Mavic Crossmax ST 29 – looking at a pair of these for my Ibis Ripley build.

Any thoughts on their reliability etc

Need them for general cross country and trail riding – nothing too rowdy

Any other options that are as light / stiff / durable

Cheers

Oli

Need them for general cross country and trail riding – nothing too rowdy

They fit the bill for this, but are not quite stiff or tough enough for AM use.

I’m putting mine on my HT, where I think they’ll be perfect.

I have two sets, one bought early 2012 for a hardtail, the other 2013 on a Canyon. Both sets are as free running and true as the the day they arrived, although I don’t use either for full on trail centres, ‘just’ places like the Malvern’s, FOD etc. I find them perfectly stiff enough for this sort of use, and they are noticeably lighter ( by nearly 200g) and stiffer than the Hope Hoops Pro II/ Stans Arch EX set the first set replaced.

Edit: I did have to sort out the loosening bearing adjustment on the rear wheel, on one set when they were less than 6months old, since then no problems.

I would want to run them for places like Cannock but nothing more extreme – obviously not the full on downhill sections with big drops

Im pretty light. Just didnt know anything else that offerd pretty good duarbaility with stiffness and lightweight

I was looking also at arches on hopes but they are quite a bit heavier and i’m not sure they are as stiff?

As above, I replaced the Hope/ Arch EX wheelset, and whilst the Mavics were nearly twice the price new, I am glad I changed. To say that the Mavic’s completely transformed the hardtail would be an exaggeration, but the difference in steering precision and power delivery was noticeable, even to me.

The one downside of the Mavics is the potential cost/hassle of replacing spokes and rims if you do get a problem. Luckily not happened to me so far. The other issue is that the Mavic’s have a 19mm internal rim width which in theory restricts you to 2.3″ tryes max.

Ive had a set since 2013,only problem with these is the freehub bearings wearing after 8 months or so.i put this down to the fact that the outside of the bearings are metal sealed and dont seal as well as 2 rs.its also quite hard to find these bearings with the mix of metal and rubber sealing,had to just put 2 rs ones in seem to work though.on the plus side these wheels have never gone out of true and i like to get a bit of air now and again.should say they’re 26 ers if that matters

I’ve had mine for 18 months now. Noticeably stiffer than my hope/crest hoops for a similar weight. They also spin much more freely in comparison as well. I also had issues with the rear pre load adjuster working loose no matter how many times I re tightened it. Was sent back to mavic and replaced under warranty. New one has been fine since (last August ). If I was after new wheels now I’d probably go down the LB Carbon rims line though.

I’d love some LB rims but can’t really afford them now. Can pick up a pair of STs for £450 as apprised to over £600 for LB

I’d love some LB rims but can’t really afford them now. Can pick up a pair of STs for £450 as apprised to over £600 for LB