"My Ksyrium SSL rear wheel is producing, well, kind of a knocking sound when I pedal (I swapped the this wheel for another wheel and the sound stopped, so I'm pretty sure it's the SSL wheel; I suppose there's a remote chance it's the cassette). I'm thinking it's either the bearings (perhaps loose or in need of replacement) or the freehub body (also possibly loose on in need of lubrication).
Has any of you Ksyrium owners out there had to deal with a similar problem? Also, what shops can work on these wheels? I intend to do some exploratory surgery this evening (don't worry, I haven't killed a patient yet), but I might run into something I can't deal with, like worn bearings, so I need options. Mavic tech support sure provided a wealth of helpful info (""Visit your local bicycle shop to find out where you can have the problem diagnosed...""). Sheesh."
Need help with a Mavic Ksyrium SSL rear wheel
Make sure the cassette is not loose. My Ksyriums came without a vital Mavic-specific spacer that goes on the *inner* side of the cassette. So no matter how tight the lockring was, the cassette was a little loose. It rattled and clanked intermittently when I rode.
I have a pair of SSLs about three years old. If the knocking is new, rhythmic and you hear it when you pedal, it's the bearings. (I'm about to need my third set.) You may also be able to wiggle the cassette a bit. If you hear a loud screeching noise when the wheel spins at high RPMs with no pedaling (like a long descent), it's the freehub body--just needs cleaning and greasing. I've had that happen twice also. Larry & Jeff's on Second Avenue are good with Ksyriums.
Both suggestions were valuable. The sound was intermittent. I took off the cassette, cleaned everything (it was starting to get pretty dirty) and reinstalled it; now the sound is...gone!!!
Thanks; when it's time for bearing replacement, I'll go to Larry & Jeff's.
-d
Three years doesn't seem long enough that you're ready for your third bearing replacement but I suppose it depends on your mileage total and riding conditions. How many miles do you have on them?
roughly 3,200 and counting on the second set...haven't replaced them yet, but Larry told me they were suspect back in March, and I heard that telltale knocking on Saturday. Unsure about the first set. (This is for the rear wheel only; front wheel has needed absolutely no maintenance.) And you both know I don't deliberatey go out in the rain, but I do get caught in it from time to time.
No offense, and I know Ksyriums are popular in the club, but three sets of bearings in three years strikes me as pretty abysmal(unless those are very high-mileage years!)
Peter Storey
(who has long wanted a set of Maxi-Car hi-los)
I managed to make that knocking sound go away by reomoving the cassette cogs and cleaning them plus the freehub body very thoroughly. I now have about 4,000 miles on the wheels (I did get them nearly a year ago) and I'm pretty sure everything is smooth.
As for the rain, I ride anyway, as long as it's at least 50f. I'm not afraid to ride my equipment pretty hard; since I'm lucky enough to have access to the water hose in my building's alley, on rainy days I just give the whole bike a light spritz before coming inside.
Anyway, given the number of days it rains here, why don't more people ride in the rain? Do we really need perfect weather? I was in London in the spring, and I saw just as many cyclists on rainy days as on dry days. Fenders help a great deal.
The cartridge bearings in my Phil freewheel rear didn't fare much better than those in Michael's Ksyrium, though I didn't keep it as long.
I have a set of Mavic MR601 hubs (never available as pre-built wheels) with 11,000 miles on them, still smooth. The wheels have suffered in those miles, though, and the next time I break a spoke I'm gonna have them rebuilt from scratch because I fully expect the hubs to last another 11,000 miles, if not more.
But that's very odd about the Ksyrium hubs - can't understand that, unless the spoke design caused poor hub design.
I've only had one other wheelset (the one that came with the bike), and I like the Ksyriums a lot better than it. Maybe I got a dicey pair, I don't know. But I've generally been happy with them.
i'm with evan here. i have several pair of older mavic hubsets, including a set of 501 hubs which are easily 15 years old and still wonderfully smooth.
that said, i'm now running the gold standard: dura ace/open pro rear.
nothing more to add. you can spend so much more and get much much less.
I have had persistent flats in the rear wheel since I bought my Ksyrium SSLs. Anyone else encounter this problem?
