2013 Mavic Crossmax 29er wheels
Generally speaking, losing weight is good for you. Lighter is better, or so they say and this applies just as much to mountain bikes as it does to so-called celebrities ‘papped on a beach somewhere far from these rain-washed shores.
But what’s important is how you lose the weight.
Take rotating mass for example. This seems to be considered the best weight to lose since it takes more effort to keep a heavy weight moving than a light one. When it comes to mountain bikes, that means wheels are the obvious place to lose weight, and my experience with my Stans Crest wheelset seems to bear this out.
The benefits from a lighter wheelset (all other things being equal) are arguably more pronounced for 29er wheels, so it’s interesting to see Mavic’s latest 29er Crossmax wheelsets for 2013 being announced.
I’m not going to go into the details of what they’ve done to reduce weight (BikeRumor have a much more indepth article on the 2013 Crossmax 29ers) but suffice to say the new wheels are both very light and versatile in accommodating lots of different axle and hub standards.
The model which caught my eye as being particularly enticing is the Crossmax ST which comes in at 1710g in weight for the pair, which is a great weight for a 29er. I know the Crossmax SLR looks better and is even lighter at 1620g but it’s more race focussed than the All Mountain ST and it costs more too.
On the subject of price, current 2012 Crossmax ST wheels retail at £660 in the UK so these are not a cheapy-cheap option but they promise to be super strong and are fully tubeless compatible without the need for a rim strip so reliability is likely to be high.
Of course, there’s other options out there – Stans, as previously mentioned and Sun Ringle (who licence Stans profiles), plus WTB and Shimano all offer 29er wheels at decent weights and a variety of prices. But if you do plan to upgrade your bike, look to your wheels first.
About the author
Matt is one of the founding Molefathers of the Muddymoles, and is the designer and main administrator of the website.
Having ridden a 2007 Orange Five for many years then a 2016 YT Industries Jeffsy 29er, he now rocks a Bird Aether 9 and a Pace RC-627.
An early On-One Inbred still lurks in the back of the stable as a reminder of how things have moved on. You can even find him on road bikes - currently a 2019 Cannondale Topstone 105 SE, a much-used 2011 Specialized Secteur and very niche belt drive Trek District 1.
If you've ever wondered how we got into mountain biking and how the MuddyMoles started, well wonder no more.
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Lloyd Brown says:
I am surprised you left American Classic off the list Matt, particularly as they do ‘white’. I have the American Classic’s on the Tallboy, they are light, about 1650 the pair and not too pricey at under £500. They are tubeless ready and have been excellent, they also highly rated whenever they are tested by the experts.
Lloyd
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Posted on April 20, 2012 at 7:34 am
Matt says:
Good point Lloyd, I’d forgotten American Classics which I must say are a good bet. I’m hoping the Mavics will be available in white as well, since they were for the 2012 model, fingers crossed. The AMs have the advantage with red hubs too!
It makes sense to invest in 29er wheels I think as the benefits are likely to be more apparent with the mass further from the axle over 26ers.
Compared to my (price-shopped) locally built Crest/Hope Pro2 build though these are all quite expensive options but assuming disc brakes and forks are competent it is the best component to spend your money on in my view.
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Posted on April 20, 2012 at 8:40 am