Mavic introduced their first full carbon mountain bike wheels in 2016 as the XA Pro, which had 26mm internal widths and used an asymmetric profile. Now, the all-new Mavic XA35 Pro Carbon builds on that to offer a wider option for fast trail riders. They’ve also added a new alloy mountain bike wheel, and are switching strategies regarding how their wheels will be sold.
The XZ35 Pro Carbon has a 35mm internal width, as the name implies. They keep a low profile to add compliance. There’s 24 spokes front and rear, making it a lightweight trail wheel that’s very capable. They say they don’t need a lot of spokes to make it stuff because they can do that with the carbon rim, so they can save weight.
It recommended for 2.35 to 2.8 tire sizes, and they say a 2.4-2.5 is ideal for most riding. These wheels are 27.5 only for now, but stay tuned…there are more carbon options coming this year. Why not a 29er? Because the additional forces the larger diameter and big 2.5+ tires can put on these wheels would be a bit much, especially considering we all tend to ride our equipment beyond their intended purposes.

Mavic is starting to ship the mountain bike wheels without tires, taking a step back from offering the compete wheel tire systems. They say this will let them come in at lower perceived prices and let customers pick which ever tires they want…even though Sam Hill’s been winning top level events on prototype Mavic tires, some folks prefer options.