Mavic Ksyrium ES rim replacement

cubicboy

I bought my bike secondhand, and the seller told me that the wheels had 500 miles of use; the wheels certainly looked really fresh and I have every reason to believe that the figure is true. Since then, I have probably ridden 4,000 miles on the bike on relatively hilly roads requiring moderate to heavy breaking. My bike is well looked after, but I have only just noticed that the wear indicator has disappeared from the front rim and or practically there on the rear rim. I have searched the forum (back 30 pages) for a similar thread, but can't find anything... I'm sure there's a thread in there somewhere.
Anyway, can I get the rims replaced, or do I have to ditch both wheels? From reading some other threads and posts, I'm getting the impression that wheels like this are sometimes looked on as consumables, with people replacing on a like-for-like basis (or changing brands). Discarding them would be a shocker as they really are in very good condition.
I'm willing to play a 'long game' with my wheels, and potentially buy a new set and refurb these if possible, to either sell on or to keep and rotate (no pun intended).

ta

Adam

aguillar

Can you tell us what wheels they are? Handbuilt wheels are simple to put new rims onto, easiest if you can buy an identical set of rims.

cubicboy

The wheels are Mavic Ksyrium ES front and rear.

aguillar

Sorry, muppet moment, it was in the title all along.
Being a factory wheelset and a mavic one at that things are rather harder. Simplest options are ask your local bike shop to rerim the wheels for you [they will then order rims from Mavic directly] or send the wheels to Mavic themselves who can do you new rims, spokes, bearing and fresh warranty for a mere arm and leg...

cubicboy

Just been up to LBS to ask the question, and they reckon on approx £170 per wheel. As the wheels are in such good condition I would hate to bin them. Does anyone here have an opinion on the price quoted?

aguillar

Maybe try calling Westbrook 01642 710232? Don't have experience of them but they sell Mavic wheels cheap so must have good throughput.
Don't forget to take postage into account.

giant_man

when your LBS goes through Mavic, be prepared to wait cos they ain't quick at this stuff believe me ...

pliptrot

340 quid for 2 new rims? I've struggled with the concept of factory wheels from the getgo, and this doesn't help. Bet you Pete Matthews could build you a lighter, truer, stronger set of complete wheels for that. There's a price for quality, and there's taking the piss....... (Open Pros - the best Mavic offer as rim only- are half that price).

cubicboy

Thanks for the replies.

So, I have gone back over lots of older posts on which is obviously a very common subject but I seem to be going round in circles here.

I can only imagine that the vast bulk of riders simply buy branded wheels and then either repair or discard. It seems that there is a much smaller amount of enlightened people who go down the route of hand built wheels.

Basically, I don't really want to junk my wheels as they are circa £600 to replace (the Ksyrium SL seems to be the closest equivalent). Is it possible for wheel builders to take what I have and then build on the hubs, or is the consensus to just start from scratch?

Also, if I send my wheels to Mavic to be repaired, I am then without wheels for possibly a month in what I will imagine is the start of their busy period... which leads me to buying a new set of wheels and then putting my set on eBay.

If anyone has the energy to reply to this, it would be much appreciated!

domhopson

See if you can find any Mavic Ksyrium SL Rims instead.

huuregeil

cubicboy wrote:

It seems that there is a much smaller amount of enlightened people who go down the route of hand built wheels.
...
Is it possible for wheel builders to take what I have and then build on the hubs, or is the consensus to just start from scratch?

Indeed, handbuilts for high mileage for that reason :-)

Rebuilding the mavic hubs you have on different rims - tricky, because they use funky spokes. I think your two options are: return to mavic for a rebuild; sell on ebay as they are.

Monty Dog

You have no alternative in terms of rims - Ksyriums are unique in terms of the rim, spoke and hub design.

Mavic Service Centre: gbcustomer.servcies@mavic.com or 01276 404870 - they're in Frimley, Surrey.

cubicboy

Just thought that I'd add how this has all concluded if anyone else finds themselves in the same position and searches the forum.
I have taken the path of least resistance: new Ksyrium SL wheels ordered, with the old ones going on eBay as soon as they arrive.
Whatever the LBS says about Mavic Service Centre turnaround times, I just can't be without wheels in the summertime. I may even keep the originals as a back-up pair... now there's a plan.

domhopson

Monty Dog wrote:

You have no alternative in terms of rims - Ksyriums are unique in terms of the rim, spoke and hub design.

Mavic Service Centre: gbcustomer.servcies@mavic.com or 01276 404870 - they're in Frimley, Surrey.

Hi Monty, Are Ksyrium ES not the same as the newer SL's then?

Monty Dog

AFAIK the only difference between the two is cosmetic, but there have been so many versions produced in the last few years it's difficult to keep track. My mate is the VP for the company that owns Mavic and he finds it difficult to get a sensible answer from them at times!

Maverick777

Does anyone have the current Email address for Mavic Customer Care? Thanks

Maverick777

Hi All,

I'm in a similar position as the original postie as the rims on my Mavic Ksyrium Elite's are worn. I would like to refurbish. But the Email address for Mavic keeps bouncing back gbcustomer.servcies@mavic.com

In all honesty I don't think I could sell the rims as I know that they are worn and therefore not safe. I doubt that I could afford similar spec rims. But would be looking at custom built rims or factory made round about the £300.00 price bracket.

Thanks

Maverick777

This is what Mavic said:-

The hubs can be re-used but the spokes would also need replacing as all wheels have differences at the hub and rim. When you take this into consideration the price to rebuild the wheel would be more than half of buying a new set. The differences come from the angle of the flanges on the hub compared to the rim (the new rims have a completely different design). These differences mean that a different spoke length is required so a calculation needs to be done to figure out which parts would be suitable.



When you take this into consideration the time, effort and price required to make this change to save a set of approximately ten year old hubs. Your money may be better spent on a new set that comes with a two year warranty. The technology of new wheels has improved dramatically with wider more aerodynamic wheels available.

Maverick777

FAO Ricardo