Mavic Aksiums are they reliable? NOT!

Anonymous

They should offer postage refund, I know with PC parts I had some faulty ram, bought it from Ebuyer (well actually I fried it ), I sent it off for RMA and ebuyer debited the postage cost into my account.

I don't see why bike shops should be any different.

blorg

They have generally good reviews on Road Cycling UK and Road Bike Review, although one of the recent reviews latter does mention a spoke breaking out of the rear hub in a similar way to described in this thread.

Most people seem to find them perfectly reliable.

Could be a batch issue.

I wouldn't be concerned about needing to return your Aksiums based on a few failures reported on the internet- unless of course there is some sort of specific problem you are having. They are a very popular wheelset with probably millions sold.

@willhub- what do you mean by the wheel moves in a way it shouldn't when you turn the pedals?

Mog Uk

blorg wrote:

@willhub- what do you mean by the wheel moves in a way it shouldn't when you turn the pedals?

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... d490bb2810

blorg

Mog Uk wrote:

blorg wrote:

@willhub- what do you mean by the wheel moves in a way it shouldn't when you turn the pedals?

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... d490bb2810

Haha, ok, well that is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about- presuming here that it only happens in a stand. Certainly not a "critical wheel failure" deserving of a recall

redddraggon

All my wheels turn the other way when I pedal backwards.....

....it would be some discovery to invent a frictionless freehub

Anonymous

redddraggon wrote:

All my wheels turn the other way when I pedal backwards.....

....it would be some discovery to invent a frictionless freehub

My Open Pro's on Tiagra hubs dont.

redddraggon

willhub wrote:

redddraggon wrote:

All my wheels turn the other way when I pedal backwards.....

....it would be some discovery to invent a frictionless freehub

My Open Pro's on Tiagra hubs dont.

I bring them here then and I'll prove it.

You DO NOT have a frictionless freehub. Even my Neutron Ultra hubs which are a million times better than Tiagra hubs have friction.

Anonymous

Maybe mine are from the future?


Must have been about 2 hours since I sent that email:

Reply:

Will

Thank you for your e-mail, the thread made interesting reading.

We have, as you can read on the forums had a very small number of
failures on the rear hub for a variety of different reasons. Any hub
that has failed in a 'warranty' situation has been replaced. The failure
is not dangerous and the volumes are very, very, very small.

For your reference, Mavic operates a service and warranty workshop in
the UK (where the Merlin purchased wheels would have been returned to)
and any issues are handled very quickly.

The Aksium remains and very light weight and competitive entry level /
training wheel.

Safe riding and best wishes

Alex

Alex Coventry
Mavic UK Sales Manager
www.mavic.com www.amersports.com

alfablue

Well, you've got to hand it to Mavic, or at least Alex, excellent to get a reply, and so quickly. Credit to the company.

Is that the sort of answer you were looking for Will?

Anonymous

I did not know what to expect really, I guess if it is as they say I'm not so worried.

I never expected same day reply though, more like 4+ days

dodgy

I'll take back what I said, I'm really very surprised they replied and bothered to read this thread. Hats off to 'em

rabk

Very impressive response. Well done Mavic

I have been watching this carefully as I have a rear Aksium with the same problem. Have just fired off an email to Mavic.

tenor

Buy cheap wheels - expect trouble.
This is one area where economy is false both in terms of real performance and reliability. Open Pro's on Ultegra / Chorus will be much cheaper in the long run and perform better than any equivalent priced factory wheel.
Just tried back pedalling my bike - absolutley no movement of the wheel. Record hubs with Ambrosio Excellence wheels - 8 years old...

synchronicity

I've had a good run with 2x 2007 model aksiums and 1x 2008 model askisum wheelset with the hidden front hub flange...

They seem to require MUCH less truing than many other wheels I've tried & used. That's what I like about them. Okay, so the bearings & frehub are not great, but it's one of the cheapest wheelsets around... I can't complain.

I've had worse luck with my first true handbuilt wheelset. More than one spoke breakages & they won't stay true... :roll:

Ash_

I'd think that Aksiums are no less reliable than any other wheel. They're cheap, readily accessible and so lots more people seem to have a pair.

Bike wheels are not indestructible, they will fail from time to time. With more people riding on Aksiums (especially putting the miles in on their hack / training bikes) you'll get more reports of people having problems with them. That doesn't make them a bad wheel.

I'm not saying that justifies poor product design or poor after sales support, but I am saying that these cases of Aksium wheels failing probably don't fit into either category.

I've got a couple of pairs myself and have never had any problem with them.

Interestingly, one pair says 'Made in China' on them, the other 'Made in Romania'. Not that I've noticed any difference.

shockedsoshocked

My Aksiums have taken a right beating over the last couple of years and had no issues at all (they're not even out of true and i've walloped some pot holes too).

On the other hand I had a club mate who had the exact same problem as the OP. I think it actually happened to him twice, usually when climbing.

synchronicity

I tend to spec them on my larger rental bikes. I've had cyclists up to 2.00m tall riding up and down Mt Teide for a week or two. They come back as straight & true as they left. Try doing that with a Shimano RS10 or RS20 wheelset. I don't think so.