A customer left me the front wheel of a Ksyrium SL for service.
One spoke is broken.
The Ksyrium SL came out the year after Mavic's 125th anniversary special edition Ksyrium 125 was released.
Mavic has a particular strategy: after releasing a limited edition Ksyrium model,
they release essentially the same wheel the next year with slightly different cosmetics,
essentially turning the special edition into a regular production model.
The first example of this was the Helium, the original complete wheel,
which debuted in 1996. Ten years later in 2006, they released the Ksyrium ES (Edition Spéciale) to commemorate the anniversary.
The following year, the Ksyrium SL came out with identical specs to the Ksyrium ES
except it came in a standard black wheel bag instead of the special red one used for the ES,
and had different cosmetic spoke markings—just one red cosmetic spoke instead of multiple.
The front wheel spoke kit for that Ksyrium SL was sold in units containing
eight regular black spokes, one black SL cosmetic spoke,
one red ES cosmetic spoke, and one red SL cosmetic spoke,
ensuring that either side of the 18H configuration always had exactly nine spokes
regardless of which specification variant the wheel was.
Fixed.
I found a red spoke from the Ksyrium ES that matched the length needed,
so I used that for the repair.
The spoke has "in commemoration of the Helium" written on it.
Since the broken spoke happened to be right next to the original cosmetic spoke,
the aesthetic factor is pretty high.
Strictly speaking, this particular Ksyrium SL is a slightly later model than when the Ksyrium ES became generalized as the SL,
so the grip width of the Duralumin nipple differs.
When turning the nipple on a Ksyrium ES spoke, you need the older tool,
but otherwise the spoke length (there are four types)
and spoke shape are completely identical.
My shop doesn't carry Mavic products, but
if someone walked in with the exact same issue and we could fix it on the spot with identical spoke inventory in stock,
achieving the same or better precision in the final wheel delivered to the customer as my shop does—
if any shop like that exists, please let me know.
If you're recommending yourself rather than someone else, I'll feature you on this blog.
Shops that carry Mavic but can't ultimately repair this wheel even with time,
should consider themselves fortunate to be making a living despite their incompetence.
This customer came to my shop for the first time after hearing about it from someone,
and traveled quite a distance to get here.
↑Replaced spoke and nipple
The fracture is flush with the inner edge of the nipple.
Excluding external factors like crashes or something getting tangled in the wheel,
you can say with near 100% certainty that when aluminum Ksyrium spokes break,
this location is where it happens.
One spoke is broken.
The Ksyrium SL came out the year after Mavic's 125th anniversary special edition Ksyrium 125 was released.
Mavic has a particular strategy: after releasing a limited edition Ksyrium model,
they release essentially the same wheel the next year with slightly different cosmetics,
essentially turning the special edition into a regular production model.
The first example of this was the Helium, the original complete wheel,
which debuted in 1996. Ten years later in 2006, they released the Ksyrium ES (Edition Spéciale) to commemorate the anniversary.
The following year, the Ksyrium SL came out with identical specs to the Ksyrium ES
except it came in a standard black wheel bag instead of the special red one used for the ES,
and had different cosmetic spoke markings—just one red cosmetic spoke instead of multiple.
The front wheel spoke kit for that Ksyrium SL was sold in units containing
eight regular black spokes, one black SL cosmetic spoke,
one red ES cosmetic spoke, and one red SL cosmetic spoke,
ensuring that either side of the 18H configuration always had exactly nine spokes
regardless of which specification variant the wheel was.
Fixed.
I found a red spoke from the Ksyrium ES that matched the length needed,
so I used that for the repair.
The spoke has "in commemoration of the Helium" written on it.
Since the broken spoke happened to be right next to the original cosmetic spoke,
the aesthetic factor is pretty high.
Strictly speaking, this particular Ksyrium SL is a slightly later model than when the Ksyrium ES became generalized as the SL,
so the grip width of the Duralumin nipple differs.
When turning the nipple on a Ksyrium ES spoke, you need the older tool,
but otherwise the spoke length (there are four types)
and spoke shape are completely identical.
My shop doesn't carry Mavic products, but
if someone walked in with the exact same issue and we could fix it on the spot with identical spoke inventory in stock,
achieving the same or better precision in the final wheel delivered to the customer as my shop does—
if any shop like that exists, please let me know.
If you're recommending yourself rather than someone else, I'll feature you on this blog.
should consider themselves fortunate to be making a living despite their incompetence.
This customer came to my shop for the first time after hearing about it from someone,
and traveled quite a distance to get here.
↑Replaced spoke and nipple
The fracture is flush with the inner edge of the nipple.
Excluding external factors like crashes or something getting tangled in the wheel,
you can say with near 100% certainty that when aluminum Ksyrium spokes break,
this location is where it happens.