How to tell if my Mavic wheels are grey market

downhill paul

During my last few rides, I have noticed a grinding noise coming from my rear wheel.
after checking the bike over and a few online searches, I have found out that the free hub is the cause of the problem. the grinding noise is being caused by the nylon bushing used on most if not all mavic free hubs. they make a noise like I am experiencing when they need to be cleaned and re lubed.
after calling several bike shops to see who could do it in the least time and for the least money, one shop I called suggested that the wheels might be grey market. I bought them from a website called Acycles which is based in France, so it seems like all I did was buy the wheels direct from the country they are made in at a slightly cheaper price, what is wrong with that? if my wheels are in fact grey market, does that mean that no UK mavic dealer will service them? so that means I will either have to service it myself or replace the wheel set. they are no longer under the 12 month warranty, even if they were it might mean returning them to France, possibly also at my expense.
is there any way to tell if my wheels are UK or grey market?

chrisgal

Can you just not replace the nylon bushing or clean and relube to see if that sorts it?

I'm not sure what you're asking regarding grey market goods. If the seller is reputable they will still be 100% Mavic wheels, grey market or not.

downhill paul

It's just that a member of staff in one bike shop I called said that they might be grey market, if I hadn't bought them from the UK. Mavic is a French company and I bought them from a French cycling website. it seems all I did was cut out the middle man by buying them direct from France instead of buying them from a bike shop after they were shipped to the UK. I have never heard the term grey market, maybe it's just one fussy guy who doesn't want to service a wheel that I didn't buy from him. none of the other bike shops I called suggested that the wheels might be grey market.
they did come with a 12 month warranty, but I've had them for a bit longer than that.

patrickf

EU regulations stipulate that you have 24 month warranty, however, I believe the onus is on the purchaser to prove that the defect is a manufacturing defect during the second year.

Also, if a product is purchased new and is genuine then a manufacturer (or probably the shop) will have to honour a mandatory warranty.

To the OP, if this isn't something you can get sorted, I'd get in touch with the shop in France to see what they can do.

paul2718

Try a Mavic dealing lbs. I don't see why it should be a problem for them, unless it's a fake rather than an import.

If you buy a bike fitted with Mavics from the factory then those wheels have been nowhere near the official distributor in the UK. It would be very surprising if they weren't warrantied, or serviceable.

FWIW there are many online videos of Mavic freehub strip down and service. It might just be a question of clean and grease. My rather well used Aksiums developed a hideous squeal when freewheeling (I know...) and a bit of clean grease sorted it.

Paul

downhill paul

According to the website I bought them from, there is only a 12 month warranty on the wheels.
like I said, I think I just happened to find a fussy bike shop owner who didn't want to service a set of wheels that I didn't buy from him. I have been looking at a few videos on how to remove and service a free hub yourself, I guess it's a possibility if all else fails.

robbo2011

I don't really see what the problem is. This is just a routine maintenance operation that needs doing every 1000 miles or so. Just do the maintenance and carry on riding.

Grill

ACycles are a legit shop and an authorized Mavic dealer.

TBF Mavic hubs are pretty rubbish and I'm not surprised they need servicing (then again almost all wheels need servicing).

ugo.santalucia

Some LBS owners are lazy buggers, keen to sell you the latest shxt but less so when it comes to get their hands dirty (much easier to fit you a new clean freehub and cassette that mess with the old and dirty one... and more lucrative too!). Implying that something is a fake because it's been bought online is a trick they used 10 years ago to try and stop the spread of internet commerce, those who survived have moved on, clearly you have found the last of the mohicans.
Removing and cleaning these stuff is a job any ape could do with a bit of training, get on the job in fearless mode, it's really dead easy

downhill paul

robbo2011 wrote:

I don't really see what the problem is. This is just a routine maintenance operation that needs doing every 1000 miles or so. Just do the maintenance and carry on riding.

The problem isn't that my wheels need servicing, the problem is that someone put the idea in my head that they might not be legitimate wheels. another problem is that I have never taken apart a free hub before.

Grill

downhill paul wrote:

robbo2011 wrote:

I don't really see what the problem is. This is just a routine maintenance operation that needs doing every 1000 miles or so. Just do the maintenance and carry on riding.

The problem isn't that my wheels need servicing, the problem is that someone put the idea in my head that they might not be legitimate wheels. another problem is that I have never taken apart a free hub before.

Dude, that's not the case. As Ugo says it's simply a silly shop owner being a bit douchey.

downhill paul

Yeah, I can see that now.

adamfo

The EU is a single market. There is no such thing as a grey import from an authorized dealer. That said, the warranty is with the dealer you purchased from or the distributor in that country.

adamfo

madasahattersley wrote:

You've got to be careful. Not all Mavic wheels are sold with a warranty. A customer of ours bought a Ksyrium SLR front wheel for a ridiculous price - £250 IIRC - from some online source. When a spoke snapped Mavic not only wouldn't warranty it but also wouldn't fix it no matter what the price. Yes, cheap stuff can be a false economy.

If the online source is in the EU it comes with a warranty by law.