MAVIC LIGHTENS THE WHEELS AND LOWERS THE PRICESSEPT18
MAVIC LIGHTENS THE WHEELS AND LOWERS THE PRICESSEPT18
Mavic will fulfill the needs of trail and cross-country riders in the upcoming season. The SL designation will refer to a lighter Crossmax wheel. SL wheels are available in silver-anodized colors. They have machined facets between each spoke to reduce weight. Non-disc brake versions use a lighter front hub, which incorporates composite parts to reduce weight. Last year’s model has the same front hub. The spokes of the Rim-brake Crossmax hoops are smaller than in previous models (18/front and 20/rear). Disc brake hoops have 24 spokes and are laced two-cross. The?03 Crossmax tubeless wheels weigh 650 grams front and 820 grams rear, according to published figures. According to reports, the disc brake version weighs 770g front and 915 back. At this time, prices for Mavics superhoops are not known. Cannondale residents have good news: the SL Disc is available in a Lefty-specific version. It features 24 spokes that are laced to a cartridge Mavic hub, which can be bolted on to Cannondale’s conical axle system. It is estimated that the wheel weighs in at 750g.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE OLD Crossmax WHEELS?
Mavic sells the Crossmax original wheel set under the XC (Extreme Cross). The original black finish is retained in the XC, but the spokes of aluminum are now round and not bladed to give it a rugged appearance. The XC is for trail riders who are serious about their trails. It does not allow for the introduction of more aggressive UST tires like Michelin or Hutchinson. MBA has tested tubeless 6 cm freeriding rubber and will soon be doing so. XC Crossmax wheels weigh 730g/front and 885g/rear for the rim brake hoops, and 860g/front and 945g/rear respectively in the disc brake version. Additional 39 dollars is required to upgrade the disc brake system and rim types.
CONTACT FOR LOWER PRICES
Crossroc wheels have remained virtually unchanged since?03, with the exception of the retail prices which are around 100 dollars lower for the entire range. The initial figures are for a pair, disc brake versions will cost slightly more.
Although Mavic wheels are not affordable for everyone, the security of knowing that French hoopmasters have proved themselves in battle?XC?and DH?is worth it for those who wish to follow the example of pro mountain bike racers at the top of their game is worth the cost.
TUBELESS FREE RIDE/DOWNHILL WHEEL
Mavics announcement of a tubeless downhill bike was long awaited. The Deemax UST comes with stainless steel straight spokes in a disc brake-only version. The set’s weight is 1075g front and 1235g back. Yellow paint and the machined straight-pull hubs are still in place. However, the rims have been silver anodized to distinguish the tubeless version from the standard DH wheels. Deemax offers both conventional and thru-axle hubs to allow freeriders to join its customer club.
Although there will initially be a limited number of tubless tires for large-format wheels only, if you go to Stans No-Tubes, www.notubes.com, and look at the text, you’ll see that any downhill tire, including your favorite, can be converted to tubeless for a mere ten dollars using Stans’ system. Accept no substitutes?Stan rules!
ONE TO THE ROAD
It’s unbelievable that we would use such an inane line, but it works well with the Mavics version. This wheel set has been used by professional mountain bike teams for a while. The Speedcity wheel is a 24-spoke disc brake wheel that’s laced to 700C road tires. Speedcity was designed to provide road-racing performance for mountain bikes that are used for low-impact training on asphalt. A 700C format with a larger diameter also increases the gear ratios. This is to take advantage the higher rolling resistance and faster speeds on asphalt roads. The effective gear ratios of a mountainbike are affected by the use of smaller tires with 26 X 4 cm wheels. This makes it less useful as a training tool for athletes who are high-performance. The weight figures are 865g/front and 1095g/rear. Although the Speedcity wheelset may not be cheap, it is much cheaper than buying a new road bicycle.
MORE INFORMATION?
Mavic has not updated their website. Give them some time to get 2003 stuff up and running.
