Review on:

MAVIC AKSIUM WHEELSET BLACK

Value

Performance

cloudhead’s Rating

Purchase Price: $300.00

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Community Rating:

(1 reviews)

I needed a solid but inexpensive and fast wheel for a road bike that I commute on 40 miles a day and need to average 15-20mph to make it worthwhile.  I inspected a pair of Shimano-ready Aksiums at my LBS and they looked like just what I needed, so I ordered a pair of Campy-equipped ones.  I had some sturdy Gatorskins and Michelin tubes ready to install.  Then they showed up, with "Aksion" Tires and tubes.  Tubes that went flat and forced me to fix it after dark in pitch-blackness in a sketchy part of downtown.  Not cool.  basically they now charge an extra $60 for a "system" that includes $10 worth of low-quality leaky rubber.  

As faras the rims, the brake strip was not flat--I can see light bending in the reflection.  The black anodizing or paint or whatever shows silver coming through.  They do spin around in circles tho.  All in all, I'm not too happy with these, and the extra price I paid for the tires and defective tubes could have afforded me something better (such as a rim without warps).  Granted, maybe commuting isn't what Mavic had these designed for.  But so what.  I'm sure even racers would like to have tubes that hold air.  Besides, I know no commuters or roadies who don't like to choose their own tire, for performance and safety.  

-- couple months later -- 

These wheels suck.  The hubs are made out of rust or something.  The top speed gets to about 28mph on a steep decline and I have to pedal to get any faster than that.  I guess since the whole set cost as much as one of the White Industries hubs I have on my other bike, I shouldn't complain too much, but because Mavic decided to put more energy into marketing their crappy tires instead of improving the wheels themselves, I'll stick to my final decision, which is: They suck.