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Maddux Explorer MTB Wheelset
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Product: Maddux Explorer T2 26” wheelset. Configuration: Tube type, 24-hole, 2-cross lacing (all 4 sides), medium flange height, 6-bolt disk-specific. Test Platform: Kona Dawg Primo. Product Put in Service: October 2009. Reviewed by: Rich Ries. Cost: MSRP n/a; I paid $170 from PricePoint. Mass/weight: 913 g. (2 lbs. 2 oz.) front; 1,132 g (2 lbs. 7.9 oz) rear; 2,045 g. (4 lbs. 8.1 oz.) pair with OEM rim tape and skewers. Claimed mass 760 g. front; 1,030 g. rear; 1,790 g. for the pair. Recommended? Yes.
Executive Summary: May be the best budget wheels available.
Ratings
(1 is lowest, 5 is highest)
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Comments
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Weight
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3
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Good, but not nearly as good as claimed by the manufacturer
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Ride Quality
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3
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Stiff but sluggish
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Durability
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n/a
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Too soon to tell; watch for an update
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Style
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2
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Toward the ho-hum end of the style spectrum
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Cost/Value
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5
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Specs match wheels costing much more
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Maddux is the brand name of wheels built in Taiwan by Jalco. The company started building steel rims in 1976, moved to alloy rims in 1996, and launched the Maddux line in 2004. They offer a fairly full line of MTB (including tubeless) and road wheels. For now PricePoint seems to have exclusive distribution rights in the U.S.
After several years of hard riding the OEM Shimano XT wheels on my Kona Dawg finally bit the dust and I needed something to replace them. I was going to build a set of DT Swiss wheels. I love DT Swiss products and the road wheels I built from their components are exceptional. But then I saw these Maddux wheels at PricePoint for $169.98 and I thought I'd give them a try. Part of the appeal was the claimed mass of 1,790 grams, which turned out to be 255 grams too low.
Actually their mass is only one item on the wheels' full menu of mediocrity. The hubs have loose ball bearings. The simple seals aren't cutting-edge labyrinth design. Sapim spokes are okay, but they're no competition to DT Swiss. The spoke count and lacing pattern are typical for this type of wheel. Aesthetically the wheels aren't atrocious but they won't have other riders stopping to gawk, either. And the quick-release skewers are simple clevis rods with an eye on one end and threads on the other. They do the job and that's it. I liken these wheels to Xero wheels, a set of which I tore up in a single season a few years back. Will I get more time out of the Madduxes? I'll let you know.
So if these wheels are so ordinary, why do I recommend them? Because they offer ordinary features and ordinary performance at an exceptional price. If your budget is tight and you need some wheels, the Maddux T2 Explorer wheelset is an excellent choice.
Photos
Maddux claims the Explorers are hand-built. Probably so. They came out of the box properly trued and tensioned and stayed that way for the first 30 miles at which time this review was posted. We'll see how they do over time and post updates as appropriate.
There's nothing remarkable about the Maddux hubs. They look like a million other Taiwanese budget hubs. But what did you expect for $170 for the pair?
Some designer got paid to come up with these graphics. Imagine that.
Sapim spokes are common on OEM and budget wheels. That's not a bad thing.
The quick releases on the Maddux skewers are a cut above something heated in an open forge and hand-hammered on an anvil. Barely.