Mavic Crosstrail SL 29 Wheelset

Mavic Crosstrail SL 29 Wheelset is built for riders who put trail and light enduro terrain ahead of outright weight savings. Where Mavic's XC-focused wheels chase every gram, the Crosstrail SL takes the opposite approach — a wider, tougher aluminum rim built to survive hard hits and stay round through a season of aggressive trail riding. At 1,980 grams for the pair (888g front, 1,092g rear), it's noticeably heavier than a cross-country wheelset, and that weight buys durability where trail and enduro riders actually need it.

The rim is Mavic's proprietary Maxtal aluminum alloy, SUP-welded for a consistent joint, and shaped with a 30mm internal width and 35mm external width at a 25mm depth — wide enough to properly support the bigger tires trail and enduro bikes run. Mavic's ISM4D machining trims material from the rim where it doesn't add strength, and a Black Shield coating protects the rim surface from the scrapes and rock strikes that come with rougher terrain. The hookless rim profile is tuned for tires from 52mm to 76mm wide, with a pressure range that tops out around 43 psi on the narrower end of that range and drops to 36 psi on wider tires.

Two Mavic technologies do the real work here. Fore construction seals the upper rim bridge and threads the lower bridge directly for spoke access, which means no rim tape, a cleaner tubeless setup, and the ability to true a spoke without stripping the tire off. PFP — Pinch Flat Protection — reinforces the rim edge with a wider contact surface that absorbs roughly 20 percent more impact energy before it risks a pinch flat or tire cut. That matters most exactly where trail and enduro riders push it: running lower tire pressures for grip on rough, technical terrain, where a standard rim edge is more likely to bottom out against a rock or root.

Mavic builds the wheelset around its Infinity hub, using QRM Auto bearings that maintain preload automatically in a sealed cartridge, and the Instant Drive 360 freewheel for fast engagement when you need power down immediately after a technical section. The rear hub is available with a Shimano HG MTB, Shimano Microspline, or SRAM XD freehub body, and the wheelset comes in either 6-bolt or Center Lock rotor mounting. Axle spacing is Boost — 15x110mm front, 12x148mm rear — with separate adapter kits available to convert down to 9x110 front, 9x141 rear, or up to a 15x31mm Torque Cap front axle.

The Crosstrail SL is rated to a combined rider and bike weight of 135kg (about 297 lbs), and it ships with a couple of replacement spokes for trailside repairs. It's a sound pick for a trail or light enduro rider who wants a wheelset built to take a beating — reinforced against pinch flats, wide enough for aggressive tire choices, and serviceable without a full teardown — rather than one optimized purely for climbing weight.