There are few rims with the history of the Mavic Open Pro. Since 1986, the eyeletted, aluminum rim has been a favorite of wheel builders and riders alike thanks to its durability and light weight for its time. Since its introduction we’ve seen almost a wholesale change from custom built wheels to pre-built wheel sets, including those from Mavic. However, there are still plenty of high-end wheel builders and shops who prefer to lace their own, which was a big inspiration behind the new Mavic Open Pro.
Building on a number of features that made the Open Pro a stand out in the first place, the new rim is better than ever and includes a number of options to build the perfect wheel…
Most notably, the new Open Pro moves from the traditional double walled box section rim shape to a more modern ISM4D profile. That of course is Mavic’s proprietary machining technique that is said to optimize the rim shape for light weight strength and is the reason for the wavy desgin.
New Open Pros will be available in three versions – disc brake specific without a brake track at all, and two rim brake specific rims with the Exalith treatment or as a standard UB Control rim as well. All three have a wider 19mm internal width with a UST Tubeless certification. In this case, tubeless is achieved with rim tape so that the rims can be easily built with standard spokes and nipples. Sticking with tradition, the rim uses a Soudé Usiné Process or S.U.P. welded joint and stainless eyelets to achieve a rim weight of 420g. Each rim will be available in 28 and 32h drillings while the rim brake models will gain a 24h option as well.
While a number of builders at NAHBS like the Stinner above got an early start on wheel builds with the new Open Pro, Mavic says that rim brake options should be available by June, with disc rims following in July.
