Mavic is one of the oldest bicycle component companies
still operating. They arguably have more experience building
bike wheels than anyone else in the world. The company
was founded in 1889 as a nickel-plating business specializing
in spare bicycle parts.
Today, they make the wheels for a laundry list of the best
athletes, spanning every discipline of the sport. Different
versions of Crossmax wheels can be seen on the ultra-light
race bikes of Julien Absalon and Georgia Gould, and the
aggressive downhill and slopestyle rides of Andreu
Lecondeguy, Jeff Lenosky, Cameron Zink, and Cedric Gracia.
Tech features:
The Crossmax SX is designed for enduro
riders, but will also satisfy the needs of just about anyone on
the mountain. The wheelset comes in at a respectable 3.9
pounds. The rear hub offers Mavic’s ITS-4 system, which
uses four pawls for engagement and offers twice the engagement points of a two-pawl system. There is a “click” every
7.5 degrees. The hub shells are forged and ultra strong to
hold Mavic’s patented Zicral spokes in a straight and two-cross lace pattern. Rather than using off-the-shelf bearings
that are designed to work at the super-high speed of a jet
engine or car, Mavic designs their bearings to work specifically with the lower rpm needs of a bicycle. The claimed
result is the lowest possible friction without durability issues. The SX wheelset is also compatible with just about
every mountain bike frame and fork on the market right out
of the box, thanks to the included tool-free adapters. The
Crossmax SX wheelset retails for $899.
Field test results:
The Crossmax SX provides a solid and
stiff platform that is right at home on any trailbike, especially one with 5 or more inches of travel. The sub-4-pound
weight will satisfy anyone looking for a welterweight set
and will only fall short with the cross-country race crowd.
Our only complaint comes on paper, where the 21mm-wide
rim extrusion seems a bit on the narrow side for a wheel
this burly. However, we had no issues with this during test-
ing. The rim profile provides ample width for every tire we
tested on it, and the tubeless system is second to none
when it comes to snapping on a new set of rubber, even
when the tire is set up tubeless.
Our favorite trait of the SX wheelset is the perfect match
between weight and durability. Whereas some wheels cut
corners on material quality, stiffness or price, the SX
wheels deliver all three. This is truly a product we will
stand behind. We’ve used them on four different test bikes
over the course of a year and never even had to touch the
spoke wrench, which, by the way, was included with the
wheels. In a sea of $3000 carbon wheelsets, the Crossmax
SX is our choice. It’s an affordable upgrade that’s high performance, lightweight and durable. The wheels are also
very adaptable, which makes it possible to use them on a
future bike if you choose to upgrade—although we’re not
going to promise that the axle standards won’t change by
then.
Sometimes you come across products that are like a
sharp pocketknife; they’re always there, always ready to
back you up with top-notch performance, and never complain that the job at hand is too hard. The Crossmax SX
wheels are one of those products.
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