zoltani

If you had to choose between these two rims for a touring wheelset which would you choose? I currently have Mavic 719A, and they are pretty bomb proof, had to true them only once in over a year, and that was only after an encounter with a kiddie pool sized pothole.

A bike i am considering buying has the sun rims. Should i swap the wheelset if i buy the bike or just keep the suns and leave the mavics on when i sell the other bike?

Black Shuck

I'd say keep the Mavic set.

Nigeyy

I use Sun CR18s, and I like them. They seem pretty good quality to me and seem to run pretty true (I have disc brakes so I might not notice as much). Before I got them, I did a bit of investigation into to them, and I recall a couple of people saying they had "soft" rims, meaning they wore out due to braking.... again, since I use discs, I can't say I've noticed. I also don't know if the people who said that used bad (meaning highly abrasive) brake pads rather than something like the Koolstops.

I'd say make your decision based on which wheel set is in better shape/better built/has better quality hubs.

thecrunge

I think the Sun CR18s are fine, but I read on the Peter White website that they don't have very good quality control. They said however they're strong and durable. And elsewhere on that site, they mentioned that the braking action isn't as smooth as the Mavic (and Velocity). I recently had CR 17s (cracks around some spoke holes) and now have the A719s, and can say they provide much better braking. I believe the only difference is the CR 17s were not 'eyeleted', but the CR 18s are, which helps.

tacomee

Most of it depends the amount of miles on the wheel. *Newer* rims are better than ones with more miles on them. Both rims are quality, however.

smovlov

My CR18s have eyelets. As far as quality control goes I did notice that the seam was a little off when braking but that wore in in about a week of riding them. I like them and I think the Mavics are a good choice. I also like the CR18s price. I rode 10 miles over a chewed up bike lane (in the process of repaving) with pot holes etc and they still run true. YMMV.

FYI The wheels are hand built and was with 38c tires and DT DB spokes 3x 36h front and rear.

well biked

In my opinion, no contest. The Mavic A719 is Mavic's top line touring rim. Welded seams, machined brake surface, double eyelets. The CR 18 isn't in the same class (pinned seams, single eyelets, etc).

redxj

I don't disagree with the A719 being a quality rim. It should be at its price. Sun CR18s are $30 each where as a A719 is going to be $65-70 each. If money was no object, then Mavic obviously, but if you are on a budget the Suns are not bad for the price. I have built a few wheels with CR18 (all 26") and the quality has been fine except the seam joint isn't always the best. But, in fairness I have seen other brands rim with the same problem (including Mavic, Velocity, and Salsa).

zoltani

The Suns are hand built with 14g Stainless Spokes and the Mavics are machine built with DT Swiss 2.0 Straight Gage spokes, but I had the Mavics hand tensioned as soon as I got them. I am the original owner of the Mavics, whereas I don't exactly know what the Suns have been through. Do these factors that affect the choice?

mrhedges

The Suns are hand built with 14g Stainless Spokes and the Mavics are machine built with DT Swiss 2.0 Straight Gage spokes, but I had the Mavics hand tensioned as soon as I got them. I am the original owner of the Mavics, whereas I don't exactly know what the Suns have been through. Do these factors that affect the choice?

sometimes wheels can be poorly built and or abused. I had to replace the cones on my wheels i bought second hand. Make sure the hubs are smooth and the rims are straight.

Mavics are much better but twice as much. are they twice as good? i'm not sure but i ride on CR18s lace to ultegras because i got a set for 80 bucks on CL. had to replace the cone on the front wheel though.

to directly answer your question. Switch the wheels. since you already have the Mavics which we can all agree are superior rims keep them you know them and they are worth more to you then you would make selling them. In other words, Who ever is going to buy your old bike won't pay that much more for the Mavics Vs. the CR 18s they probably will just notice that the CR 18s are a name brand with decent reviews.

Deanster04

I would keep the Mavic rims. They are double eyelet rims like the Mavic Open Pro. I have over 15 K on one set of mavic OPs and they are still pretty straight. I run a lot on rough dirt roads and haven't had any problems. For me it was a toss up between the Mavic 719 A and DT Swiss TK 7.1 rims and I went with the DT rims but, I would go with the Mavics if I were to build up a second wheel set. Do the Sun have double eyelets? If not no contest.
Good luck.

zoltani

Not exactly sure about eyelets on the Suns. I will be looking at the bike tomorrow, so I will know then. It's true that the Mavics probably won't help the resale value on my current bike, so I guess I will keep them anyway. I have a set of Alex rims here that have a broken spoke, which I could fix, that I might sell with the current rig.

well biked

No, they are single eyeletted. But to me the biggest functional difference between the two rims is at the seam. CR18's are pinned and Sun's rim seams tend to be quite imperfect on top of that. Little details all add up to the A719's being a different class of rim than the CR18. Yes, the A719's are more expensive, but that's because they're a better rim.

zoltani

Now I am starting to think that there is no contest between the two except price wise! Since I will have both rims in hand the Mavics are the obvious choice. Thanks!

well biked

I guess I just had to post the same info twice in the same thread to finally convince you-