# My Mavic C29SSMAX Hub Sh!t The Bed, What Now?



## jonshonda (Apr 21, 2011)

I am having the worst May in history, and this makes it even better.

I am fat....290# but have been doing my best to ride and loose weight, dispite breaking road and mtn bike parts left and right.

I purchased this wheelset because I wanted the best, and didn't want to have to worry about them for years. Well, not even one year and 250 miles later and I find out the rear hub is shot. My LBS says Mavic wants roughly $250 to rebuild the rear wheel, or charge the LBS $220 to do it....thats right, Mavic wants to charge the bike shop to install their hubs. Honestly, WTF is that? From what I have heard regarding Mavics warranty ( or lack there of) I don't have a snowballs chance in hell of getting a warranty return from them.

The LBS is willing to sell me a brand new rear wheel for $275, but I feel that I would just be having the same problem again in a year.

* I don't want to have to worry about this again.....Chris King Hubs (36 Spoke) with Stainless Steel FH body and what hoops? * :madman::madman::madman::madman::madmax:


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## eggdog (Nov 17, 2010)

MAVIC wheels do take a little more basic maintance then most others, but they are pretty simple..I would look at just getting a new free hub. $60. Do some very basic oiling of the free hub every few months,and you should be set for some time. Hope this helps


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## mtnbiker72 (Jan 22, 2007)

Mavic hubs are garbage, sorry you've had to find this out the hard way. Replacing the freehub body is easy though so you might order a new one and install it. Then sell those wheels, they're flexy anyway.

Then to answer your last question...Flows (available in 36h) with double butted spokes and brass nipples would be the way to go on those Kings. If you want to go extra burly you can go with Sun Ringle MTX33 rims.


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## jonshonda (Apr 21, 2011)

I too thought it was the freehub that was junk, but the actual hub has an issue and needs to be replaced. Something to do with where the pawls seat into the hub....don't know that much about it...and don't care. Just pissed.


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## Lurch98 (Oct 11, 2006)

I smashed a pair of Crossmax at 250, I don't trust them. If you have the money, get a custom wheelset made for you. Mike Kuriak at LaceMine29 or Joe Young youngwheels.com are both awesome guys. I use White Industry MI5 hubs on all my wheels, road and mountain, and they've been rock solid for me from 305 to my current 235.

YMMV and your checkbook may not want to spend custom wheel dollars, but I will not go cheap or too light on wheels. You end up spending more money rebuilding them in the long run. I think Mikesee (Kuriak) can get you a good set of wheels for like $350. He usually has some discount wheels for sale on his website that other folks didn't pay for, which makes for awesome deals.


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## mrm1 (Apr 22, 2007)

My Crosstrails popped the spoke holder hold out the side of the hub. Just snapped the aluminum at the hub after 8 months and exactly 288 miles of use. All I heard from Mavic was crickets. They did not like the seller, they did not like my receipts, they did not like the fact that they were bought new but were closeouts ... so they did not warranty the wheel. They wanted $150 (front hub) to send it in and replace ... plus $25 shipping. 

I found a new wheel at performance on close out for $160. It was center lock instead of 6 bolt, but an $11 Origin 8 adapter fixed that. So far so good ... and my first and last Mavic wheels. Never again.


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## jonshonda (Apr 21, 2011)

Good news!! Mavic accepted the warranty return and I should be seeing the wheel back in a few weeks. I am thinking about not even riding the wheel when I get it back, and selling it.


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## Guest (May 30, 2012)

Hey all - 
I am really sorry to hear that you all have had negative experiences with Mavic. I'm glad the OP got a warranty wheel and I certainly understand the inclination to just turn around and sell the pair. I probably would too, given the experiences.

Our customer service guys do their best but there's always room for improvement. That's true at the shop level, too. We're doing our best and apologize for any negative interactions you've had. Again, I can sure understand why you'd choose other wheels.

Along those lines, I just wanted to pipe in and reiterate that pre-built wheels are generally made to suit the middle of the bell curve when it comes to rider weight and style. On the one hand, C29ssmax are slammed for being too heavy and it's a valid point if you're a light rider who is careful on gear. They could for sure be made lighter ...

but on the other hand, the wheels get slammed when big riders who are hard on equipment break them after 6 months of riding. In this case, they would have had to be built _heavier_ to withstand the stresses.

All this is to say, for riders outside the bell curve (including clydsdales) you're probably better off with a custom built wheelset. 36 spokes, stout hub, stout rim. Some of the Mavic 26er freeride rims are really solid but in 29er we've only got a couple options, TN317 and TN719 (wider). More are on the way in 2013 .... and of course there are many great choices from other companies out there.

So ... no need to rip me a new hole but just wanted to say, +1 to those advocating a custom build in this case. I think you'll be happier in the long run.
and again, sorry it didn't work out with the Mavic wheels. The newer ITS-4 FH bodies are much better, but with a little maintenance the original FTS-X can last a long time, too.
best regards - z


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## jonshonda (Apr 21, 2011)

I appreciate the feedback Mavic Zack, and will refrain from rippin' you and Mavic too hard. But for a $750 set of wheels, they are not what I expected. My three valid complaints are how much the wheels flex (big tires would rub when I mashed the pedal), how cheap the FH body and components are (really, not even 200 miles?), and of course the hub itself. I will reserve future rants if my wheels don't come back in a timely fashion. 

The three things I did like are how easy the stickers came off, how they looked, and how easy it was to hand mount and pumping tubeless tires.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

I'll second the SunRingle MTX33's...they are awesome wheels and have held up great under my 300+ arse. If you want to save some money but not sacrifice toughness, look into Hope hubs with the steel free body. Might not be as smooth as Kings, but they will be just as strong at a fraction of the price, and easier to maintain.


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## jonshonda (Apr 21, 2011)

Are hope hubs loud when coasting? I don't like loud hubs when mtb, but road biking.


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## psunuc (Mar 15, 2005)

jonshonda said:


> Are hope hubs loud when coasting? I don't like loud hubs when mtb, but road biking.


I think they are pretty loud. They are a "ratchety" type of sound and I liked them. Just my $0.02


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## jonshonda (Apr 21, 2011)

I do remember riding a buddies bike with hopes and not liking the sound. I wish I did, cuz they seem like my second best option.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

They are kinda loud. I don't think Kings aren't known as being the top choice for mountain biking ninjas either though.


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## GreenLightGo (Oct 24, 2006)

Nubster said:


> They are kinda loud. I don't think Kings aren't known as being the top choice for mountain biking ninjas either though.


Hope hubs are loud, but reliable/durable.

Kings are ALWAYS a top choice for hubs.


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## mrmas (Jan 18, 2010)

jonshonda said:


> Are hope hubs loud when coasting? I don't like loud hubs when mtb, but road biking.


Yes......super loud, like a school of p!$$ed off bumble bees.

+1 on the Stans Flow rims as they will take a beating when laced with a quality spoke.


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## CaveGiant (Aug 21, 2007)

I have had quite a few issues with rear hubs, lost count how many rear hubs I blew (probably less than ten, just).

The ones that impressed me were Chris King, and Shimano Saint.

If money is no object CK all the way, but for value you cannot top the saint.

For Hoops, the Halo Freedom is a good Clyde choice.
to be fair you could do quite well with the Halo Freedom fatory wheels. The hub is very strong, the rim is good and the wheels are well made. Not as fashionable as some of the other brands, but who cares if the product is good?

If you like fat rims, kris holm Fr is a good choice, at 47mm wide they stabilize any tyre out there easily.


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## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

But are the Kris Holm rims still a good choice? When I had my wheel built by MikeSee, I wanted Kris Holms. He said that the rim was redesigned and while it was better for its intended purpose, unicycling, he felt that it would no longer be appropriate for mountain bike use. Something about the angle of the spoke holes in the rim would cause failure of the rim around the spoke holes.


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## CaveGiant (Aug 21, 2007)

I read that too, I have been thrashing them since they were released with no issue.
Nothing I have ever ridden is as strong.

I blew 5 rear hubs using them, but the rim looks new.

The spoke tension is built off the scale on the park tools gauge.

When I break the hubs, I did not even bother gently loosening the spokes, just undid 1 by 1. The rim was 100% true every time.

MikeSee is undoubtedly an expert in this field, but think his theory was off on this one.


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## jonshonda (Apr 21, 2011)

Will the Stans Flow Ex work with my 2bliss tires?


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## jeffj (Jan 13, 2004)

I have been riding a set of mikesee built Flows on DT-Swiss 240s hubs for the past two years. He used aluminum ProLock nipples and I did pop one of those a few months ago. In retrospect, I would likely go brass nipples, but other than that one nipple, they have been bomber. As a wheel builder myself, I can say that the man builds an excellent set of wheels.

I don't know about a Flow Ex, but the regular Flows play wonderfully with Specialized 2-Bliss tires. Hands down the easiest to mount. I could (and have at times) use a floor pump with no problems if I wanted to.


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