[mfreyhol]

My Mavic SLs are just a year old and the rear hub is making noise (high pitch like a spoke is hitting something) and the cassette is getting loose. The spokes are good and the wheel is true, but it seems like the hub is going bad.

Has anyone else had this problem?
Does anyone have a solution?
Can the hub be repaired?

 

[jeffscott]

Have you maintaned the freewheel per instructions?

 

[Dan Gerous]

Mavic freehubs need to be relubed twice a year, more often doesn't hurt.

 

[mfreyhol]

I don't have the directions on this and I can't find them on the Mavic site. Do you know where to get a copy?

Also, a buddy told me that there's supposed to be a spacer between the cassette and the hub. Is this true?

 

[hoob]

http://www.mavic.com/ewb_pages/m/maintenance_FTS_L_461.php

 

[jeffscott]

yes ther is a spacer (follow instructions) In the wrong place the hub will not assemble. Do know what happens if no spacer I think lots of play.

 

[Dan Gerous]

The spacer is not between the cassette and the hub, it's between the freehub body and the axle... See step 7.1 in the instructions.

 

[mfreyhol]

I took off the freewheel and lubed it. The spacer was still there. I cleaned and lubed it and everything looked quite normal.

After assembly, the noise was still there and the cassette still wobbles. I'm assuming the hub is either shot or needs a complete overhaul at the very least.

Where can I have this done? Can a LBS do it? Or will they at least be able to ship it out to Mavic for repairs?

 

[Cheers!]

LBS should have no problems helping you out

 

[journey]

After assembly, the noise was still there and the cassette still wobbles. I'm assuming the hub is either shot or needs a complete overhaul at the very least.

Where can I have this done? Can a LBS do it? Or will they at least be able to ship it out to Mavic for repairs?

I had a kind of buzzing noise in my xl's rear hub at one time. I had to lube the hub as well as tighten it up using a mavic hub adjustment wrench. Tightening up the hub before putting the wheel on the bike should take care of the loose cassette feeling. Having said that though, you need to tighten up the hub after you put the wheel on the bike & tightened the QR to ensure its appropriately tightened.

You have to be careful to not over tighten the hub though--if you do, its supposed to stress the bearings and wear them out prematuraly. The Mavic hub tool is made of plastic, supposedly, to prevent one from over tightening the hub. Anyway, I tighten mine till its no longer easily turned and then back-off a quarter turn.

If you do take it to your LBS, you should search some of the older articles on the CrossMax wheelsets. When looking into my buzzing noise about 1 yr ago, I remember reading about some mtbr users who had to have something within the rear hub replaced. There was some advice regarding what to direct your LBS to do. If I remember correctly, the discussion centered around warrantee work -- in one case the wheelset was sent back to Mavic with the wheelset owner paying for postage, and it took forever; in the other case, the LBS just order some pieces for the hub and repaired it. In the 2nd case, the owner had to pay for the parts & labor, but it was not much more than the shipping for the first person, and the wheelset was ready to use much sooner. Anyway, its been a while since I read the posting, so you should search for it in case I have missed some details.

 

[MrEconomics]

Is this tough to do? I am a picture guy and they don't show everything. I'm thinking about gettn the SL's but worried about this. If it's easy and no big deal to do then I will with the SL's. My other option is custom with Hope or King hubs (although I heard Kings are testy too).

 

[journey]

Is this tough to do? I am a picture guy and they don't show everything. I'm thinking about gettn the SL's but worried about this. If it's easy and no big deal to do then I will with the SL's. My other option is custom with Hope or King hubs (although I heard Kings are testy too).

If by 'this' you mean lubbing the freehub, it is pretty straight forward. I had another set of instructions, which I cannot find anymore, which were not any clearer than the ones above. I have been pleasantly surprised at how straight forward the maintenance is on the hubs.

As far as a custom set, I believe the warrantee on the king hubs is much better but you will pay for it. The other advantage, is that if you break a spoke or bend a rim, you can go to most any LBS for the repair work. For the CrossMax, you are a bit more limited as you have to use Mavic spokes & rims design for a CrossMax -- although, some of the high end bladed spokes may not be any easier to come by ;-) Having said that, I have a set of XL's that I purchased used and have had good luck with them.

 

[ser3100]

I just had the freewheel act funny on me during a ride and it turned out to be that one of the pawls had a metal shaving stuck in between it and the shaft causing it to not seat all the way flush with the shaft. i just used a small pick to take out the shaving a PRESTO no more buzzing in the freewheel hub. Mavic wheels are so easy to work on.

 

[Gregg K]

I just went through the loose freehub problem.

There's a plastic bearing piece that snaps into the freehub body. I have heard that it can be purchased. But I decided that I'd just make one. So I pried out the piece and did a reverse engineer job. It's a weird part. Very skimpy. It took me about an hour to make. Less time than it would take to navigate the crap Mavic website. Now my freewheel is snappy and happy.

Oh yeah, to get the new part in, it takes an arbor press and some massaging. No biggie.

At any rate, if you are at all inclined to make it yourself, here is the drawing I snapped off my napkin. It's a bit cryptic, but it's free to all who want it.