How long should wheels last?

jamlala

Not strictly buying advice, but I bought some Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheels last year. Bearing in mind I ride them in all conditions (winter AND summer) should they last longer than about 20 months? I don't consider they get used loads, twice a week on average, but on returning them for trueing I was told that they are quite corroded and there may not be the adjustment left in them, should I need it again. I know I don't look after them that well but I thought I'd get a good 4 yrs out of them. Maybe paying the price for all year round wheels!

cougie

4 years in all weathers would be a big ask I think.
If you don't looks after your kit and there is grit on the roads - they will corrode.

Possible that they're knackered but if they're still going round you can eke them out a while longer.

Oh learn to true a wheel. It's like a 2 minute job.

trailflow

The problem is alloy nipples on steel spokes,they will corrode and seize at a much faster rate than brass nipples on steel spokes. If the acid,salt,road grime,dirty water isnt cleaned off regularly it will accelerate any corrosion. Where you store your bike will effect it too if its a cold damp shed or garage. If they do seize,it wont stop your wheels from working. It only prevents them from being retrued. If the nipples are the normal type and non proprietary to the rim. You can always switch them out for brass nipples.

If they are proprietary spokes and nipples and are badly seized, and ever need truing in the future. You can probably source replacements from Mavic. But that probably wont be cost effective if your rims are worn down too. If your not doing it already, you should be cleaning your rims regularly with soap and a scourer to remove the black paste that builds up and which will destroy your rims and wear them down at a much faster rate than the nipple corrosion.

dombo6

I may have been lucky, but my Easton EA90 SLX wheels bought new in early 2008 are still going strong. Ridden in all weathers (except ice and snow), an Etape (2008 in pi$$ing rain) and numerous sportives in Wales and the appalling roads in Surrey. A couple of times I have even taken them through the woods. They are as true as the day I bought them, and the only maintenance I have done was to take the rear hub apart and fill it with oil (apparently a mistake but it did make them virtually silent).
So impressed that I have just bought a new pair for my summer build project.

marcusjb

Years isn't a great measure of anything's lifespan in cycling. Distance is far more telling.

4 years of all-weather riding, assuming you're doing reasonable mileage, would be good for any wheel I reckon, especially if the rider is of larger build.

I'm sub 60kg and ride year around, typically around 15000km a year. On the distance bikes, I get around 30000km from a rim. I've yet to wear out a hub (front hubs are typically Schmidt with a 50000km service interval, and rears are Hope which seem pretty robust).

I only use traditional wheels and brass nipples, but even then, you need to be careful in poor weather and ensure you clean your wheels (even if, like me, you don't really clean much else on the bike!) and brake-blocks need checking for debris.

Year-round wheels or even just winter wheels do not have to be expensive. In fact, most riders I know ride on something fairly cheap through the winter and only bring out their nice wheels for summer (if we ever get one!).

dinyull

I got 12k all weather miles out of a pair of Mavic Cosmic Elite's, and although they were binned because of the freehub there wasn't much life lift in the rim's. This was over a couple of years.

warrior4life

If the wheels are put away wet after one ride they can start to corrode, you need to maintain anything.
If things are seized and rusty this is down to poor maintenance is not a warranty issue.

I would expect problems from a wheel set after a few months if it was stored in a damp area and ridden in wet weather, seized spokes, contaminated bearings etc.

keef66

To back up what Marcus said about age vs mileage, my RS10s are now 9 years old and have been ridden yer round. I don't do massive mileage compared to many on here, and I do hardly any braking, so the rims still have the wear indicators visible. They do get an occasional wash, and sometimes after a wet ride a wipe down with an old towel. The bike does dry fairly quickly in an airy but unheated garage. Conscious that I have alloy nipples on steel spokes, I also now and then put a tiny drop of oil the threads of each spoke where it enters the nipple. This may or may not explain the lack of corrosion, but on the rare occasions I've had to true them / replace a spoke the nipples have been free to turn.