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Average Rating
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3.6/5
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# of Reviews
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15
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MSRP
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$ 74.95
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Weight
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More Products from Mavic
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Description:Mavic hasn't forgotten how to make a great cross-country rim, and they don't come any better than the XC 717. It features a hammer-hardened technology that locally strengthens the rim in the area where the spokes exert the greatest force, improving durability.
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Submitted by
Zachary
a Cross Country Rider
from Durango
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Depends on the Day | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Build a very strong wheel. Easy to build with due to factory roundness. Long life. Fast acceleration. Decent stiffness with a proper build and good tension. | | Weaknesses: | SUP weld can be annoying when it breaks free as described in Joe's review. There are few rims that hold up better to abusive XC racing. | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager Mustang, Sun XC-1, Matrix, Sun Rhynolite, Sun Black Eye, DT 4.1, Several others. | | Bike Setup: | My sets are on an XC hardtail and a single speed. | | Bottom Line: | Bottom line is they have their and every rim will wear out or buckle eventually (they aren't indestructable after all). These (X517 and XC717) are the best bang for the buck you can put on your bike. I have three sets that have been built with several different spoke and hub configurations. I can say that this rim with DT Comp 14/15 spokes and a shimano hub are tough to beat when properly built. I have gotten 2-3 time the life out of these rims that I have out of the competition. I also run them with NO-tubes and have no problems getting a fantastic seal!
To address the issue that seems to manifest with the SUP weld (I might point out that I have NEVER seen a weld separate on these rims whether mine or anyone elses) there are several simple fixes. This is something I have found to be common as it has happened on several of mine as well as other mavic rims like my open pros.
There are two cheap and effective fixes I have found. The first is to put the SUP block to one side and inject a VERY VERY small amount of canned expanding foam insulation (like found at home depot) into the opposite side to fill the void. The other way is to get a punch and reset the original punch marks that Mavic has on either side of the SUP block. I have done both of these fixes and have over 1 year on each repair with no problems.
There is a third solution which is equally effective. Leave it the heck alone and ride your bike! This fault doesn't effect the rim in any functional way.
Bottom line is buy these rims and with a proper build (essential to any good wheel) you won't be dissappointed. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a
from Roswell
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Weaknesses: | The welding tabs in rim broke loose. This makes a very annoying sound. | | Similar Products Used: | Rigida rims | | Bike Setup: | Ted Wojcik, King Hubs, XT, Michelin Rock Tires | | Bottom Line: | The Mavic 517 rims on my bike and my girlfriend's bike (4 rims in total) have all had the welding tabs inside the rim break loose. These tabs are used to dissipate heat during the welding process and can not be removed after they break loose. They are in there for good.
Although I have been told by Mavic this does not pose a safety issue, it is highly annoying. The wheels now make a Hula Hoop sound as they roll. (If I were Mavic, I would not want my name on a product with such an obvious flaw.)
The only solution so far is to either drip contact cement into the rim to glue the tab in place or rebuild the wheels at a cost of about $230 each (new rims, spokes, spoke nipples, and labor) with no guarantee it will not happen again.
After spending good money on new wheels, the thought of needing glue or rebuilding the wheels again to correct a noise problem is unacceptable since the problem started almost immediately after the wheels were built. (BTW, all miles on the rims have been road miles.)
Before you spend money on a new set of wheels, make sure you know what you are buying. You could be throwing good money out the window and getting a Hula Hoop sound in your wheels.
As a result of all four of the rims having the same inexcusable problem, I give the Mavic 517 rims a 0 rating.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
curtis hale
a Cross Country Rider
from lincoln, nebraska
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | platte river state park | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | smoothest best ride. | | Weaknesses: | it could not take unfinished railroad bridges. | | Similar Products Used: | nothing that has come close to this. | | Bike Setup: | stumpjumper | | Bottom Line: | this was the best rim that I have ever tried, bar none.
It had xt hub but the rim symetry made it feel like the
rim was not there. I was very sad after I learned that
my fat ass on bad bridges over and over ruined it.
If you are a big person like me, I would not hesitate on
getting this rim for long term precision performance. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Halifax
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Strengths: | They look pretty | | Weaknesses: | Bend like empty crisp packets | | Similar Products Used: | Scott Rims, rubbish also | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale V2000 | | Bottom Line: | Despite some of the favourable reviews avoid these rims like the plague. Mavic advertises itself as a manufacturer of quality products and prices it's products accordingly. After parting with a wad of cash i was naively confident that they would withstand moderate cross country stress. I was wrong, not only were they no longer true, the walls had also developed a buckle. Basically after 1 ride i'm left with an empty wallet and a useless piece of scrap metal. Thanks alot Mavic. Here's a simple equation - start making decent quality products and retain customers. Since you're clearly unable to follow this simple rule i won't be buying anything associated with you charlatans again. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George P. Mason
a Racer
from Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | any road | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | Works well with caliper breaks. Fast tire that moves me almost with an effortless ride and keeps my bike with all but the fastest roadies. Sleek design and light weight. | | Weaknesses: | Reinforced holes suffer multiple microfractures and cracks. Wear indicator doesn't function properly and one malfunctioned on one of the 4 rims I have own after one ride. I put a small drop of adhesive through the spoke hole to bond the indicator so that the incessent noise would stop. | | Similar Products Used: | too many to list | | Bike Setup: | These are used on my commuter mtb (Deore LX, XT, XTR combo). Hubs are XT, caliper brakes, sleek black rims and spokes, and I'm using 1.25 slicks. Bike is <21 lbs without extras and is used for pulling a trailer with 2 kids. No shocks on this bike and I would guess that they do not function as well off-road as on and I haven't even tried them on one of my off-road bikes. | | Bottom Line: | They seem to work great on the road or packed trail. I like the rims a lot--enough to purchase 2 more after the first set started to show numerous cracks and fractures. I am disappointed that my first set of rims lasted only 1 year with only about 2500 miles (3/4 with the trailer). The second set has lasted now for about 8 months without this problem although the wear indicators have malfunctioned. The bottom line is that they give a good and fast ride if you're light, they'll last only a portion of what a rim should last, and the lbs where I purchased them told me that mavic wouldn't do anything about the rims lasting only a single season. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Todd
a Cross Country Rider
from garner
Date Reviewed: December 1, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | reasonable weight | | Weaknesses: | strength | | Similar Products Used: | 517's, sun rims, etc.
| | Bike Setup: | Kona Kula Primo, 22.75 lbs. | | Bottom Line: | This rim really has dissappointed me. Like the 517's, they have cracked at the nipples, even though these rims are heavier and supposedly stronger. Maybe Mavic should put a rider weight rating on their rims. If your over 200 lbs, forget about these rims.
The ceramics are pricey and since I have to replace them twice a year, not a very good value. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave Carlin
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Elfin Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$240.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Great price point, rims have held a true through several months of agressive rock garden riding and general trail abuse... | | Weaknesses: | I'm running Panaracer Fire XC Pros and have had two seperate instances of the tire slipping off og the rim bead completely. After the first incident I purchased a new front tire expecting casing fatigue to be the root of the problem.. No such luck. I'm switching to a tire with a more pronounced lip at the rim seal and will provide updates as they are available. | | Similar Products Used: | Mavic XC 321 , Alex stockers | | Bike Setup: | '04 Stumpy FSR | | Bottom Line: | Great setup (XC717 hoops on XT hubs) for the price, need to do a bit more research on the tire slippage issue before I comit one way or the other. Any feedback or similar experiences would be appreciated. I can't tell you how unnerving it is to watch your tire slip it's way off the rim and your tube expand to ten times it's normal dameter as you try to rail a berm. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a Weekend Warrior
from Sheffield, UK
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Anywhere that is not riding to work | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS Sheffield | | Strengths: | Lightness | | Weaknesses: | Worry about weld cracking | | Similar Products Used: | X517 | | Bike Setup: | Roberts Expedition Tourer | | Bottom Line: | Both my wife and I have had these and their predecessors on a similar setups . The bikes are Roberts RoughStuff Expedition tourers, used almost exclusively for touring on hard surfaces and some fire road type surfaces. They have been lightly loaded (no camping) and both of us only weigh about 150-160lbs and panniers only about 20lbs.
The wheels were built initially with Mavic X517 on XTR hubs with rim brakes and these performed very well in terms of not needing trueing, withstanding lots of airline handling and general performance. After about 5000 miles, while on tour in Cascades – Washington state my wife’s became out of true, fairly rapidly although we managed to completed the tour. On return to UK it showed serious cracking around many of the spoke nipples (in the line of the weld), some crakes being 4-5 mm. He front and rear were replaced with X618s (the front did not show any cracks) ; after a total of about 6000 miles I noticed some cracks appearing on my and had that replaced with X717 before it went out of true. On examination there were a large number of the spoke holes cracking, some with very small cracks. Searching the newsgroups showed that this type of cracking with Mavic X517 was quite common and the wheels had done 5000+ miles. I had hoped it had been solved but reviewers here seem to indicate a very similar description with X717 – so I am now not convinced. Since having the X618 & X717s they have performed well and despite 4-5000miles
On the positive side the wheels are light, strong and perform well and 5000 miles is good mileage. On the negative side they obviously have a tendency to crack (in our case having not been used for MBR or XC for which they were designed) and this seems to occur quite suddenly and not just in one area and this is something that users should be aware of. I am not yet convinced that Mavic have solved it with X717 anymore than the X517 but at least I am aware of it now. Since having the X618 & X717s they have performed well and despite 4-5000miles not needing truing but we are obviously reaching the worrying distance. For a set of lighter road wheels for my Giant Trance I am probably going to try the DT Swiss XR 4.1 rather than the X717.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt G
a Racer
from Ajax, Ontario
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$49.00 | | Strengths: | Fairly Strong, and light. Perfectly true after 6 months and about 2000 km | | Weaknesses: | Narrow rim so using no-tube rim strips can be a pain when going to install if you havn't installed them before | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager | | Bottom Line: | An excellent rim for the money. I work as a wrench at the local shop and Mavic rims always hold up great and when they do go out a bit they are always fairly easy to put back in true, depending on how far they are out ofcourse... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
munk
a Cross Country Rider
from UK
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$65.00 | | Purchased At: | http://stif.co.uk/ | | Strengths: | Stayed true through 18 months/3000 miles of usage, quite light, works well with Hope XC on rear. | | Weaknesses: | Cracks around spoke eyelets on drive-side.
Not as durable as I thought they'd be. | | Similar Products Used: | Ritchy offcentre | | Bike Setup: | Marin nail trail hardtail, rim built on a rear Hope XC hub. | | Bottom Line: | Bought this rim built onto a Hope XC rear hub about 18 months ago from http://stif.co.uk/. Generally the build of the wheel was excellent, after 18 months/3000 miles of usage the wheel is still true. Can't fault the build quality.
Unfortunately the wheel started to lose it's true the other day. Went to true it up and discovered cracks on almost every single drive side spoke eyelet on the rim. Needless to say pretty gutted about that and a little pissed that a wheel that cost over £100GBP only lasted 3000 miles.
However in retrospect I think a major factor in the stress fractures on the rim are probably due to overloading the bike with heavy panniers - over 220lb easily total weight. To be fair I don't think these rims are up to that kind of load on a regular basis and as such 3000 miles is probably quite a lot.
Someone else in this review mentioned the same kind of overloading and how they had the exact same problem with cracking around the driveside eyelets. With that it's probably fair to say they're not meant to be overloaded. Still bloody gutted a £100+ wheel only lasted 18months :(
In summary, if you're after a nice light wheel for XC riding without too much weight on the bike, definitely go for these rims. However if you plan on overloading the bike with weight even just occasionally, stay clear of these and maybe go for something stronger like the 721s. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chwee
a Cross Country Rider
from SF, SINGAPORE
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Light, remained mostly true. | | Weaknesses: | Cracking along the nipple area after less than 4000km of usage on the rear wheel for road usage only. | | Bike Setup: | 36-hole 717 rim used with XT non-hub for carrying a 288lb load on the road... straight 15G wheelsmith spokes with brass nipples. | | Bottom Line: | Discovered that all the nipple areas on the drivetrain side (with the stronger spoke tension) showed signs of cracking. Quite surprised as I had used this particular wheelset only for road-rides, albeit with a heavy load. Had no issues when I was using 36-hole rhynolites.... can't imagine what it'll be like if I'd taken it for serious offroad ... oh well. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a
from Jerz
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$64.00 | | Strengths: | stays true, strong, light, looks, not too expensive, can take a real beating | | Weaknesses: | NONE | | Similar Products Used: | mavic 517, mavic 317, bontrager matrix 750's | | Bike Setup: | `02 trek 4500(hardtail), rock shox psylo xc fork, xc717's, lx v-brakes | | Bottom Line: | great wheels, nothing can beat them for an xc rider with rim brakes. i however am purchasing an xm819(tubless) for a front wheel bc i am continually pinch flatting... riding a hardtail in the rocks northeast style | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex Williams
a Cross Country Rider
from Madison, CT
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Twilight Zone | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$65.00 | | Purchased At: | JensonUSA | | Strengths: | Strong and Light | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain Instinct with Rock Shox Reba Race PLA fork, Fox Float RL rear, Chris King NoThredSet, Easton bar and stem, top of the line SRAM gearing all around. | | Bottom Line: | Great rim that is lightweight and strong and it looks great too. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
rye
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Sweetness | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$75.00 | | Purchased At: | Trailhead Cyclery | | Strengths: | Weight, Price, Looks | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager, Mavic, Rhino | | Bike Setup: | 1999 Specialized Stumpjumper, converted to Single Speed. Mix match parts. | | Bottom Line: | Great Rim, built it up with a CK SS Hub and DT 14/15's with brass nipples. I put it on the truing stand after 3 months just to check it and it was perfect.
Getting a set for my next bike, it was the first part I choose.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
aus10
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston
Date Reviewed: September 4, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$74.00 | | Purchased At: | West End | | Strengths: | The rim stays true, better then the old 517 I had on the back. | | Weaknesses: | none yet | | Similar Products Used: | 517, Sun Mammoth | | Bottom Line: | This rim is a definate improvement from the 517.. IMO | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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