IS or Centre Lock hub options/Black anodised rims/24 spokes font and rear/UST
Weight: 839g front, 980g rear including QRs
Contact: www.chickencycles.com

The all-new Crossmax ST wheels are lighter than the old XLs and stronger than the regular Crossmax, making them perfect for singletrack ripping — hence the name.
To reduce rotating weight Mavic has opted for narrow 19mm internal rim width with a max recommended tyre width of 2.3in. Additionally, the surplus material between the nipples has been milled out to reduce the weight of the rim, but Mavic has left a central ridge for improved stiffness.
Mavic uses 24 of its proven Zircal aluminium spokes per wheel where the front has a standard two-cross lacing pattern. Mixing it up on the rear, the driveside spokes are radial laced to help balance spoke tension and increase the effective hub width. Hub flange diameters front and rear have been upped for 2007 and are now wider apart, improving the lateral stiffness of the wheels. With all the structural upgrades the ST wheels are not just lighter than the old XLs, they are also stiffer.
Mavic’s steel freehub body isn’t as light as other manufacturers’ alloy versions but the bonus is that the loose sprockets on cassettes don’t chew it up. To improve the durability of the freehub internals Mavic has switched to a harder pawl material.
We specced the Mavic Crossmax ST Disc wheels on the four 5in-travel frames we tested in the Feb 2007 issue and on the first ride out on the Cove Hustler we managed to unhook one of the non-driveside spokes from the rear hub. The old XL wheels used to have plastic covers on the hub flanges to prevent this happening and we were very surprised that the new hub design suffered from this problem. When we got back to the workshop we loosened off the nipple, hooked the spoke into the hub and retensioned it. After that one incident the ST wheels worked flawlessly, and we’ve not had to touch them in five months of riding.
Mavic only offers the Crossmax ST in QR versions right now, but we’re expecting a 20mm bolt-through option by summer.

MBR RATING: 8/10