Mavic has been making rad bike wheels for as long as I can remember. It all actually started in 1889 in Lyon, France, by brothers Leon and Laurent. Mavic has been at the forefront of innovation throughout the brand’s history, including being the first to anodize alloy wheels, developing the first bonded bead and creating the UST tubeless system. Known for pushing the envelope.
I haven’t been on a Mavic wheelset since the DeeMaxes that came on my 26″ freeride bike in the early 2010s. But now that Mavic is coming back to the States after surviving bankruptcy, I feel a pang of nostalgia thinking about them days with bright yellow lips. I was excited to see what Mavic had cooked up since the last moment I spun a pair.
Building
(Image credit: Charlie Kohlmeier)
The Mavic Allroad S is a set of alloy wheels featuring:
IW Maxtal 25mm straps
24 slots with blades
The Mavic Fore tubeless system
brass nipples
aluminum infinity Instant Drive 360 hub
and weighs only 1790 grams per set.
The Allroad S comes exclusively with center brake mounting and an HG freehub. XDR, Campy or Microspline driver all sold separately. Allroads are unique in that you don’t need a tubeless bar. The straps are threaded and the nipples screw directly into the rim. This allows the Mavic to leave the top lip bridge in tact and saves you the headache of handling the tubeless bar. The nipples have a unique head and the tool is included in the box.
What’s in the box?
(Image credit: Charlie Kohlmeier)
My wheels arrived carefully packed. Each wheel comes with a tubeless valve, stickers, instruction manuals and a spoke/nipple tool — very useful for unique parts.
I was upset to see that there were no spare nipples or spokes included in the kit. Also not included are the central locking lugs, nor the spacers for the free hub.
Configuration
(Image credit: Charlie Kohlmeier)
Setup on the Allroad is as simple as they come. Install the included tubeless valves – or don’t if you want to use tubes.
With the tubes installed, I had no problem fitting the tires. I rigged up some 700×42 Ultradynamic Cava with about an ounce of Stan’s Classic. In retrospect, I should have used another ounce.
After setting up, I had some problems with air drainage. I added another ounce of insulation and the issue resolved itself. I will say it was nice not having to deal with tubeless tape. Recommendations for the Mavic to save us all some headaches.
My center lock rotors went on smoothly, as did my old Sunrace cassette – I haven’t had an HG freehub in a long time! After a quick adjustment of my rear truck and both calipers, I was ready to roll.
Travel impressions
(Image credit: Charlie Kohlmeier)
Out of the box, the Mavic Allroads are laser straight, true and round. When you put the power down, these wheels are impressive. Stiff enough to feel light and sprint-ready, but when things start to get rough, they’re also extremely compliant. Before this review, I spent a lot of time on WTB CZR wheels and expected these Mavics to be significantly stiffer. To my surprise, the Mavics felt just as good. I always assume carbon rims will be better, but I forget how good alloy can be.
I generally spend my time in the saddle trying to keep up with faster friends. Allroads are great for keeping pace. The bearings rotate forever and they are smooth. I usually like a loud freehub. I find they do a great job of alerting other trail users as I approach. The freehub on the Instant Drive 360 is smooth while maintaining an impressive 9º engagement.
I made a point to put the Allroads through their paces. This included many miles of track, gravel and a bunch of single track. On asphalt, these wheels are excellent. They feel good when you really want to lower the power. On rougher roads and smoother gravel, they do a good job of absorbing higher frequency stuff. When the bumps get bigger, there’s a very clear threshold where these wheels find the end of comfort – which is to be expected, as not many people will “send” it on a gravel ride. Some larger tires can help in situations like these.
After some serious rim hits along some of the rougher sections, I was happy to find that the Allroads avoided even the biggest bumps. These would be my wheels of choice if the ride was about 85% tarmac or smooth gravel and 15% rough stuff / single track.
If you’re venturing deeper into the unknown, I’d probably go for something wider and with more slots – something about the 24-slot support makes me hesitate.
Highlights of the trip:
(Image credit: Charlie Kohlmeier)
Rigid when you need them
Compatible when plowing through rough stuff
Freehub is quiet
Freehub’s commitment is excellent
Strong reliable
Value and verdict
(Image credit: Charlie Kohlmeier)
I’m impressed by the Mavic Allroad S wheels. For $530 you can have a great looking wheelset from a company with a deep cycling pedigree. They ride great and will be up for any challenge you throw at them. The true definition of what a All the way the wheel means. If you’re okay with proprietary parts, the Allroad S is a great choice. The wheels come with everything you need to get rolling and a 2 year warranty.
