Mavic Crossmax SX Wheelset

After about one season of riding on the Fox Talas 32 that came on my Reign, I sent it in for warranty service and promptly sold it when I got it back. I upgraded to a 2010 Fox Float 36 160mm for a little more travel and some additional beefiness in the front end of my bike. I didn’t realize it when I had purchased the wheelset, but the front skewer was easily changed to a 20mm thru-axle in seconds. I now realize that most high-end front hubs are 9-, 15-, and 20-mm compatible, so I’m not as impressed by the convenience of the Crossmax as I used to be, but it was convenient feature nonetheless.

The upgrade to the 36 fork and 20mm axle was impressive. I had never realized the difference a thru-axle could make and combined with the stoutness of the SX front wheel it took my bike to another level.

In general with Mavic Crossmax wheels, people have two primary complaints: the proprietary spokes, and the hubs. As mentioned above, the acquisition of spokes hasn’t been a problem for me, although they are a little costly compared to traditional spokes. I also believe that the proprietary spoke, nipple, rim, and hub design are what make these wheels so unbelievably durable and stiff while being so lightweight. The strength-to-weight ratio of these wheels is incredible, and that has been achieved through brilliant engineering and designing all parts of these wheels as a working unit.

As for the hubs, the freehub is the Crossmax’s Achilles heel. I have never had any problems with, nor have I ever serviced, the front hub in any way; in the rear, I’ve never touched the hub for service of any kind—except the freehub. As with the two other pairs of Crossmax wheels I’ve owned, the freehub needs to be serviced somewhat regularly. Every couple of months I found that my chain would begin to slack when coasting as the freehub would stop spinning freely. This slack in the chain was annoying when descending and would often cause my chain to drop or make an aggravating noise while slapping around more than usual.

My local shop mechanics soon got fed up with servicing the freehub on my bike and taught me in a matter of minutes how to do it myself. You can also easily find Mavic freehub service tutorials online. Now, at the first sign of any binding in the system, I pull the cassette and freehub body and clean and lube the internals and the pawls, a process that takes around 15 minutes once you know how. While it is somewhat inconvenient to do this service once every couple months, it keeps my bike running smoothly on the trail.

The 2008 SXs also have only two pawls in the freehub. Most people who own a wheelset this expensive are either serious riders or gear weenies, so you’ll often hear people talk about engagement speed, which is directly related to the number of pawls in the freehub. The two-pawl design of the ’08 SX is said to have 17-degree engagement which, to be honest, has always seemed just fine to me. But you might notice if you’re a racer or just looking for something to complain about. Either way, this was remedied in 2009 when Mavic changed their freehub design to include four pawls for a much faster 7.5-degree engagement.

Mavic Crossmax ITS-4 Rear Freehub, Blister Gear Review
The Mavic Crossmax ITS-4 Rear Freehub with Four Pawls.

Furthermore, Mavic has completely redesigned the Crossmax line for 2012, starting from the hubs out. The new hub shells feature new disc flanges and have been machined internally to shave weight. The new ITS-4 freehub body is supposedly lighter, faster, smoother, and features four pawls for fast engagement. While I haven’t had the chance to ride the new ITS-4 freehub, I have heard that it is a drastic improvement, and the maintenance frequency is now similar to that of other high-end hubs due mostly to the improved seals.

The new rear hub design is now convertible to all the new rear axle standards. They still accommodate a traditional quick release and have the ability to fit both the 142×12 and 135×12 axles that are common on newer all-mountain and freeride bikes. Both the front and rear hubs employ sealed stainless steel bearings to keep the wheels spinning, and feature improved seals to keep out water and debris. The rear axle has also been changed to a stiffer, lighter 17mm Monobloc aluminum axle.

Mavic Crossmax SX 12, Blister Gear Review
The 2012 Mavic Crossmax SX.

The 2012 SX wheelset also features wider rims, 21mm in the internal measurement. This wider internal rim width is designed for a wider tire footprint to meet the demands of today’s riders running wider tires. The wider rim width is said to change a tire’s contact profile, where the tire meets the dirt, improving the performance of wider tubeless ties. The rim also features a more rounded external profile for added strength and rounded inner channel to facilitate seating the bead of tubeless tires.

Through internal extrusion of the new hubs, both the inside and outside of the rims, and the new lightweight axle, the weight of the new SX wheelset has even been shaved down to 1,755 grams. The SX wheels come with white rims and hubs, black spokes and nipples, and look every bit as blingin’ as their price tag suggests.

My experience with the Mavic Crossmax SX wheels has been a very positive one. After four years of use, they work as well today as the day I got them. Sure, the freehub needs regular maintenance and the spokes can be hard to find, but the longevity and performance of these wheels are second to none, in my opinion. If you are an all-mountain XC rider or freerider looking for lightweight, stiff, and durable wheels, and can tolerate a little maintenance, the Crossmax SX is a solid option.

2 comments on “Mavic Crossmax SX Wheelset”

  1. seems a bit too stoke-a-licious for a set of mediocre wheels, of course your 1900 gram wheels are bomber. and havin to service your freehub that much sucks. this is the beginning of blister’s return to normal gear reviews. its good, its good, its good, gloss over a big problem, its good, its good its good. The reason you have any readers is the true dirt on how our products fail…

    • Dear “blah,”

      Huh?

      Jeremy writes a longterm review (4 years) of a wheel that is still true and un-dented—that’s pretty impressive. He doesn’t “gloss over” any “big problems,” he details very specifically the issues he had with the wheel, and explains how he dealt with those issues.

      Seems like you were hoping for a tirade rather than an honest assessment and useful information that will allow readers to make their own decisions?

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