Mavic Freehub lifespan
I have a pair of Mavic Cosmic Ellite's that are now 21 months old and have covered approx 10,000 miles. In January I had to replace the freehub as I suffered the "Mavic Death Squeal".
8 months and just under 4,500 miles later the "Mavic Death Sqeal" has returned.
How long should I expect the freehub to last?
Should I be looking to get it replaced under warranty?
I'm not willing to wait and argue the toss re. a warranty replacement as I don't have a spare set of wheels to turn to but I can't see how 8 months is an acceptable lifespan.
8 months and just under 4,500 miles later the "Mavic Death Sqeal" has returned.
How long should I expect the freehub to last?
Should I be looking to get it replaced under warranty?
I'm not willing to wait and argue the toss re. a warranty replacement as I don't have a spare set of wheels to turn to but I can't see how 8 months is an acceptable lifespan.
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Comments
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Mavic hubs are simple to service , usually its just a couple of allen keys needed to disassemble the hub and oil the plastic bush which is what makes the screech when it runs dry of lube,if you leave it then it will wear the alloy hub and then its new bush or new hub if its really bad,something like 3 in 1 oil will do, not grease as that can make the pawls stick , I do my 2006 Ksyrium SL.s once a year and they have done nearly 20k miles now0
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You are supposed to service them every 1000 miles or so. It's a simple enough job.0
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You are supposed to service them every 1000 miles or so. It's a simple enough job.
Seriously?? Every 1000 miles? If true, that sounds like an appallingly bad design to me.0 -
You are supposed to service them every 1000 miles or so. It's a simple enough job.
It is, and I'm aware of how you service them. Servicing the hub every 6 weeks over summer is, to me, taking the pi$$ and has absolutely put me of Mavic wheels in the future.0 -
You are supposed to service them every 1000 miles or so. It's a simple enough job.
It is, and I'm aware of how you service them. Servicing the hub every 6 weeks over summer is, to me, taking the pi$$ and has absolutely put me of Mavic wheels in the future.
I've always had Shimano factory wheels from the budget end of the market. Hubs cleaned and regreased once a year. Freehub off and a bit of oil in there every 2 years, and new ball bearings after maybe 5 years? Still running like clockwork despite year round riding.
If ever I reach the wear indicators on either of my current wheelsets, the next ones will likely be handbuilts on 105 hubs.0 -
Those wheels are pretty simple and they shouldn't require servicing every 1000 miles even if that is the "official" recommendation.
The "death squeal" occurs when the freehub runs dry of lube and if you're getting it return very quickly after servicing, it would suggest that you're using the wrong kind of lube in there. It's got nothing to do with the state of wear of the freehub although obviously a lack of lube will mean that the freehub will wear very quickly.
What lube are you using in there at the moment? I've personally tried Finish Line Cross-Country Green (far too thick) and Shimano Mineral Oil (far too thin) and settled on some 5wt Rockshox suspension oil for my MTB which is perfect.
If your hub/freehub is excessively worn there will be a lot of play in the cassette when everything is tightened up. Is this the case? If so, you can get replacements of the white plastic bushings that are a narrower diameter (0.0015, 0.003 and 0.005" narrower) that can take up the slack.0 -
Those wheels are pretty simple and they shouldn't require servicing every 1000 miles even if that is the "official" recommendation.
The "death squeal" occurs when the freehub runs dry of lube and if you're getting it return very quickly after servicing, it would suggest that you're using the wrong kind of lube in there. It's got nothing to do with the state of wear of the freehub although obviously a lack of lube will mean that the freehub will wear very quickly.
What lube are you using in there at the moment? I've personally tried Finish Line Cross-Country Green (far too thick) and Shimano Mineral Oil (far too thin) and settled on some 5wt Rockshox suspension oil for my MTB which is perfect.
If your hub/freehub is excessively worn there will be a lot of play in the cassette when everything is tightened up. Is this the case? If so, you can get replacements of the white plastic bushings that are a narrower diameter (0.0015, 0.003 and 0.005" narrower) that can take up the slack.
I used Mineral Oil, as advised from pretty much everywhere I've read. Noise always returns on next big ride, ie. on rides where I reach 30+mph descending. I replaced the freehub in Jan and lubed with Mineral Oil and all has been well till last week so can't see the Oil being too thin?!0 -
You are supposed to service them every 1000 miles or so. It's a simple enough job.
Seriously?? Every 1000 miles? If true, that sounds like an appallingly bad design to me.
That's what they recommend but I only do mine when I replace the chain every 3000-4000 km or so. If I leave it longer then the squeal will start to occur on descents.0 -
Those wheels are pretty simple and they shouldn't require servicing every 1000 miles even if that is the "official" recommendation.
The "death squeal" occurs when the freehub runs dry of lube and if you're getting it return very quickly after servicing, it would suggest that you're using the wrong kind of lube in there. It's got nothing to do with the state of wear of the freehub although obviously a lack of lube will mean that the freehub will wear very quickly.
What lube are you using in there at the moment? I've personally tried Finish Line Cross-Country Green (far too thick) and Shimano Mineral Oil (far too thin) and settled on some 5wt Rockshox suspension oil for my MTB which is perfect.
If your hub/freehub is excessively worn there will be a lot of play in the cassette when everything is tightened up. Is this the case? If so, you can get replacements of the white plastic bushings that are a narrower diameter (0.0015, 0.003 and 0.005" narrower) that can take up the slack.
I used Mineral Oil, as advised from pretty much everywhere I've read. Noise always returns on next big ride, ie. on rides where I reach 30+mph descending. I replaced the freehub in Jan and lubed with Mineral Oil and all has been well till last week so can't see the Oil being too thin?!
if this is the case, something else is wrong, you have either worn the bushing too far or even worse, the hub.
Some guy on Ebay sells bearings for mavic freehubs to go in place of the plastic bushing. Might be an option for you if you are not into regular maintenence. no idea if they are any good though.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-HUBDOCTOR-PRO-MAVIC-FREEHUB-REBUILD-KIT-HYBRID-CERAMIC-BEARINGS-/330940493909?hash=item4d0d9730550 -
I've had two sets of Ksyriums. Both had the 'Death Squeal'. Otherwise excellent wheels on the road.
A service on the first pair sorted the problem and they eventually wore out. Being so good I got a second set for summer use - big mistake! Not just the rubbish tyres they came with (two rides & two pinch punctures). Big day ride in northern Spain and the squeal came back along with a snagging chain. Took the wheel into the local bike shop (actually a 2 hours drive) where the owner described the problem before I could. The wheel was serviced but the problem came back. Got it serviced back home but the problem returned. Returned wheels to supplier who of course couldn't find any thing wrong. With the squeal and the chain snagging I refused to take them back and pushed for a credit/refund which I got.
As for servicing every 1000 miles I didn't find that on the Mavic website nor in any of the information supplied with the wheels. Also, service every 1000miles? Not for my Hope hubs (winter wheels) nor Campag Shamals (summer wheels) nor those on my mountain bikes. Mavic you have a problem!0 -
So, I replaced the freehub last night. The old freehub was still well lubricated, but has left some scoring on the hub itself.
I know how to replace and service and also about the separate bushings you can buy on ebay. I also know it's the bushing in the freehub that's worn and not the freehub itself (although Mavic don't sell them separately, hence replacing the freehub).
So, what lifespan should I expect from the bushing? Is 4,500 miles fair game or should I be expecting it to last longer than that?0 -
15,000km on mine and still going strong.
I do a lot of descending so I guess I am quite a heavy user too.0 -
Well it looks like mine is at the end of its life. I changed cassette yesterday and was getting the death squeal even though it was well lubricated with oil. looked at the bushing and it is worn down to the level of the teeth of the ratchet and there is too much play. So 15,000 km lifetime for me.
New one should be delivered in the next few days, so I'll have to use the crosser for my ride today.0 -
Fitted the new freehub today and surprisingly, it was still making a noise and binding when freewheeling. On closer inspection of the hub, I noticed there was a raised burr on the surface of the hub just above where one of the pawls slots into the hub. This must have been causing the noise. it seems as if somehow one of the pawls must have come unseated and jammed against the top part of the hub.
Strange because i last serviced it over 1000 km ago and had not noticed any problems until changing the cassette at the weekend. perhaps one of the pawls was not fitted correctly, or maybe the worn freehub somehow caused it to become dislodged.
Anyway, I sanded the raised area flat, cleaned and lubricated eveything and then fitted the new freehub. seems to be working fine now, but will have to closely monitor the hub for any weird behaviour over the next few weeks.0 -
If your hub/freehub is excessively worn there will be a lot of play in the cassette when everything is tightened up. Is this the case? If so, you can get replacements of the white plastic bushings that are a narrower diameter (0.0015, 0.003 and 0.005" narrower) that can take up the slack.
can you buy these in the UK ? Also , on the subject of the freehub. Which is the best mineral oil ? . I read elsewhere a good quality sewing machine mineral oil would suffice for a Mavic freehub bushing
or this ?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Wahl-Clipper-Oil-118ml-for-Hair-Clippers-3310-517-/251527900428?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3a903b2d0c&clk_rvr_id=897577505681&afsrc=1&rmvSB=true0 -
If your hub/freehub is excessively worn there will be a lot of play in the cassette when everything is tightened up. Is this the case? If so, you can get replacements of the white plastic bushings that are a narrower diameter (0.0015, 0.003 and 0.005" narrower) that can take up the slack.
can you buy these in the UK ? Also , on the subject of the freehub. Which is the best mineral oil ? . I read elsewhere a good quality sewing machine mineral oil would suffice for a Mavic freehub bushing
or this ?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Wahl-Clipper-Oil-118ml-for-Hair-Clippers-3310-517-/251527900428?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3a903b2d0c&clk_rvr_id=897577505681&afsrc=1&rmvSB=true
I just used a mineral oil from LBS that was intended for disk brakes. The Shimano stuff seems to be recommended on a few articles and videos I've seen.0 -
If your hub/freehub is excessively worn there will be a lot of play in the cassette when everything is tightened up. Is this the case? If so, you can get replacements of the white plastic bushings that are a narrower diameter (0.0015, 0.003 and 0.005" narrower) that can take up the slack.
can you buy these in the UK ? Also , on the subject of the freehub. Which is the best mineral oil ? . I read elsewhere a good quality sewing machine mineral oil would suffice for a Mavic freehub bushing
or this ?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Wahl-Clipper-Oil-118ml-for-Hair-Clippers-3310-517-/251527900428?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3a903b2d0c&clk_rvr_id=897577505681&afsrc=1&rmvSB=true
I just used a mineral oil from LBS that was intended for disk brakes. The Shimano stuff seems to be recommended on a few articles and videos I've seen.0
