Any issues with Mavic Exalith rims, and descending in the Alps or Pyrenees etc etc

daniel_b

Morning all,

I am considering purchasing a second pair of Exalith rims -I already have come of the Kysyrium 1400g-ish low profile rims, but have wanted some of the deep rims forever.
Both my current set, and the new set if I get them, will be clinchers.

I have not had any issues with them in this country, and am relatively light at usually 63-66kg.

My question is down to whether anyone has heard of any issues with the heat build up, and or loss of the Exalith coating, when descending a hairpin littered mountain?
I have read a few times, that once the coating starts to go, it starts to come off pretty quickly.
No idea if you can send them back to Mavic to have them recoated even.

These will be my two best pairs of wheels, and as it's my lightest bike, almost certainly the one I would take - as and when I manage to get some time over in one of those mountain ranges.
It would frustrate me a touch to have to stick on a pair of non descript allow rimmed wheels, when I have these sat around, but equally I wouldn't want to have to worry about trashing them.

I do have a hydraulic disc bike, so I could take that instead, but it's more of a pain to travel with, and also not as aggressive\light.

I've googled, and not found very much to suggest there would be a problem, but was hoping someone on here may have personal experience in either direction.

Thanks in advance

Dan

poptart242

I can't speak to the coating as I didn't ride them for long, but I used them in Majorca and had no heat related descending issues (and I'm heavy @ 85kg). Obviously not Alpine length descents, HTH though.

daniel_b

Thanks PT - much appreciated :-)

ugo.santalucia

The very reason to offer a ceramic coated rim is to provide more reliable and more consistent braking in demanding conditions, so it should be better rather than worse.

Obviously Mavic sponsors major cycling events like "La Marmotte", so it would be a poor display if their wheels were performing sub par in the Alps.

964cup

I've done the Croix-de-Fer/Glandon loop, Sarenne/Alpe d'Huez, Ornon and the Galibier on Exalith (R-Sys SLR tubulars to be precise). I'm taking the same wheelset with me to the Alps for a week on Friday. I'm 82kg. They still look new. Relax.

philbar72

when I had them (admittedly on mid range cosmics) they were by far and away the best performing brake surface I worked with.

should never have sold them... just make sure you use the right pads and they are toed in correctly and I reckon you'd be fine.

daniel_b

Thanks gents, I thought that was likely the case, just wanted some re-assurance on what to me is a large outlay, so did not want to regret it!

Cheers

Dan

bendertherobot

I'm doing the Mavic sponsored Marmotte on mine in 4 weeks. It'll be fine. My mate refers to them as my sci fi wheels given the (good) noise they make.

sungod

in terms of heat buildup, it's no different from any other rim, the brakes turn kinetic energy of bike+rider into heat (mostly kinetic energy of molecules in rim, brake pads, material worn off rims/pads, and air)

exalith simply delays the moment at which braking is on the alloy rather than the coating, at some point in the life of the wheels the coating will wear off and then braking will be just like other alloy rims, and alloy rims brake fine

i've still got an old set with exalith, unless things changed until they're worn in they can really shred brake pads, might be wise taking a spare set with you

imo the main reason for exalith is to make the brake tracks dark, i.e. hide the shiny alloy

whether exalth or plain alloy, for serious descending the rules are the same: don't drag the brakes, don't use latex tubes with clinchers

daniel_b

Thanks BTR, and sungod, all sounds good.

Agree that the Exalith black rim looks awesome, but was also blown away by quite how good the braking is, feels like a match for my hydraulic discs.

Seems like the decision is made, but just need to decide if £766 is as good as it is going to get, or whether I gamble, and see if a better deal comes along.....

bendertherobot

£766 seems very good. Still can't quite believe I got my Ksyrium Pro exalith for £550.

Spatulala

I've never owned any, but have just come back from the Swiss Alps where my hire bike had a pair of Ksyrium SLRs with Exalith.

Braking with 105 calipers was so much better than my own wheels. Descents up to 24km (Sanetsch & Grimsel), wet on the upper portions of the Sanetsch.

They also make a nice noise when you brake.

gotwood25

I've got a set of the Shamal Milles which is a similar coating on the brake track and used for Alps several times.
Braking performance is great, however wet conditions pretty much destroyed the coating straight away with fine grit getting in the brake block on the descent.

Purely cosmetic but it does look poor, performance is unaffected. If only they offered a service to get it re-applied!

brit66

Think I read somewhere last year that Mavic's new Exalith Open Pro rim has the coating much deeper and is therefore unlikely to wear off at all according to them.

The only downside to this (if it's true — and that's a big if!), is that Mavic still haven't launched them a year after their much vaunted fanfare.

svetty

brit66 wrote:

Think I read somewhere last year that Mavic's new Exalith Open Pro rim has the coating much deeper and is therefore unlikely to wear off at all according to them.

The only downside to this (if it's true — and that's a big if!), is that Mavic still haven't launched them a year after their much vaunted fanfare.

I doubt they will ever make them available as this would likely impact on their wheel sales. If it made sound business sense they would have done so by now.

daniel_b

bendertherobot wrote:

£766 seems very good. Still can't quite believe I got my Ksyrium Pro exalith for £550.

Yeh that is a stunning deal BTR, cracking pair of wheels.

I have a quandry of sorts.

I can go £766 and be done with it, or another reputable retailer will match down to £866, and then provide me a 20% reward amount - so in theory £173 of credit if you like, that I simply need to spend within the year.
Slightly randomly it suggests it might 'track' at the full RRP, which would be £216.

This would bring them down to effectively either £693 or £650.

I probably technically do not NEED anything in the next 12 months, and then there is the fact that if I do need something, will they stock it.

Decisions.

sungod

Daniel B wrote:

...
I probably technically do not NEED anything in the next 12 months, and then there is the fact that if I do need something, will they stock it.

and if they stock it, will their price be way higher than elsewhere, reducing the effective value of the 'reward' so much that you still come out of it worse

daniel_b

sungod wrote:

Daniel B wrote:

...
I probably technically do not NEED anything in the next 12 months, and then there is the fact that if I do need something, will they stock it.

and if they stock it, will their price be way higher than elsewhere, reducing the effective value of the 'reward' so much that you still come out of it worse

Yep good point, and well made.

I think the original £766 is the more sensible option - Sadly Evans would not match, despite my nicest asking.

daniel_b

Ordered! Was worried they were going to go out of stock!