mavic open pro cd, ceramic, cd ceramic?

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Kevin3182
Posts: 87
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2011 2:11 am

by Kevin3182

Hello!
I've been looking to get some new wheels and i'm liking the mavic open pro cd ceramic. however i've heard some unpleasant things about the braking surface (the black ceramic coating chips, blisters, etc.) so is this just the cd version thats having problems, or is it all of them? I am aware of the r-sys slrs with the exalith, but their a little more than i'd like to/can pay. Are there any other brands that have a black braking surface that are aluminium, and of course, somewhat light weight? why not go for a silver machined surface? i admit, i'm a weenie for the "PRO" look :oops:
thanks

weaverdcivw
Posts: 58
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2011 5:46 pm

by weaverdcivw

I had the ceramic open pros for a little while. Sold them off and couldn't be happier for that decision. They looked cool, being all black, but the amount of brake pads I shredded through was astronomical. I had one set of ceramic pads last me through exactly one technical descent, that was the last straw for me. Braking was very predictable, in that it was always "grabby", wet or dry. The surface chipped easily too, of which I've read is pretty common for Mavics.

I dunno. I've heard of some liking them; for my road bike they were a dumb decision. For a heavy commuter bike with lots of gear on it in the PacNW, they might be a decent option. So would disc brakes at that point though.

I forgot to add mine were always loud too, regardless of toe in and make/model of brake pad.

The Open Pro CDs in my opinion look better, and do not have the headache that the ceramic coating offered. They're a real nice deep gray color, however the track wears off pretty quickly and you're left with a splotchy silver and grey sidewall.

by Weenie


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HillRPete
Posts: 2284
Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:08 am
Location: Pedal Square

by HillRPete

I have a set of OP ceramics in the basement to be built for the winter, but no firsthand experience yet. I did lots of research before going for them, because they come at a premium over regular hoops. My findings were:

Don't take each of the statements as gospel, it's just things people have been posting on forums ...

  • they used to be bombproof, people put 100k km on them without wearning through the coating.
  • there was a bad batch some time ago, with the coating being prone to chip off, be but seems the problems have been fixed.
  • they eat pads like mad at the beginning, but that goes back to normal after they are broken in.
  • once broken in the braking performance would not be significantly better than on alu rims, but the sidewalls don't wear through.
  • they will be discontinued in 2012.

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maddog 2
Posts: 366
Joined: Wed Feb 25, 2009 7:58 pm
Location: Lancaster, UK

by maddog 2

I've run two sets of the ceramics for the last, say, 5 years and they have been brilliant. God knows how many regular aluminium rims I'd have worn through in that time but my estimate is that the ceramics last 3x longer.

Braking is better too - more consistent, better in the wet and dry, better on long Alpine descents too.

They do chip and blister eventually but, as I said, this was after about 5 years so any rim will eventually go.

The only downside in my opinion is that they are 32h only, so building a very light wheelset is hard.

Never had issues with brake blocks myself. They do wear faster than on std. alu rims but then the braking is better.... I used ceramic block on the front and std blocks on the rear. The ceramic blocks wear better (hence the front usage) but the std blocks give more feel (hence the rear).

I used the CD rims ages ago but couldn't see the point really - the sidewalls wear down anyway, and then they are just like a regular alu rim, but uglier...

ellipsesx
Posts: 76
Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:20 pm

by ellipsesx

I have these wheels for the hills,my daily are carbons,they are braking a lot better. I never had problems with these wheels and it's my second set.The first set has done 10k.
they are not light climbing wheels and mine are build up with classic CK hubs.
never had regrets from these strong wheels.

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Guerdi
Posts: 407
Joined: Mon Jan 15, 2007 5:27 pm
Location: Switzerland

by Guerdi

Digging up an old thread here...

Are mavic ceramic rims back in stock?

I was browsing their 2013 catalog and it seems that some rims -reflex and open pro- are available with a ceramic coating again (dark silver box in the catalog).

Here's an extract from said catalog:

Image

Any infos? Maviczack?

Too good to be true I think.

alibongo
Posts: 44
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 11:35 am

by alibongo

I have one in the rear only, the ceramic rims with the specific pads. You can not stop in the wet.

It was a mistake buying, if it ever rains you are doomed.
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MajorMantra
Posts: 286
Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:38 pm

by MajorMantra

Guerdi, good spot! I can't help wondering if that's an error. I'd be very surprised if they produced them again, but who knows? Weren't they rather prone to cracking? I'd heard the ceramic coating made them more brittle.

GT56
Posts: 570
Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:40 am
Location: Switzerland

by GT56

@ guerdi

isn't that just the color ?

ceramic brake track would be indicated through a symbol (like the 'sup' and 'maxtal' sysmbols)

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Guerdi
Posts: 407
Joined: Mon Jan 15, 2007 5:27 pm
Location: Switzerland

by Guerdi

Yes that what I thought first, but I can't find any example of that particular color.

Hopefully it isn't just a new colour and it's the good old ceramic again. But I fear it's just a printing error.

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MajorMantra
Posts: 286
Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:38 pm

by MajorMantra

Looking into this more, there's no mention of a Ceramic version in the 2014 catalogue:

http://www.mavic.com/downloads/2014_cat ... atalog.pdf

I can only assume it was an error. Ah well.

mattr
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Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

It'll never be the "good old ceramic" again, as they had to change the process to meet current environmental standards.
The new process was rubbish and meant that the coating will fracture and fall off.
Probably why they've moved over to their new exalith process.

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mattr
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Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
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by mattr


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