Ksyrium Elite rim blowout
I had exact same thing happen just a week ago (two days before a four day charity ride). I discovered it when I took the wheel to be trued, because it had a huge wobble in it (was hitting the brake pads). This was a replacement wheel from 2012, for another Ks Elite that I had returned under warranty (a pinch flat blew out the rim).
A wrench at Mike's Bikes said that Mavic shaved a lot of metal off of those rims a few years ago to make them lighter, and that they are much more prone to cracking than they were previous to that. When I bought the originals in 2010, they were being marketed as pretty bombproof. Unfortunately, it is no longer under warranty, and I am not likely to spend the money on a third rim, which may go south in another few years.
The front wheel of the same vintage, has had no problems at all, of course.
Originally Posted by
vega2614
I have a rear Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheel rim that has started cracking at one of the nipples (picture below). I am 4 months past the warranty repair period, but the wheel only has about 4k miles on it. Bummer. The nipple is still secure, the spoke is under tension, and the wheel is still pretty true. But eventually that spoke will give out as the crack widens. The mechanic at my LBS suggested I just keep riding it as it's not worth the $250 to have Mavic replace the rim/spokes, and it's not dangerous.
I plan on riding on it until at least that nipple goes, monitoring that crack closely after each ride. I've put another 50 hard miles on it and it seems to be the same. Eventually I'm probably getting a Mavic Open Pro rim with Ultegra hub, but for now I was hoping to stick with this cracked one until I feel more comfortable lightening my wallet.
I was wondering if there's anything I can do to prolong the life of the wheel, like maybe loosening the spoke where the crack is, and of course loosening the others opposite in the area to keep the wheel true. Maybe the benefit of easing the tension on that rim crack doesn't outweigh the fact that now the wheel is unbalanced in tension though. Anybody have any thoughts on this? Thanks in advance.
