texdinoco

Greetings folks, I'm new here and while I've looked around to see if there are any similar threads, I'd like to assess my problem in a new thread (and hope I'm doing so in the acceptable forum area).

I've been riding a set of Mavic Ksyrium SL wheels for about three years now and I've had a number of problems with them. The first was that I had a series of popped spokes within the first couple of months. The wheels were repaired quite quickly because at the time the Canadian distributor was near my home (it has since changed to another location a couple hundred miles away). Not long after--less than a year into the wheelset--I found several cracks around spoke nipples on the rear wheel. The wheel was repaired under warranty (new rim and spokes), and I have only now noticed another crack at one spoke nipple, again on the rear wheel.

The questions are: is this just wear and tear on roads that take a heck of a beating every year and I've got to face that I hit some holes now and then? Is it a flaw in the rim manufacture? Is it my weight? I'm about 170lbs, the bike is a Cervelo R3...

Do I get it repaired again and sell the set to save me any further headaches?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

TD

CliffordK

How many miles are you putting on the rims. Personally I am pretty careful of what I run over. I can't avoid everything, but I do try to avoid as much as I can.

Two cracked rims in 3 years seems excessive. 170 lbs should be ok, but I do wonder if 20 spokes are enough. The rims do appear to have reinforced nipple seats which is good.

I'd probably get the Mavics fixed, then save them for races or special rides, and get a heavier set of wheels for training and commuting.

dabac

Mavic Ksyrium - like most low spoke count rear wheels - runs scary high spoke tensions. While I won't call them plagued, Ksyriums cracking isn't entirely rare.
If you can get them fixed at no/low cost, you might go ahead and do that. Then either trade them off to someone else, or save them for special occasions. They are fairly nice after all.

cale

If you're getting a year out of a set of lightweight racing wheels and you like the way they ride when you're training, then I think you're getting your full use out of them and ought to get the rims and spokes replaced and move on. A heavier set of training wheels is a good option but will set you back almost as much as the Ksyrium rebuild and you have to ask yourself, are these heavier wheels what I want to ride?

Don't let the notion that your weight plus your spoke count is the equivalent to what you should or shouldn't expect from a pair of wheels. Nobody knows your riding style, the types of roads you ride on, when you can safely dodge a pot hole and when you've go little choice but to proceed with caution. (IE, try to jump it a full speed. Haha) There is no "normal" there's just you and where you ride.

FastJake

Lighter wheels with fewer spokes require more tension and are going to have more problems than heavier wheels with more spokes. For me personally, I'm willing to accept less reliability for race day equipment under the assumption that it's lighter/faster and I won't be putting very many miles on it. But for training or my commuter bikes, I want the stuff to last and not worry about it leaving me stranded. So I put up with a little more weight. My touring bikes are built to be bombproof but not excessively heavy.

Two cracked rims in three years does seem excessive but if you don't want to keep dealing with this get some more reliable wheels. I don't think it's a manufacturing defect but rather a design defect or a result of using the wheels in an inappropriate application (i.e. lots of training miles on rough roads.)

IMO I don't like Mavic wheelsets due to all the proprietary stuff. Special spokes, special rims, special nipples, etc. I'm much happier with my Shimano hubs, standard j-bend or straight pull spokes, normal nipples, and normal rims. That way if something DOES go wrong I can actually fix it without hunting for parts or paying through the nose.

rmfnla

Both my wife and I have been riding the same wheels for several years with no issues at all.

We are both pretty sedate riders (no jumping or such) but I weigh close to 200 lbs.

One of the reasons I chose them was their reputation for being fairly tough, and while I have heard of the occasional cracked rim your experience sounds unusual.

davidad

Solve the problem by having it repaired and selling the set. Get something more conventional, longer lasting and more reliable.

FBinNY 

Forgetting any technical argument, let's look at the big picture.

It's said that the definition of insanity is doing the same hing and expecting a different outcome. You had two of these and both failed sooner than expected. So what would make you think that a third would hold up any better?

So if that life expectancy is acceptable, go ahead, and if it's not consider a change.

StanSeven

Mavic rims do seem to have proportionally higher problems than most with cracks

texdinoco

Thanks so far for all the thoughts/comments.

I'm pretty sure local roads haven't been exactly good for my wheels. I am leaning towards repair and sell. It's too bad, I had a great experience with Mavic wheels in the past, but I think it really does come down to these were not the best choice in the end, for the roads.

(tongue-in-cheek now...) Who wants a used set of Ksyrium SL's

TD

Up North

Seems every time I read about this problem the word MAVIC is mentioned......

texdinoco

Regrettably... not what they were?
Any thoughts on HED Ardennes? My preferred LBS tends to recommend HED wheels.
TD

FastJake

The Ardennes I found actually look pretty decent. I was looking at these: HED Ardennes+ Plus CL Wheelset 11-Speed

That's the type of wheelset I'd recommend - standard spokes, conventional design, and 24/28 is a reasonable number. They're expensive, and I could hand build a lighter set for myself for a lot less money, but they appear solid.

Andrew R Stewart 

Rims are a wear and consumable item. Typically a longer life then tires but still they are used up in the act of riding. To invest in wheels without this understanding is being naive. (Like people who try to time the stock market) Andy.

Tunnelrat81

I agree wholeheartedly with the advice here to repair/sell. I would recommend 28 spokes for the rear. 24 *should* be plenty for the front depending on the type of rim used. With more spokes on a more conventional/repairable wheel system, not only will they be more reliable, but they'll cost a fraction to fix in the event that you ever have any trouble with them. If your roads are really bad, I would also highly recommend running the widest tire that your frameset has the clearance for (Probably 25c). With a bit more volume, you'll be able to run lower pressures which allows the tire to do much more of the work at absorbing shock...which results in a significant reduction in localized force that gets transmitted through the wheel.

If you still occasionally want a 'race' configuration, you can always keep a set of 23c tires around to toss on for a firmer/more aggressive feel.

-Jeremy

Up North

I have never used HED rims but all I can say is you do not ever hear anyone complaining about them. If I was to have custom wheels built I'd be using HED Ardennes rims. Many 200+ pound riders favour the HED products, that is good recommendation in my book.

texdinoco

I don't play the market And the Ksyriums were not purchased without thought; had my previous Mavic experience been less than it was, I might not have considered it.
I understand, of course, that rims are a consumable, but not at the rate this set has been used up.
Anyway, again, thanks for the thoughts/feedback... it will be a while before I make any moves other than to get this one repaired and then sell the set.
Cheers
TD

fietsbob

I've primarily used Mavic's rims from their heavier duty designs , E2-36, Mod. 3-36 & 4-40/48, Ex721-32 spoke..

cale

I agree with the notion that the OP needs more durable wheels to avoid premature failure but disagree with the idea of fixing them up and selling them. In all the times I've tried to fix something up and recover the value in the sale, I've always come out just about even with the amount I spent on the repair.

If texdinoco was to buy a set of training wheels for everyday riding, he could keep the others for races/group rides where they are not so likely to get damaged by bad roads. With a single crack showing presently, surely there's enough life left in them before they are as bad as the set that prompted the earlier warranty replacement.

Tunnelrat81

I don't disagree with that as an option, but the way I think about it is this: This guy comes here asking for advice, and the answer is "you need to buy yourself some race wheels." That's basically what we're advising him if we suggest that he needs to keep these wheels that aren't durable enough to hold up to normal use. I don't remember him saying anything about racing at all. Your worldview is one that seems to include the necessity for race specific wheels, but the majority of cyclists don't race. This guy hasn't mentioned that he does or doesn't, and although you may personally be able to financially justify having an extra set of 'event wheels' around, I disagree that it's fair to assume that everyone else can too.

What this guy ultimately needs FIRST is a set of wheels he can trust, and if he feels like it's worth keeping wheels around that he knows he can't really trust, that's entirely up to him.

A second question for you. Who's to say that if he got a properly spec'd wheel built that was adequately strong for training, that it wouldn't also be better for racing than these Ksyrium SL's? The Mavics are 'stiff' wheels, but have no advantages in the aero department at all. A properly built 28 spoke rear wheel on a HED C2 rim laced with cx-ray spokes would surely be at least as aero as the SL would be, and thus preferable even for races. So on those grounds, what purpose could the Mavics serve?

-Jeremy

bikejrff

I've relegated my only set of Mavic Ksyriums to my indoor trainer. I only weigh 145 and I don't trust them.

texdinoco

As it happens I have switched to 25c tires this season--for exactly this reason--and switched brands to boot.
The HEDs we've discussed here, and that I've discussed/looked at with my LBS, are more easily reparable too... It's 20 years since I built a wheel, but I could repair one at least to keep me on the road if I needed to; the Mavics... nope. But, when I bought them, the Canadian distributor was 4 km from my home, they could repair them without me having to go through a shop. Alas, Mavic changed locations the year after...

TD

alcjphil

If, like me you ride in Quebec your experience isn't uncommon. For those of you out there who do not, it like riding Paris Roubaix every day. Quebec roads have to be seen to be believed. I have ridden in other Canadian provinces, in France, and many states in the US and have seen nothing that comes even close. Switching to 25c tires will be a big help provided that you adjust tire pressure downward. I did the same thing 2 years ago and was able to go down by 15 psi on each wheel. How much tire pressure were you running with your previous tires?

texdinoco

I was riding 23c at 120-130 psi; I'm comfortably riding at 110 now with the 25c tires. And yeah, I'm in Montreal too.
Here's something interesting, as a follow-up on Mavic. They stand behind their stuff. I have to give them credit for this: I picked up my wheel today, and despite the warranty being expired by over a year, they treated this as a warranty repair because it was the second time in three years, and only one-and-a-half years since the last repair. My wheel was rebuilt--new rim and spokes--free of charge. I don't know if that makes me want to continue risking another crack, but I have to say not many companies these days would even consider doing something like that for a consumer this long past the warranty date.

TD

alcjphil

Glad to hear that Mavic stepped up. You could probably still reduce tire pressure another 10 psi.At 155 pounds I ride my 25 tires at 90 psi