Mavic Deemax Pro Sam Hill wheelset review
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Mavic Deemax Pro Sam Hill wheelset review

Top performing wheels

Our rating

4.5

1000.00
1116.00
900.00

Georgina Hinton / Immediate Media

Published: November 6, 2019 at 11:00 am

Our review
Not the lightest or the cheapest, but the liveability and ride quality make these my money-no-object pick for enduro riding

Pros:

Among the best in class at reducing trail chatter in my experience; true UST rim means no rim tape and easy spoke replacement

Cons:

You can buy lighter for the money; 28mm rims perhaps aren’t ideal for really fat tyres; stock valves leaked at first

This limited edition Deemax Pro features graphics designed by the multiple EWS and downhill champ Sam Hill. The wheels are otherwise identical to the regular Deemax Pro, which sits alongside the Deemax DH in Mavic’s range and is designed for anything from trail to enduro racing.

The Deemax Pro features a slightly narrower-than-most 28mm internal width, with a hookless aluminium rim. Unusually, the UST rims feature an intact rim bed with no spoke holes, so there’s no need for often-leaky rim tape to keep the air inside the tyre.

Mavic Deemax Pro Sam Hill
The spokes are proprietary, but six spares come in the box along with a spoke key. Georgina Hinton

To get around the lack of spoke holes, Mavic’s proprietary nipples thread into the rim from the inside – using a reverse thread – threading onto the spokes using a conventional thread. That means there’s no need to remove the tyre to replace a spoke and nipple.

While the spokes are proprietary, six spares are provided in the box (two front, four rear) along with the required spoke key.

The 24 bladed aluminium alloy spokes give the wheels a unique look and are claimed to have a higher stiffness-to-weight ratio than steel spokes.

Mavic Deemax Pro Sam Hill
The 24 bladed aluminium alloy spokes are claimed to have a higher stiffness-to-weight ratio than steel spokes. Georgina Hinton

Mavic Deemax Pro Sam Hill ride impressions

Despite the 28mm rims, I couldn’t detect any more tyre-squirm with my 2.5in Wide Trail Maxxis tyres compared to wheels with 30mm (or wider) rims, but if you wanted to run 2.6in wide tyres or fatter, these might not be ideal.

On the other hand, I’ve found that some tyres become too square on an overly wide rim, so the 28mm width is a good compromise for some tyres.

Disappointingly, the included valves leaked slightly (perhaps due to incorrect installation on my part), but once I’d replaced them with Stans valves, the wheels would go days without measurably losing pressure thanks to the tape-free rim.

They’re heavier than some wheels at this price, but they’ve proven tough so far. The 40-tooth freehub is fast-engaging enough and you’re unlikely to ever want for a faster pickup, and it’s quiet when coasting.

The hub bearings and freehub turn more freely than most wheels, suggesting the coasting drag is low, although I can’t say I noticed this on the trail.

Mavic Deemax Pro Sam Hill
The Mavic Deemax Pro Sam Hill has a measured internal rim width of 27.6mm. Georgina Hinton

While differences in ride feel between modern wheelsets are subtle, I experienced slightly less hand-pain over long, rough test tracks with the Deemax Pro than with any of the other 13 enduro wheelsets that I tested alongside them in identical conditions.

Whether this is because the rims flex more easily or because the 28mm rims result in a more flexible tyre profile is unclear. But with 2.5in Maxxis Minion DHF WT tyres, the ride appeared to be marginally comfier through rough trails without allowing any unwanted flex or vagueness when cornering hard.

Product

Brand mavic
Price 1000.00 EUR,900.00 GBP,1116.00 USD
Weight 1977.0000, GRAM (29in) - Measured weight (with valves and tape)

Features

br_rimMaterial aluminium
br_tyreType tubeless
br_wheelSize 27_5in_650b
br_wheelSize 29in_700c
br_brakeTypeSimple disc
br_spokes Bladed aluminium alloy
br_freehub SRAM XD
br_rimInternalWidth 27.6mm measured
Features Measured Internal rim width: 27.6mm

External width: 32.3mm

Rim sidewall thickness: 2.35mm
br_spokeCountRear 24
br_spokeCountFront 24