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Mavic R-SYS recall. If you’re running these, check yo self before you wreck yo self.
“Possible risk of tubular carbon spoke failure…”
Ya don’t say?
by Mavic = FAIL
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Two Wheels. One Dark Lord.
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It’s pretty sweet that Mavic tosses in a brand spanking new (lower end but what ever) wheelset to use and keep while waiting for the replacement to arrive.
Carbon spokes? I was not the only cyclist of our time to say that that is not only a bad idea, it’s a stupid idea, and why?
Think about what spokes are. They are under the heaviest stress on the whole bike. Spokes are made out of STEEL. Not just any steel. Not aluminum, not titanium, not Boron composite, and certainly not carbon.
Not even SOLID carbon but TUBULAR carbon!! The weight shaving nonsense has gone too far into ridiculousness to comprehend at this point.
Shame on Mavic for being frontrunners in the carbon spoke nonsense. Mavic used to make the very best stuff – build a new wheel on a 20 year old Mavic hub and it will last longer than a new Chris King, so I’m told.
I don’t feel safe riding a carbon frame, but carbon spokes? Does a racing bike HAVE TO weigh less than 16 lbs? Please, people – use some common freaking sense and stick to wheels with STEEL spokes.
Shit, I don’t feel safe rockin a carbon fork on a aluminum frame…
“The system relies on a unique set of tubular carbon spokes. While front wheels rely solely on the tubular carbon spoke, the rears combine those with Zicral spokes and the risk of failure is, therefore, lessened. ”
Risk of failure is LESSENED you say? Uh, lessened by how much exactly?
Now, I realize recalls are often somewhat overzealous, but telling me my rear wheel is less likely to fail when still using some of the same technology as something you are recalling doesn’t exactly make me the easy rider.
Fuck Mavic, give me a good set of Easton/Velomax wheels any day. Or a good Open Pro build.
And seriously, tubular carbon spokes… I would be embarrassed to be seen riding those.
I ran the Spinergys with the plastic spokes offroad for a few years without any problems (even at 200lbs). Going back to steel spokes made me realize what I didn’t like about them – you can’t side-load them and expect any spring action in slow technical roots and rocks. They’re just kind of dead laterally (which may be a plus on the road.) Even though I break a few steel spokes a year, I’m sticking with the metal stuff.
Looks like there’ll be a flood of Aksiums hitting Craigslist in April when the warranty wheels come in.
Two problems with the Mavic R-Soles wheelset, 1. It’s fucking cartwheel era technology. spoked wheels are light and strong because they hang the axle from the top of the rim, from two spokes no less. R-Soles hold the axle in the centre of the wheel with some high tech analogs of wooden cartwheel spokes which are alternatively being subjected to the forces of extension and compression. Which leads us quite nicely to point number 2. While fantastic under extension loads, carbon sucks donkey balls under compression. In fact it tends to explode, which is not a problem in a wheelset unless you hate the taste of bitumin.
Just like Fancy Plastic Avoided, I looked at the Mavic R-Soles and said, “That’s a stupid fucking idea.” And then I went and rode my bike, the one with the eleven year old Mavic SUP rim on the front. The one that is still as true as the day I built it with stainless steel spokes.
This weekend I’m building a new front wheel for that bike, one with a disc hub. I’ll build it with 32 stainless steel spokes in a three cross pattern. It will take me a while, but then again it will last me a while.
Wheels with tubular carbon spokes bring to mind the Doing Courtney Love Analogy: just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
I take back the fuck mavic comment in part – I do love my old GP 4 wheelset, although it basically collects dust now.