakes as greatest MTB innovations. Why aren't there DH disc versions with 2.75 tires? Every DHer would get them.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Paul "Ratt" Rudman
a Cross Country Rider
from Orange,Ca Date Reviewed: August 2, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Modj.Grade to Old camp
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
This Wheelset Rocks!!! Its light, its bombproof & they DO NOT LEAK!! Screw the rumours about leaking sets..With this wheelset it was like putting Nitrius oxide on my GT XCR-1000!! If you can save $$ spend it on these!!
Weaknesses:
None.. but the Tire a pricey but so are the wheels
Similar Products Used:
Not tubeless just Mavic 517's with Slime tubes cause I hate flats which I don't get now!!
Bike Setup:
1999 GT XCR-1000 with a sweeeeet set of wheels now:)
Bottom Line:
Buy'em Ride'em Love'em & Don't Worry about them!!! No More Pinch Flats or Leaky tubes!! Mavic RULES!!!
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Submitted by
Whit
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver Date Reviewed: July 24, 2000
Favorite Trail:
?
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
ease of use, traction, no tube
Bottom Line:
Tubeless is the only way to go. Buy it as soon as you can afford it. 2001 Mavic is to have a less expensive tubless model.
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Submitted by
Jeff
a Racer
from traverse city Date Reviewed: July 18, 2000
Favorite Trail:
vasa
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
light, fast, and excellent traction. wheels are very stiff for the weight
Weaknesses:
limited tires but that will change with time
Similar Products Used:
Mavic crossmax with pyhton gold tires for a year and a half
Bike Setup:
TRek 9.8, full XTR Crossmax UST, King
Bottom Line:
The fastest wheels I have ever ridden. Even though there heavier than my previous setup, the spped increase with the tubeless was noticable from the first ride. These wheels are very stiff and track very well. The low pressure gives tons of traction with the python tires. Leaking is minimal and this will be the future of wheels Very impressive from Mavic The best setup out there 5 flammin huge piles
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Submitted by
Stefan Tanner
a Racer
from Zurich Date Reviewed: June 20, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
1. no pinch flats 2. awesome grip and traction 3. light weight
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
there is nothing comparable out there
Bike Setup:
litespeed owl hollow, xtr, sid, crossmax ust's with phytons
Bottom Line:
unlike many other products, these wheels make you faster the moment you put them on!!!! no worries about pinch flats, great traction with thin, fast-rolling tires that look as they were only good for roadriding! these babies are just the way to go!
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Submitted by
Dave
a Racer
from Houston, Texas Date Reviewed: June 2, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Flat Creek Crossing
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
No pinch flats, so you can run low pressures for AWESOME TRACTION!! Light. Fairly strong. Look cool.
Weaknesses:
Pricey.
Similar Products Used:
Everything
Bike Setup:
Intense Tracer/Bomber X-Fly/Hutchinson Pythons
Bottom Line:
I almost didn't review these because I don't want the competition to get them. These wheels make me definitely faster. I weigh 190 #'s and can hammer on these with 30 psi in the front/38 psi in the back and the traction blows away anything I have ever experienced. I'll never go back to tube tires. I did tweak the back rim slightly twice: once while pounding down fairly sick rocky descents in Sedona, AZ and another time while ramp jumping. Really easy to true.
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Submitted by
Tim Daechsel
a Racer
from Penticton B.C Canada Date Reviewed: April 27, 2000
Favorite Trail:
three blind mice
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
super light feel, rocket acceleration strong,after one month of abuse still bang on straight, ceramic breaking surface stops on a dime, with Avid Arch Supremes more power than discs.
Weaknesses:
only two manufactures make tubeless tires for now
Similar Products Used:
is there anything similar?
Bike Setup:
stock Cannondale F3000 SL, year 2000 model
Bottom Line:
for racing, tubeless tires are the way of the future the advantages of tubeless are too many to ignore, light rotational weight, no more pinch flats, lower rolling resistance smooth ride. the disadvantage of being way pricey should change when more manufactures jump on board.
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