How one of the world's biggest wheel companies operates
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Ever wonder how to efficiently store rim extrusions? Here you go. Bonus points if you can identify the rim model, too(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This was Vitus's idea of an aero carbon road bike back in the mid-90s(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Classic machines are scattered throughout the Mavic service course. Check out the old 631 crankset on this Bottechia - still beautiful to this day(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This is how Mavic stores bikes inside the service course at its headquarters in Annecy, France(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A fleet of trademark yellow Mavic neutral support bikes lie in wait for their next assignment(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Workbenches at the Mavic service course are admirably tidy(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Each batch of rims has a specific work order attached to it to track its progress - which can also be used later to fix a problem if one arises(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This Mavic employee apparently really prefers to run a down tube shifter for the front derailleur(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Mavic's diverse range of rims requires multiple dies to form the proper diameters and curvatures(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
After they're rolled and cut, aluminum rims are then placed into this fixture to achieve their final diameters and curvatures(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Scrap aluminum that will eventually be sent off to be recycled(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Neutral wheels are the cobbled classics only see service for a small portion of the calendar and are reused year after year(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Hmm, what have we here? This stack of ultralight 26" aluminum tubular Crossmax SLR rims were made specifically for sponsored racers only. Actual weight is just 330g apiece(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This old TVT 92 was among the earliest carbon frames to see service in the professional ranks(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This VAR chain tool looks lovely(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Mavic's Crossmax Ultimate sadly never saw the light of day outside of key sponsored racers. In fairness, few everyday riders would have use for an ultralight XC-specific wheelset with tubular aluminum rims and carbon fiber spokes but then again, we're constantly surprised by what the market will bear(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Not surprisingly, Mavic's neutral support service has played a role in many race wins(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Track wheels are kept in a separate area in the Mavic service course(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
These BiciSupport stands don't look like they'd do well with consumers but they're exceptionally sturdy(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
One can only imagine what bikes would look like today were it not for the stifling regulations imposed by the UCI. We get the feeling this old Lotus Sport time trial rig would still fare well against modern competition in a wind tunnel(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The Mavic service course receives so many signed jerseys that it's sometimes hard to find a place for all of them(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Countless riders are indebted to Mavic's neutral support service(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Mavic no longer makes standalone hubs, which is a shame given that they were not only beautiful but spun with gloriously low friction(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This is how Mavic verifies the diameter of its rims(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A look at the shaped plug used in a sleeved rim(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
While there isn't a rim in process here, you can still see how eyelets are installed. The rim rests at the bottom and the eyelet is inserted from above, then squash the pieces together with a giant press(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rim extrusions are stored on these giant racks. While the extruding isn't actually done on-site, the rim rolling, cutting, and joining processes certainly are(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Each of these extrusions has enough material for several rims(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Mavic produces aluminum rims in a sprawling facility nestled in the quiet French countryside(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The Mavic rim factory is all business inside. This is what you see when you walk in the front door, not some fancy reception area(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rim holes are drilled using these beastly-looking machines. Each hole is precisely angled so as to produce a straight shot from rim to spoke flange to minimize off-axis stresses(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A line of freshly rolled rims waiting to have spoke holes drilled(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rim labels waiting for their home(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rim eyelets are installed on this machine. Note the string of eyelets being fed in from up top(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Needless to say, the Mavic aluminum rim factory goes through a lot of eyelets(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Ksyrium rims shortly after welding but before the final finishing processes have been done(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Sleeved rims require specific shapes for the plugs for a proper fit(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Pinned rims are joined with small pieces of aluminum. They're inserted into the cavities at the ends of the rim, which are then pressed together. Afterward, the joints are stamped to keep the pins from coming loose(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Mavic uses custom cardboard wraps to ship its rims. Note how they're stacked, too(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
FORE rims after the threading process has been done. Unfortunately, this was one process that Mavic would absolutely not allow to be photographed(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rather than selectively add material for reinforce the spoke holes (like with eyelets), Mavic's FORE-equipped rims instead use a thicker extrusion all around with the excess milled away later. The holes you see here will eventually be reshaped into a more of deep column that will also be threaded to fit the unique FORE nipples(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Now that the final finish work is done, these Ksyrium rims are ready for decals and building(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
A batch of freshly machined rims(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Mavic keeps a rim library on hand for reference(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
It's always fun to inspect the employees' bikes. Anyone else remember these? They may have just been rebadged Dia-Compe levers but they still felt great(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rims are transported in large carts and covered in heavy tarps as they move from station to station(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Few bicycle companies have as storied a history as Mavic. Founded in 1889 by brothers Léon and Laurent Vielle, the French wheel and rim giant has long been a leader in the category while still maintaining enviable standards for quality and durability. Follow along as we take a walk through the aluminum rim factory in Saint-Trivier-sur-Moignans, France, and the heralded service course at the company headquarters in nearby Annecy.
Rolling, rolling, rolling
Although Mavic does have facilities in both Romania and Asia, most of its high-end alloy rims are still made in a nondescript building in Saint-Trivier-sur-Moignans, tucked quietly in the French countryside about 180km from the company's main R&D facility. It's here where raw extrusions are cut, rolled, joined and finished on their way to becoming what are still some of most highly respected wheels in the industry.
All of the rims start out the same way – as straight, raw aluminum extrusions packed tightly into giant cardboard boxes and stacked on a massive array of steel shelving.
From here, the extrusions are cut to length and then rolled to the proper diameter depending on the specific model. Giant presses and dedicated dies are used to ensure the correct dimensions.
Lower-cost rims used sleeved construction, where tightly fitting small aluminum plugs (or pins) are inserted into the ends to keep them in alignment. Once they're butted together, the outer wall of the rim is then peened to hold the plug in place.
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Welded rims, on the other hand, are just that. Instead of being mechanically joined with a plug – which adds weight and potentially a source of creaking – Mavic's higher-end rims are TIG-welded around the entire periphery of the mating surfaces. After heat treatment, the resultant joint is then supposedly just as structurally sound as anywhere else on the extrusion.
To ensure smooth braking, the sidewalls on both rim styles are then machined to produce perfectly parallel surfaces – which also aids in the wheel building process later on.
Spoke holes on aftermarket rims are drilled in a rather straightforward manner, using a dedicated machine that holds each rim, rotates it into position, and then bores the holes at alternating angles to lend a straighter shot as the spoke travels from rim to hub flange. Rims destined for Mavic's integrated pre-built wheels are subjected to a more complex drilling process, however, as each hole isn't just alternatingly angled left-to-right but also fore-aft depending on exactly where the spoke is going.
In either case, most of those rims then receive stainless steel reinforcing eyelets that distribute the spoke tension between both the inner and outer rim walls. This is strictly a mechanical process: the rim is held in a fixture, the eyelet is fed in from a hopper above, and then it's basically squashed into place for a permanent hold.
Mavic's top-end wheels, however, are built with either proprietary aluminum or carbon spokes with nipples that thread directly into the rim – and require an entirely different manufacturing process that we unfortunately were not permitted to photograph.
Dubbed 'FORE', a superheated bit first melts a hole into the inner wall of the rim (without piercing the outer wall). This effectively creates a small cylinder in contrast to a drill bit, which would actually remove material. That cylinder is then threaded with a second bit.
As FORE requires an extra-thick inner rim wall to provide enough material, excess is then machined off in between the spoke holes to decrease the weight.
Depending on the wheel, those rims are then sent off for anodizing either before or after machining, decals are applied, and then it's off to another facility where the wheels are actually built.
Cradle to grave care
We also paid a visit to another aspect of Mavic's business: the legendary neutral support service course, located in a segregated area at the company headquarters in Annecy. For the most part, it's what you would expect: a cluster of well organized workbenches stocked with tools, all surrounded by a massive stockpile of race wheels and spare bikes, all of which is meticulously catalogued and traced – and some of which is only produced for sponsored athletes and teams.
What we found far more interesting, however, was the treasure trove of race memorabilia littered throughout the humble facility: old race leaders' and team jerseys, trophies, historic race bikes.
Take a look through the gallery for the complete picture.
