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Why not? They just expect you to chuck the whole thing, including hubs?
If this is their policy, sounds daft/doomed to failure in the longer run.
Globalti
Legendary Member
Mavic only distribute spares for a couple of years after they discontinue a line. Their spokes come in a bewildering variety of lengths so it's impossible to find anybody who knows what newer rims and spokes you could use to rebuild an old wheel. There's a second problem with Mavic wheels, which is that if you don't maintain the freehub regularly it wears out the boss machined in the hub on which it runs and the hub becomes unusable. They are great weheels but not engineered for long service.
confusedcyclist
Veteran
+1 for mavic open pro rims. I love them.
Eh? Anyone with a brain can measure rim diameter to calculate what size components are required for any given wheel. Usually you can get the ERD from google for any given model year on the manufacturers page, or at third party sites. If you can't find like for like rims, you might need a total disassembly of your existing wheel for an accurate measurement of your hubs, sometimes rendering repair uneconomical if you don't do the work yourself. This is more so if your wheels are low end factory built stuff. You get what you pay for at the end of the day.
As others mentioned, if you are not running discs, rims should be considered consumables, if you don't repair, they will last as long as the rims do, hubs will rarely wear out first. If you have quality hand built wheels with rim brakes, it's not a terrible idea to buy a couple spare rims with your initial wheelset purchase to match your wheel specification so rebuilds can be done quick and easy on an evening as and when needed. But that takes foresight and wheel building ability that most don't have. If you fall in that boat, expect to pay through the nose for new wheels on a regular basis if you do a lot of mileage.
Eh? Anyone with a brain can measure rim diameter to calculate what size components are required for any given wheel. Usually you can get the ERD from google for any given model year on the manufacturers page, or at third party sites. If you can't find like for like rims, you might need a total disassembly of your existing wheel for an accurate measurement of your hubs, sometimes rendering repair uneconomical if you don't do the work yourself. This is more so if your wheels are low end factory built stuff. You get what you pay for at the end of the day.
As others mentioned, if you are not running discs, rims should be considered consumables, if you don't repair, they will last as long as the rims do, hubs will rarely wear out first. If you have quality hand built wheels with rim brakes, it's not a terrible idea to buy a couple spare rims with your initial wheelset purchase to match your wheel specification so rebuilds can be done quick and easy on an evening as and when needed. But that takes foresight and wheel building ability that most don't have. If you fall in that boat, expect to pay through the nose for new wheels on a regular basis if you do a lot of mileage.
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KneesUp
Guru
I don't think anyone is taking our drums suggestion seriously!Got them on my recumbent trike. good for 50,000+ miles and no wear to the rims.
For £70 you get a nicely made hub off Sturmey with easy-to-change cartridge bearings, and brake shoes that will last, essentially, forever. They are not affected by the weather because the shoes and the braking surface are sealed away, and you can fit them to any frame, pretty much. The hub weighs a bit more, but then you can subtract the weight of the braking system you would have used instead.
KneesUp
Guru
Sturmey do a dynamo-hub brake in 70mm and 90mm versions.
http://www.sturmey-archer.com/en/products/detail/x-fdd
http://www.sturmey-archer.com/en/products/detail/xl-fdd
confusedcyclist
Veteran
Mind blown - possibly going into my next build. Thanks!
Globalti
Legendary Member
Have you ever seen a Mavic Ksyrium spoke? They are nothing like conventional spokes, the hub end has a ball, which fits in a socket on the hub and the rim end has a floating nipple retained on the spoke by a cap, which screws into the rim with a coarse, reverse thread.
KneesUp
Guru
confusedcyclist
Veteran
Ah, apologies, my only experience is with Aksiums, no I had not realised they used proprietary spoke heads. This is usually a deliberate attempt to force you to buy a new wheel and junk the old one, or buy spares from them directly. Nightmare!
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confusedcyclist
Veteran
Ideally, I'd want a 3 or 8 speed IGH. Which model do you think?
KneesUp
Guru
I'm a bit out of my depth there - SA do a 3, 4, 5 and 8 speed IGH with a drum brake, and within those there are different ratios I think - I presume a narrow range 3 and a wide range 3. I do know that the 8 speed is high geared for a bike with 'normal' sized wheels - gear 1 is direct drive, with each subsequent gear higher, so you need a very small chainring to get normal gearing. I think the 3 and 5 have the middle gear as direct drive, not sure about the 4. The SA website gives all the specs.
Globalti
Legendary Member
It extends to the retailers. A couple of years ago I unclipped inwards catching a spoke with my heel and bending it. I thought no more of it until the day we cycled over to Otley to watch the TOB and it snapped with a loud bang, the wheel going straight out of true and unrideable. The gap between the broken ends must have been 5mm, showing how much tension is in those spokes. I took the wheel into Otley Chevin Cycles and the mechanic sucked his teeth and said "Can't get spares for that, anyway the wheel is past its best, better buy a new wheel." I walked out determined not to be beaten and dropped into the then Ilkley Cycles, now Wheelbase, where the mechanic Joe reached into a cupboard, found a spoke and fitted it in five minutes then was reluctant to take any payment from me. That's probably the reason why Ilkley Cycles went out of business but anyway....
