They were ~excellent~ rims. From the wheel-builder's perspective, the extrusion was very round and built up easily nearly every time. (As compared to many other rims of the era which usually had some lumps and bumps, or uneven joints that could adversely affect uniform spoke tension.)
From the riders, nothing but great reports following tough racing usage. The SSC was a long-lasting rim that took a ton of abuse well, such as racing over cobbles. I forget their weight in grams, but they were pretty hefty--one reason they held up so well. Not really a rim desired by most climbing specialists, they were great all-around rims that wouldn't fail when others did. The Mavic GP-4 was also very good. Similar weight and cross section and gave excellent service. Nice to build with, but on balance though, I'd opine that the SSC were slightly better quality. But then I never had to shell out the big bucks for the SSCs; I just laced 'em up. Individual customers and team sponsors had that unpleasant duty. Based on cost and overall service, the GP-4 was the better deal, IMHO.
I don't know if they were the best tubular rim ever made, but nothing better comes to mind in terms of overall quality when you look at mass quantities of each model. However, it might be more useful to compare rims of similar weights to make such claims. It would be unfair to compare a burly SSC to a 290 gram rim, obviously the former would hold up better, while the lightweight one would offer improved performance (unless it failed on rough roads.) The nature of the race course would be the determining factor as to which rim was "best". Have been out of the race service game some years now, so can't help with any modern equivalent. Hopefully others will chime in.
Bill Bryant Santa Cruz, California
Stewart Barrie wrote:
> Anyone any thoughts on the Mavic SSC rims from the mid 70s through early 80's. Frequently described as the best rims ever made, is there a modern equivalent?
>
> Anyone using these at the moment. Anyone got any to sell?
>
> Cheers
>
> Stewart Barrie
> London, UK