Review: 2018 Mavic Crossmax Pro Carbon Wheelset
Mavic wheels are known for their lightweight and durability. The Crossmax Pro Carbon is no different and is the perfect set of hoops for CC riders.
Yellow! That’s what I think of when Mavic comes to my mind. It doesn’t matter if it comes to the highly popular DEEMAX wheelsets or the Tour de France team car, the bright warm colour is always dominating. Therefore, it is surprising that Mavic is launching their new carbon flagship wheelsets for Cross Country and All Mountain with only a slight accent of their signature colour.
After testing the new Crossmax Pro Carbon, I can say the wheelset has earned the yellow label around the hub.
| Weight: | |
| 27.5" | 1470 g |
| 29" | 1510 g |
| Rim: | |
| ETRTO | 23-584, 23-622 |
| Inner Width | 23 mm |
| Outer Width | 28 mm |
| Material | carbon (UD) |
| Hubs: | |
| Bearings | sealed and adjustable cartridge |
| Axle Type | Boost and non-Boost |
| Brake Mount | disc 6 bolt |
| Material | aluminium |
Mavic Crossmax Pro Carbon wheelset.
First impressions
A big fat smile lightened my face when I first opened the box and realized that the wheelset looked exactly as sick as I expected. After assembling the cassette, tyres and rotors I was super pumped to try them out. I spun the wheel and listened to the beautiful sound of the pawls to get myself in the riding feeling.
The 4 pawls engage in pairs and hence ensure a better power transmission and increase ride dynamics, due to the small distance of 7.5° between them. While the wheel was still spinning, my attention went to the bladded spokes, which are double butted and straight-pull. Instead of being thread through the holes of the hub flange, the spokes are hung from the side of the hub body. The double crossing increases the wheelset’s stability and also protects the position of the spokes at the head of the hub flange.
The top quality Mavic hub that we are all used to.
The decals are sleek with yellow accents.
Bladded Spokes complete the package.
Slowly my gaze wanders away from the hub towards the black carbon rims with the hookless rim profile and an inner width of 23 mm. For better lateral stiffness the rim has an asymmetrical profile. The spoke holes are positioned asymmetrically as well, optimizing the spoke angle and increasing the wheelset’s stability.
Since I was about to test the wheelsets in a very demanding terrain in Liguria, I decided to go tubeless for better puncture protection. This was done quiclly and soon, I was ready to ride.
The wheelset just feels good to ride!
On the trail
For the test ride, I mounted the Mavic Crossmax Pro Carbon wheelset into my Santa Cruz Hightower LT. In case you are wondering about my choice of bike, modern Cross Country trails on a World Cup level are just as demanding for the material and rider as flowy Enduro trails. Therefore, I chose the bike I know best to be able to pay as much attention as possible to wheelset.
I quickly calibrated the power meter, started pedalling and instantly noticed how easy these wheels were to get up to speed. Reaching the Din Bar at the Colle del Melogno after only 80 minutes I was already pumped about the Mavic wheelsets. From here, an uphill trail leads to the start of the Roller Coaster. Parts of the trail are very steep and full of roots ending in stony steps.
They stay stiff in corners.
And can get some air!
The Mavic Crossmax Pro Carbon wheelsets in combination with low pressure in the Mavic Pulse Pro tyres produce extreme traction that helped me conquer the uphill before reaching the trail head. Arriving at the beginning of the Roller Coaster, I just needed two deep breaths to recover. With a few strong pedal rotations I entered the trail and was immediately stoked about the responsiveness and the lateral stability.
In the beginning, the trail is pretty abrasive and builds up more flow in the end. Due to the vertical indulgence the wheels always keep traction and hardly lose contact to the ground unwillingly. This pays off especially for hardtail riders, since the flex of the wheels and the chainstay are crucial to the comfort and the traction of the rear wheel. When quickly shifting the direction on the trail the Mavic wheels score with their light weight and let my somewhat slow 29er be a lot more playful.
This wheelset is ready to do whatever you ask it to.
My verdict
Back at the apartment I couldn’t stop smiling and I was positive, the wheels are worthy of the yellow pasted Mavic label around the hub. It’s balance between lightweight, durability, lateral stiffness and vertical compliance are outstanding and have completely convinced me. With the Crossmax Pro Carbon, Mavic has launched a very competitive carbon wheelset, which does not need to hide from anything.
