Thursday, June 11, 2009

A Cyclists Nem"R-SYS"


According to the manufacturer of this wheel, its shattered appearance is a result of rider error.


The rider, Ben Delaney, who happens to be a journalist for VeloNews, wrote about the failure of his $1400 Mavic R-SYS wheelset and the article has gained a lot of exposure on FaceBook and in the blogosphere among other places.


Perhaps the most interesting part of the whole ordeal to me was Mavic’s conclusion that the shattering was a result of rider error. Rider error? He was turning left. Are these wheels only made to go straight? It had nothing to do with the fact that these wheels use hollow carbon spokes that employ “wagon wheel” style lacing? And Ben’s wheel was a “post recall” version. Why was there a recall on the original? Because they had the tendency to shatter. By all accounts I've read so far, there seems to be a flaw in the design of the wheel.


Ben Delaney states that his confidence in Mavic has not been thwarted, but I cannot say the same; not until they take ownership of their failed technology. A shattering front wheel is downright dangerous for a cyclist and just throwing your hands in the air and blaming the rider is not an acceptable response from Mavic.

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