Mavic EX721 Extreme Mountain Biking Rims

15 February 2009 () by Kendon Glass

Performance

The best rim to use for off road expeditions is an area where opinions vary wildly amongst cycle tourists. The Mavic EX721 is a solid rim specifically designed with the rigors of downhill-mountain biking in mind.

Bolivia and Patagonia have some of the worst unpaved roads in the world and are very demanding on all parts of the bicycle. To put it into perspective, there were some areas of Bolivia that Ben and I chose to ride along the railway tracks as opposed to the teeth chattering corrugations the Bolivians call roads. My combination of bike, body and baggage weighs in at around 135 to 140 kilograms. In such conditions this equates to a lot of relentless force coming down onto the back rim.

There is a balance between cracking rims and breaking spokes that needs to be found. Maintaining correct spoke tension and not carrying excessive weight are both important factors with maintaining this rim.

+ Considering the harsh testing environment these rims have stood up to a lot of punishment on a daily basis.

Performance Update

5 Years on the trail & 50,000 Kilometres later

I have been relying on the performance of Mavic Rims since day 1.

While in Iran I noticed a small hairline fracture along the breaking surface of the rear rim. Swapping the front rim with the rear rim [weight bearer] enabled me to get all the way through Central Asia, Pakistan and into the Great Indian Desert of Rajasthan before the rim in question finally split. This was the first rim to go from my second set of expedition rims, having replaced the original set while on the last leg in South America.

There has been much conjecture amongst Round The World cyclists over who manufactures the most durable rim on the market. I am yet to meet a long distance cyclist who hasn't had issues with their rims at one time or another. It is not a matter of 'if they go' but 'when they go' that is important. The rims used by expedition cycle tourists receive punishment resulting from extreme loads over extended periods of time. They also need to handle every type of terrain that you can imagine.

Photo: Punishing terrain like this requires only the best equipment

Photo: A rim that can deliver more than 10,000 kilometres is worth the label of an expedition rim

Thank you

Mountain biking over the Bolivian Andes requires the most reliable rims for an extreme environment. Thank you to Guy Thompson at Groupe Sportif who has supplied the team with the Mavic EX721's front and back.

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