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I made a case for Mavic Wheels in a prior blog post. I want to share some of my other thoughts about Mavic and what I offer in this post. It's been well over a year since Mavic replacement parts have been readily available here in the U.S., and I completely understand your frustration. I, for one, would really like to have some concrete information as to the plans and timeframe of when Mavic will be up and running again and when I will be able to get you the replacement parts that you so desperately need. But currently, that's just not the case. The only intel that I have is that Mavic is in the process of building infrastructure to support manufacturing in France and that the U.S. distribution is "in the works." So at this point in time, all that I can do is wait and keep doing what I am doing, supplying the parts that I have, answering your questions, and doing Mavic wheel repairs.
I understand that the internet is telling you to trash your Mavic's and get another brand of wheels. Hey, you can do what you want, but I'd recommend holding onto those Crossmax or Ksyrium wheels a bit longer. When things get back to normal here in the U.S., you will likely be able to get the part that you need to get your wheels rolling again. So what I am saying is that I wouldn't ditch your Mavic wheels just yet.
Did you know that you can send me your Mavic wheels to repair? Do you lack the confidence to replace some spokes or a rim on your own or can't find a shop mechanic that can or wants to do it? I'm here to help. What kind of mechanic wouldn't want to fix something if it can be fixed? Just because most Mavic wheels are a bit more complicated to work on because of the technology involved, some shop mechanics prefer to lie about them not being repairable or just don't want to do the research required to learn about the technology involved. Even though Mavic wheels have the typical three main components: rim, spokes, and hub, a substantial number of their wheels have Zicral spokes, rims using FORE drillings, and carbon Tracomp spokes, to name a few of Mavic's proprietary technologies. Even though the basic wheel principles are the same as wheels that use the more common stainless steel spokes, there are processes that you should know. Just because it's more complicated to replace a Tracomp spoke correctly or even true an R-SYS wheel doesn't mean that the wheel is not worth the effort or time to repair. In my opinion, spending $100-$200 on a wheel that costs over $1200 that will allow you to potentially get several more years of use is money well spent. Of course, there are situations when the wheel is beyond repair or repairing the wheel wouldn't be cost-effective. Contact me if you want a second opinion or if you want me to get you a repair estimate. I will provide you with enough information for you to make an educated decision that makes practical sense.
Lastly, I want to make it known that if you want to be contacted as soon as I get a particular part that you need back in stock, I suggest that you click on the "Notify me when available" button on the product page. By doing this, you will be sent an email the moment that item is back in stock. I also recommend that you do this for older Mavic products. Every so often, I find some new old stock Mavic inventory that becomes available, or I find older used parts that are still functional. Thanks for your time, and I appreciate your interest and your business.
I’m a bit of a little rim brake Luddite and remember my Mavic, Crossmax and Ksyrium quite fondly. I have a very nice titanium, randonneuring bicycle with rim brakes, and I have taken advantage of the glide of high-end rim break wheels on the second hand market for very little money. Recently, I purchased a pristine looking Mavic R-SYS rear wheel on eBay. Haven’t received it yet, but it looks like it’s an almost unridden condition. A friend who is a retired bike shop owner, and had nightmares over the Mavic.R-SYS we’ll switch. She eventually refused to touch and would simply send back to Mathur if there was a problem cautioned me about this wheel. If the wheels in good condition, is there any reason I shouldn’t ride it?
By the way I have a couple of sets of. Ksyrium now and I’m really enjoying them. Thank you for keeping me information about these wheels, active and available online.
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RogueMechanic replied:
Hi John, I hope that you are well and thank you for your kind words. The only issue that Mavic had with the R-SYS wheels was the first generation, which they recalled and rebuilt with redesigned/reenforced carbon Tracomp spokes. No issues since. FYI, the reason for the recall was during a pro race sprint, a pedal went into the spokes of the front wheel and it collapsed during a massive crash…hardly a design failure. There is no reason why a shop could not handle normal maintenance/repairs of R-SYS wheels. One only ha,s to follow the instructions wordsworking on them. In closing, one would be hard pressed to find wheels in the market today that has nearly the technology, strengreinforceduality, etc of the R-Sys wheels. I would not hesitate to ride them year around. Thanks for writing and I hope that this helps! -John
I have a mavic ksyrium elite rear wheel with a bent rim. The master wheel builder at my LBS said it can’t be fixed because the rim is too badly bent. Is there any chance that you can fix it? Do you need a picture of it.
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RogueMechanic replied:
Hello Mark,Repair of the wheel does depend on the extent of the damage to the rim. Yes, you can send me some pictures of the wheel and of the serial number on the rim so that I can determine the exact model year of the wheel. Send them to roguemechanic at gmail dot com. -John
Hello,
I’ve got a set of Mavic Ksyrium Wheels that I bent up pretty good in a cyclocross race last weekend. I took them to the local REI thinking, surly they are experienced and will recognize that they needed to be careful with these aluminum rims. Oh boy was I wrong. Less than 24hrs later I got a call from a guy who was maybe in his 20s telling me the wheels were un-repairable. After inquiring further he admitted that the rims were damaged and when he tightened the spoke it “Failed”. When I tried to clarify and ask if he had stripped the thread, he kept avoiding that using that word, but it was pretty obvious.
Anyways, you said the wheels use an M7 thread. Do you think it would be possible for me to repair the wheel by drilling out the stripped threads and adding a helicoil?
Thanks,
Luke
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RogueMechanic replied:
Hi Luke, Sorry to hear about your wheels and your experience with REI. Yes, they are M7, but they are LH (reverse) threaded. IF you can find M7 LH helicoils it would be worth a shot. I hope that this info helps. Thanks for your comment! -John
Hi there, we’re a bike shop with a customer who has Askium Race wheels, and who wants to have some spare spokes. I’ve looked in the past for parts for Mavic wheels, and ended up finding you, and it still looks like you’re the only game in the US, so I’m getting back in touch. Do you know of a way to find spokes for these? I’m not sure about the year of the wheels but I would guess 2012-2015 based on the bike.
Thanks so much for your help,
Brendon
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Brian McAfee
October 26, 2023
I rebuilt my Ksyrium elite road wheels about a year and a half ago. I put in all new bearings, and the rubber seal in the rear wheel. The issue I now have is on the rear wheel. The free wheel will not let me glide with out resistance. When I turn the bike up side down and peddle, then stop peddling the wheel is rotating but the peddles keep revolving. I can feel this when I am going down a hill. When I took it to the local bike shop they said they can not fix it I need a new wheel. It has something to do with the fee wheel and they said they can ‘t get parts for it. This was from a mechanic who was about 25 years old. The bar code on the wheel says 72043731. I don’t know if that is relevant or not. Can you rebuild this?
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RogueMechanic replied:
Hey Brian, That excessive drag when freewheeling typically happens when the bushing in the freehub body and the seal gets dry because of the lack of lubricant or using the wrong lubricant..like grease. Grease is no bueno. Mavic recommends using a light mineral oil, and so do I. So the first thing that I would do is to overhaul the freehub system and see if there is an improvement. I have a video showing how to do the overhaul. Additionally, trimming down the seal will also reduce the drag but will also require servicing the freehub body more often because of the chance of allowing more contaminants in. Lastly, I can wholeheartedly say, that you do not need a new wheel, no matter what that “mechanic” says. :) I hope that this info helps! -John