Out Of The Box: Mavic Crossmax 29″er Wheelset
July 8th, 2007 by Guitar Ted
Twenty Nine Inches has just taken delivery of a set of Mavic Crossmax 29er wheels for test/review. This wheel set caused quite a stir back in April when they were introduced at Sea Otter. For good reason too since the 26 inch versions of these wheels have a solid reputation amongst mountain bikers.
These new wheels are based upon the Crossmax SL and are equipped with newer version of Mavics hubs with the wider flange spacing. The spokes are aluminum Zircal and the rim uses the FORE drilling process to keep the inner rim wall solid and airtight. Yes, these are UST rims. At the moment, only the Hutchinson Python is recommended to use tubeless with these by Mavic, but there may be compatibility with Bontragers Tubeless Ready tires as well, which we are going to look into.
The appealing things here for 29″er fans are the low rotational weight, the promise of an increase in lateral stability, and tubeless compatibility. The overall weight isn’t bad either at an even 1800 grams with skewers and tubeless valve stems installed.
The MSRP for the wheel set is $775.00 and it is also available in a 20mm thru-axle front hub version at the same price. The QR version is not convertible to thru-axle and vice versa. No word at this time about a Lefty version.
Look for a first ride report in the near future. We also will be trying some tubeless set ups with these wheels using Bontrager and Hutchinson tubeless compatible tires. Stay tuned!
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YES very nice wheels but … are we sure that only 24 spokes are enough for a 29er wheels ??? In the past I used the same crossmax wheels 26″ and I can really feel more flex compared with classic 32 spokes wheelset.
I think for serious hard MTB use these are not the best wheels … …
ms29er: Well, the low spoke count is curious, but if there is a problem with the design, we’ll be sure to ferret it out. Mavic promises better lateral stiffness and less spoke wind up. We shall see.
The Bontrager 28 spoke system seems to be okay as far as the lateral stability and stiffness goes, and they are using traditional steel spokes. Perhaps these Zical aluminum alloy spokes will prove to be as stiff or stiffer. By the way, look for Bontrager to do a 24 spoke 29″er wheel in the future too!
The 29er community needs at least the Mavic 29er Lefty hub! As far as the low spoke count goes, I am a little hesitant as well. WTB DD’s are heavy as tank treads but have held up to everything I dish at them. However, the Crossmax listed above looks light and fast. Awesomse wheelset!
When are these available for sale to the public???
rimshot: I agree! A Lefty version would be a great thing. Don’t be surprised if Cannondale doesn’t pull the trigger and make it happen. I think it’s up to them to get Mavic motivated (read: paid money). I can see a high end Caffeine 29″er with a Crossmax wheel set quite easily. I think it’s a very good possibility that it will happen.
Brad: I know online retailers are listing it already, so it’s not far off. I’ll check on that though.
Who needs gears, lose the freehub body
I just purchased a set of the C29 Crossmax 29′er disc wheelset. I already had a pair of new Stans/No Tubes Arch 29′er wheels w/ DT240 hubs new and still in the box but when I saw these Crossmax 29′ers I had to have ‘em. Please let me know if you have any ideas on what tires I can use. I hear that Hutchinson will be coming out w/ the 2bliss Pythons–until that happens, am I forced to run tubes w/ these beautiful 2bliss wheels or is there another route I can take? Since both wheelsets are brand new I’m not sure which ones will be best.
I’m getting concerned that maybe I shouldn’t have purchased these wheels due to tire availability. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!
Thanks a ton,
Doug Morar
Doug,
Python’s are currently available and are “tubeless ready” UST tires. You should get some Hutchinson Fast Air to use as sealant on those as they need sealant to hold air. We tested the Cr29max wheels with these tires and they worked great. I’m hearing Hutchinson is bringing a Toro tread 29″er UST sealant necessary type tire by Sea Otter to show. That is a more aggressive tread and should be more “all around” than the Python is.
I have run the Bontrager TLR tires on Cr29max wheels, but I have also heard of people having some trouble with that combination. For what that is worth. I had no such problems.