Mavic Aksium wheels..how do you find 'em ?

Deisetrek

Do any of you out there have problems with your aksiums constantly running out of true? I have 3 sets of these wheels for my bikes . I only recently purchased the 3rd set , perhaps foolishly , in light of the trouble I've had with the other 2 sets . I was only on my 2nd spin out with my new set yesterday when I noticed my front rim hopping and hitting the brake block . I'm sending 'em back to the bike shop for him to fix 'em for me tomorrow , but I just can't believe they went out of true so quickly . At least the other 2 sets lasted at least a month or two before giving me bother .....but less than a week? Any of you experience similar problems ? I'm getting disillusioned ( or recommend a more reliable option wheel in the 180 to say 230 euro mark , would be willing to try anything at this stage). By the way , before you ask ,no I am very careful of potholes , speedbumps etc , almost paranoid actually . 'cause of the "run out" trouble I've had in the past .

CheGuedara

Havent out right buckled Aksiums in my time but when I did have them I found them very flexy under power and climbing. My alternative is right on your money for replacement hoops and are stiff as you like - have close to 2K on my set on mostly Kerry roads (similar surface used in rally cross but with more potholes) and zero complaints

Shimano Ultegra Wheelset

Junior

Where are you buying them ?

velo.2010

Fulcrum 5's, thats all I can say!

Best training wheel I've had. Still true (< 1mm deviation)after a month and a half of serious use. Its the opposing alu spokes at the valve which give them extra strenght.

E185 in CSS. Cheaper than the online stores.

Quigs Snr

I am surprised that your askiums are going out of true at all, they are well known for being quite tough.

Can't comment on the Ultegra wheels but I do find my Fulcrum 5's to be tough buggers at around 180 euro. Had them on a winter bike last year and the year before and they took a terrible, terrible beating, multiple crashes, the lot. They still look new and run as true as the day they arrived.

I do find them difficult to get tyres onto however and a little more prone to pinch flats.

DirkVoodoo

Aksiums have been great for me. In fact, despite their weight which I often lamented, I struggled to notice a difference between them and the Ksyrium SL Premiums which I took on their maiden voyage yesterday.

One year of riding my (07 I think) Aksiums and I have done a good few thousand kilometres including a trip to the cobbled sections of Flanders and a brief off-road section in Leitrim which would have hard going on a mountain bike.

So far they have remained perfectly true, still rolling smoothly and (touch wood) no punctures since March bar a valve failing earlier in the summer.

Dowee

I ride Fulcrums on my commuter bike. Got them over a year and half ago, I do 20 - 25km a day on them on the great Dublin roads and I've not had a hint of a buckle. I find them bullet proof.

Acoustic

Junior wrote: »

Where are you buying them ?

doesnt matter where they are bought , its a fault with the wheel not the retailer

Deisetrek

Junior wrote: »

Where are you buying them ?

Was with the fella in the shop when he took the latest pair directly from the box , delivered only the day before ( I know that 'cause I pestered him for a week prior to their arrival) so timeline / retailer is not an issue . I may have a look at these Fulcrum's , as suggested ,' cause these are driving me nuts and I'm loosing confidence in them .

Junior

Acoustic wrote: »

doesnt matter where they are bought , its a fault with the wheel not the retailer

It is if someone was building him a set of wheels using the Askiums, but hey jump right in there with both feet and make an assumption fella why don't you.

Deisetrek wrote: »

Was with the fella in the shop when he took the latest pair directly from the box , delivered only the day before ( I know that 'cause I pestered him for a week prior to their arrival) so timeline / retailer is not an issue . I may have a look at these Fulcrum's , as suggested ,' cause these are driving me nuts and I'm loosing confidence in them .

To be honest dude, any new set of wheels I've had I've gotten them checked after one or two spins to make sure everything is fine, taking them out of the box without an inspection or check and lashing them onto the bike is a little naive. But to restate, I don't think there's anything wrong with the rims, just maybe the way they are built.

dave2pvd

I suppose the first question is: what do you weigh?

I use Aksiums as road training wheels (1 season) and also as cyclocross wheels (3 races so far). No problems with them whatsoever. I weigh ~77Kg.

A lot of racers I know use Aksiums for training and Ksyriums for racing. Both have great reputations. Until you talk to a custom wheelbuilder

petethedrummer

No problems in 8 months of use with my set.

sibyrne

Yes what do you way. This is a very valid question. Over 85 - 90 Kilos and you shouldn't be riding Aksiums. I weigh 87 Kilos and they flex like hell under my weight. Give me a XT hub and Open Pro any day for training. double butted DT spokes.

Deisetrek

sibyrne wrote: »

Yes what do you way. This is a very valid question. Over 85 - 90 Kilos and you shouldn't be riding Aksiums. I weigh 87 Kilos and they flex like hell under my weight. Give me a XT hub and Open Pro any day for training. double butted DT spokes.

I weigh 85kgs close enough to 13 and1/2 stone , for a 6 footer I doubt if that's too overweight . I do have a tendency when climbing to get more out of the saddle than some I notice, perhaps putting more stress on the wheels when I'm leaning on the brakehoods . But I would have thought they should be able to take stresses like that ?

sibyrne

As the Aksium is a light weight race wheel set this problem will be had. Maybe even with 80% of wheel sets around. Remember the more times a spoke crosses another the stronger the wheel.

dave2pvd

Deisetrek wrote: »

I weigh 85kgs close enough to 13 and1/2 stone , for a 6 footer I doubt if that's too overweight . I do have a tendency when climbing to get more out of the saddle than some I notice, perhaps putting more stress on the wheels when I'm leaning on the brakehoods . But I would have thought they should be able to take stresses like that ?

You ought to be fine at your weight. Out of the saddle work won't amount to any difference. What messes up a wheel is impact on some sort of transition like a pothole. The heavier the rider, the worse the effect.

Generally speaking, Aksiums are sturdy. They are far from race wheels, mind you. IIRC, the weight is ~1,850g.

Greyspoke

I had a problem with a spoke constantly working loose and causing a wobble - got spoke replaced and no problem since.