Are Mavic MA3s as bad as everyone says?
12-23-05, 06:01 PM
#1
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Are Mavic MA3s as bad as everyone says?
Before I bought my current wheels (Shimano Tiagra/Mavic CPX23), I picked up a set of Shimano Sora/Mavic MA3 wheels from Nashbar . The MA3s are still sitting in the box, as I've never installed them -- I'm planning to return them to Nashbar. But I've been thinking... it might be good to have a second, decent set of wheels hanging around just in case. Are they even remotely worth it, even as just a back-up set of wheels? Or are the MA3s really as bad as everyone says, and I should send them back ASAP?
12-23-05, 06:03 PM
#2
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If money's tight but you still need that backup set of wheels, keep them. Otherwise, send them back. There's scads of great wheels that can be had for little cash so no need to worry about suspect wheels.
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12-23-05, 06:44 PM
#4
hello
Originally Posted by iamtim
Or are the MA3s really as bad as everyone says, and I should send them back ASAP?
7,500 others, including me, don't seem to have a problem.
It's your choice.
12-23-05, 07:06 PM
#5
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Originally Posted by The Fixer
4 people said they're no good. 7,500 others, including me, don't seem to have a problem.
My only concern is that those 4 people each told their two friends, who told their two friends, and so on, and so on. It appears that very few of the 7,500 told anyone at all.
I'm kinda leaning towards "it might not be bad having a spare set of wheels around the house."
12-23-05, 07:30 PM
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I have a set that I use as my winter commuting wheels on 105 hubs for the past 2 seasons. I have had no problems with them at all.
12-23-05, 08:07 PM
#7
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I had no problems with my MA3 rims. I built a set of 105/MA3 wheels that were great. I've never heard that they were bad before. They were a great deal as far as I was concerned.
12-23-05, 08:40 PM
#9
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I've had no problems with MA3s, tonnes of kerb-hopping & bunny-jumping speed-bumps. That's when I weighed 245 lbs too; went through a couple of bent rear-axles. Personally, I've noticed that wheel-strength has more to do with the build-quality than the actual components used.
12-23-05, 11:46 PM
#10
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Originally Posted by The Fixer
4 people said they're no good.
7,500 others, including me, don't seem to have a problem.
It's your choice.
7,500 others, including me, don't seem to have a problem.
It's your choice.
The subject of failed MA3s come up about once a year on rec.bicycles.tech.
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12-24-05, 12:15 AM
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Originally Posted by DannoXYZ
I've had no problems with MA3s, tonnes of kerb-hopping & bunny-jumping speed-bumps. That's when I weighed 245 lbs too; went through a couple of bent rear-axles.
seems to be where many XC mountain bike frames die, from taking repeated curb height (or slightly higher than curb) drops.
12-24-05, 08:46 AM
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Originally Posted by terrymorse
If you really want the straight dope, ask someone who builds wheels for a living. MA3s are prone to cracking at the spoke holes. If you don't put a lot of miles on them, they ought to last long enough. But they don't last nearly as long as some others, like the Open Pros.
The subject of failed MA3s come up about once a year on rec.bicycles.tech.
The subject of failed MA3s come up about once a year on rec.bicycles.tech.
An interesting side-note: He's ridden the bike around 13,000 miles, rear rim (Vuelta Corsa) was starting to crack at almost all of the drive-side spoke-holes, but the hub is almost perfectly smooth yet. Same thing for the bottom bracket (which I replaced with a new crank and BB, shimano-compatible, because it was cheaper than buying three new Campy chainrings). Here's a toast to Campy sealed bearings!
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"c" is not a unit that measures tire width
"c" is not a unit that measures tire width
