Mavic Aksium - Why do people use these?

doyler78

Anyone tell me why they use the above wheels. I got these with my new bike and I have had 2x15 mile rides on them and absolutely hate them. The bike is just so sluggish with them on. I put my Planet X Model B's on and the bike flies. Even on a 15 mile ride it really annoys me just how sluggish the bike performs so I can't fathom why they get such good press. What is that I am missing?

Have ordered another set of Model B's for my new bike so now wondering whether to keep the Aksiums or ebay them. If I could understand what it is that I am supposed to be getting out them then I may be able to use them when appropriate and appreciate them for that otherwise I'll get shot.

DavidBelcher

doyler78 wrote:

Anyone tell me why they use the above wheels. I got these with my new bike and I have had 2x15 mile rides on them and absolutely hate them. The bike is just so sluggish with them on. I put my Planet X Model B's on and the bike flies. Even on a 15 mile ride it really annoys me just how sluggish the bike performs so I can't fathom why they get such good press. What is that I am missing?

Have ordered another set of Model B's for my new bike so now wondering whether to keep the Aksiums or ebay them. If I could understand what it is that I am supposed to be getting out them then I may be able to use them when appropriate and appreciate them for that otherwise I'll get shot.

Hang on to them for a bit, do a few more rides on them and see how they are once the bearings have bedded in a bit. If still unhappy, then put them up for sale.

David

jonginge

They're bullet proof. Had some on my commute bike for a year or so. No truing required after all that time on the mean streets of london until I got left-hooked by a car. Even then the front was only out by a millimetre or so.

Anonymous

Planet X Model Bs are, I think, a little lighter on the rim, hence the difference in acceleration.

Mavic Aksiums are Bombproof. Properly, seriously, bombproof.

I've done about 5000 miles on mine commuting 35 miles a day plus club rides etc. They have never needed trueing or any maintenance whatsoever.

I weigh over 15 stone too...

Fantastic wheels!

Keep them for when your model Bs break...

doyler78

NapoleonD wrote:

Planet X Model Bs are, I think, a little lighter on the rim, hence the difference in acceleration.

Mavic Aksiums are Bombproof. Properly, seriously, bombproof.

I've done about 5000 miles on mine commuting 35 miles a day plus club rides etc. They have never needed trueing or any maintenance whatsoever.

I weigh over 15 stone too...

Fantastic wheels!

Keep them for when your model Bs break...

I see now - you are all riding them not because they are a good light wheel that produces a good fast ride but because they are just indestrucible and you accept the lower performance that comes with that.

I think that is where my problem is. I have never had a flat tyre let alone a broken spoken in the 4 years since I started commuting so I guess I can be thankful for that however I guess it has made me complacement.

I will maybe just hang onto them as suggested as a backup as my Model B's that I have at the minute have only just done just 1200 miles so far so still plenty of time for them to fall to bits though in their defence two weeks ago I was heading up through roadworks and some idiot had left a big lump of pavement slab on the road and I went crashing over the top of it before I even realised it was there (not paying enough attention) and the wheel survived without going out of true so I was pretty impressed though wouldn't recommend this. I guess at 72 kgs I'm not the heaviest so I guess I can get away with a little more

Eat My Dust

I've done over 10k on Aksiums and can't fault them. TBH I want to buy a new, more expensive set of wheels, but I'm worried they won't be as tough for the crappy London roads.

nickwill

I've got them on my winter bike. They are for that purpose. They will take the worst that rough, dirty winter roads have to offer and keep going without complaint.
If you want faster wheels, as I do for most of the year, look elsewhere, but Aksiums are great at what they are designed for.

synchronicity

Yes, what they offer is reliabilty. Don't think of their performance in terms of speed & acceleration.

I've had 190cm giants ride up and down the mountains in Tenerife for two weeks. They come back and the wheels barely need to be touched with a spoke wrench. 1/8 turn on a few spokes, and they're good to go for more abuse. Just try that with 16/20 spoke offerings from shimano...

The bearings last, the brake track is good, and they aren't expensive.

Bugly

they are robust, reasonably priced and stop the frame from resting on the ground. Yes there are better wheels but they represent great value from an entry level product.

doyler78

Bugly wrote:

they are robust, reasonably priced and stop the frame from resting on the ground. Yes there are better wheels but they represent great value from an entry level product.

At £157 I just a got new set of Model B's so the price thing has never concerned me as they are not that much more - certainly when you look at the extra you would pay for an equivalently weighted Mavic Wheel.

I do take the point about robustness which I hadn't considered however if I was looking more strength to be honest I would probably go for the Planet X Model C's which are only an extra 80 or 90 grams and with a 32/32 spokes should hold up well though again probably nowhere near as robust as the Aksium if they are as good as is suggested here.

I will hang on to them anyway as It doens't do any harm to have a spare set of wheels about if things do go wrong however I can't see me using them much more often. I commuted all last winter on a set of 20/24 spoke Shimano wheels without any problems so will just have to hope for the best and deal with the worst should it happen.

kerz

i`ve only been a really keen rider for the last 6 months since when i finally had an irrestilble urge to buy a look bike. i absolutely love it and it`s the best bit of kit i`ve ever bought- i`m now 39. it came with mavic aksiums on which have been great, however i`m thinking of putting them on my old alu cannondale frame and using it as a winter bike which means i`ll need new wheels for my look. reading other articles makes me realise there are better wheels out there some of which i know are mega-money but i wonder what would be a good upgrade without costing too much.

fossyant

What tyres are you using....... it's most likely those if different from your other wheels..... tyres make a HUGE difference.....

Pro Race 2's on my Aksiums - fast, nimble...what's the issue. Same tyre on my Ksyriums, and TBH, can't tell much difference, other than the Ksyruims are tougher.....and a bit lighter....

doyler78

fossyant wrote:

What tyres are you using....... it's most likely those if different from your other wheels..... tyres make a HUGE difference.....

Pro Race 2's on my Aksiums - fast, nimble...what's the issue. Same tyre on my Ksyriums, and TBH, can't tell much difference, other than the Ksyruims are tougher.....and a bit lighter....

They came with Hutchinson Equinox's. I know what you are talking about with regard to tyres as I used to use Spesh Armadillos and as soon as I changed to Michelin Pro Race 2 my times on my commute dropped dramatically (we are talking about 1.5-2mph). However the bike just feels heavier with these wheels on and it seems really hard to get it to accelerate yet when I put the Model B's on it is just so much easier. I'm using Schwalbe Ultremos on the Model B's. It could of course be a combo of the tyres and the wheels. I was going to swap the tyres over on them as I have a spare set of Pro Race 3's sitting about but when swapping over the wheels it was just so obvious how much heavier they were so I decided it wasn't worth the hassle. So I guess really I ought not to be so lazy and at least do the test I was going to do.

kerz

did have gp4000`s on but kept getting punctures -due to the route i used having freshly cut hedge clippings all over the road and cyclepath. took the advice of a friend and have been riding on ultra gatorskins which i like simply because they don`t puncture and they do seem to ride quite well.