Thursday, June 11, 2009

Bike Wheel Failure



Terrifying...

"Coming around a corner, I felt a shimmy through the front of my bike. I straightened up out of the turn to bring the bike under control. A second or two later I catapulted over the handlebars. The rim of my front wheel had completely detached from the hub. I had not hit anything — not another rider, a curb or even a rock. I landed on my head and broke my shoulder. "
It doesn't help Mavic that the guy who had a wheel come apart on him was Ben Delaney of VeloNews magazine. Nor that he contends that he will continue to ride their wheels in the future. Mavic has some 'splaining to do.
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Later: Bike Snob NYC has a take here. He makes a vital point: It takes moxie on the part of Mavic to suggest that a bike wheel's catastrophic failure was somehow "rider error," especially given the circumstances.
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Later: Mavic responds. Defensively.

2 comments:

SLC said...

This wheel appears to be radially spoked with only 16 spokes. This is an incredibly weak wheel and anyone riding on such a wheel is nuts. I personally use nothing but 4 cross 36 spoke wheels with 14 gauge DT spokes, although a 3 cross 32 spoke wheel is probably sufficient for a front wheel.

Cycle Ninja said...

I use 3 cross 32 spoke wheels fore and aft. Made with Mavic CXP33 rims and Shimano DuraAce hubs. Smooth, strong, and simple. Just how I like 'am.