Mid priced wheels, Crossrides, Crosstrails or other?

decentdemon

I'm looking to get a new wheel set. I was looking to spend about £130-£200 for a pair. I was looking at Mavic Crossrides and Mavic Crosstrails. Are these good sets and is it worth going for the more expensive trails? Or should I consider another set or a custom build? I need them to be reliable but not heavy.
Thanks
Asa

JasonRwmb

I don't think you can get Crosstrails for that budget anymore. I bought a pair almost two years ago and I think I paid just over £200, now it looks like the RRP has shot up to about £350 - I guess a large part of that is down to exchange rates.

FWIW I have found the wheels very good, they have always remained totally true and the bearings are still original. I did manage to break the rear axle, but this was replaced very quickly under the warranty. The big advantage of these over the Crossrides is they are UST rims, also they do look a bit better.

The wheels on my other bike are a custom build by Merlin, Hope Pro2s with Mavic XM819 rims. These have stayed very true too, although I have had to replace the bearing in the rear hub after 8 months or so. The big advantage with a custom build is I know I can easily get spare bits if anything breaks.