In the past two years, I have had the fortune to build three sets of Mavic SSC Bleu rims, a set of SSC Grey and a set of SSC Silver. I have also built wheels with a number of on-topic tubular rims, an MA-2 rim and a variety o f modern clincher rims from most major makers. The Mavic SSC rims have been far and away the most consistently round and true rims out of the packagin g. What this means to me as a wheelbuilder is that the wheel will be very c lose to true and round when the spokes are at exactly the same tension, and that when the wheel is acceptably round and true, the deviation from avera ge tension will be really small. Industry standard, as suggested by Barnett\u2019s Bicycle Manual and Par k Tool Company, is that tension deviation of up to 20 percent above or belo w average is acceptable. I have found that with careful building and good q uality rims, deviation of less than 10 percent is easily achieved. With one of the Mavic SSC Bleu rims, a 36-hole front, I stopped dinking around with the spoke tension when the wheel was beautifully round and true, plus or m inus the proverbial RCH, and the tension deviation on each spoke was less t han 2 per cent. These rims are positively the best I have ever worked with.
Earle Young Madison, Wisc. USA Offering wheel building services for classic and modern bikes.