For those who have been in the gravity sports scene for a long time, yellow Mavic wheels are synonymous with a groundbreaking era in the MTB scene. Everyone wanted them, and many pros had them, whether they started at the Rampage or the Downhill World Cup. Although there is significantly more competition in the wheel market today, many still feel emotionally attached to these yellow rims. I feel the same way. In this article, you will find our detailed Mavic Deemax DH test.
I was extremely happy when I heard that I could test a set of Mavic Deemax DH, even though I have been riding high-quality carbon wheels for many years. Personally, I associate Mavic only with positive experiences, but I know many who were quite disappointed with the spare parts supply and somewhat exotic spokes back in the 26” era. However, Mavic seems to have taken this understandable criticism to heart and equipped the new wheels with conventional bladed spokes. These are even available individually for each wheel today and are even included with the wheels, although most of us will probably never need them, but it still brings an extra bit of peace of mind. The delivery of a wheel even includes a spoke tool and a tubeless valve.
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Top-Notch Craftsmanship and Handling
The rims are already taped from the factory for tubeless riding. The rim tape is also quite smooth, making it very easy to mount the tire. I tested the wheels with Continental Argotal and am still riding them. I really liked the general handling and feel of the Mavic wheels. Even when using the tire lever, you don’t have to worry much about scratches. The paint seems quite resistant.
The Deemax weigh almost 300g more than my previous wheels. You can feel that in a direct comparison. I was quite skeptical at first because my 170er Bio-Enduro is already no mountain rocket. By swapping the wheelset, the weight of my bike increased from 15.4kg to 15.68kg. On the mountain, the first realization was that I only notice the extra weight minimally. I generally only ride at a snail’s pace for a maximum of 500-600 vertical meters at a time. Honestly, I belong to the people who have never really used the 2-Pos. lever on the Float X2. For me, it’s only sporty and fast downhill. I gave the wheels a proper beating. Rocks, roots, steps, deliberately overshooting short doubles.
I even gradually tested stable side hits. Beyond any normal load and reasonableness, I can now definitely say that these things are still running true, and the spokes still have perfect tension. I rode many sections multiple times for the test. Even though I like to push a bit, I often found myself climbing. I would actually now ride the Mavic Deemax DH in any enduro. From an uphill perspective, there’s no reason not to. However, this of course also applies to any carbon wheelset. Apart from the probably double price.
Impressive Cornering Stability
One thing I noticed that is much cooler with the Deemax than with my previous wheels is that when I take a turn at high speed, the wheels flex comfortably, making it much easier to exit the turn. Compared directly to my carbon wheelset, it’s quite extreme. With carbon, it feels like my entire bike flexes like a leaf spring in the turn and then throws me out of the turn. This ultimately causes me to oversteer a bit in a 90-degree turn, and I end up exiting the turn at maybe 92 degrees. I then have to correct this oversteering slightly. I could even imagine this effect being even more pronounced with a heavier e-bike. On my home trails, I have maybe a handful of turns where I definitely have a noticeable advantage with the Deemax. But in the bike park, it could be almost all of them. With low body weight and little speed, you will never feel this.
Conclusion:
After many cool runs, I can definitely give you the following conclusion today: The Deemax DH is for you if you are looking for maximum downhill performance and durability. The weight is more than okay. Developed for tough downhill use, but definitely suitable for a downhill-oriented enduro and certainly for an e-bike. Mavic has absolutely great quality and a well-thought-out package. Problems from the past are history today. To have fun riding, you definitely don’t have to dig deeper into your pocket. The price is really fair in my eyes. To be honest, I currently see no reason to go back to my twice as expensive carbon wheels.
