Aggressive riding and/or racing requires skill, confidence and trust. The rider provides the skill, but confidence and trust are collaborations between the rider and equipment. For cornering and control while sprinting, the front wheel is your partner, and needs to be completely trustworthy. Mavic seeks to exploit the best of their Ksyrium aluminum concept through its many designs, but if there is a true inheritor of the SSC wheel, it is the Ksyrium Pro SL clincher. This front clincher version employs the full spectrum of Mavic's incredible technological breakthroughs in wheel system development. In this iteration, Mavic has finally pushed the internal rim width to 15mm to edge closer common practice of wider rims. Lighter and more efficient; with newfound stability and increased road/tire surface area, this is a front wheel that you can implicitly trust.

The base Ksyrium concept starts with a Maxtal extruded alloy rim and Fore support and drilling. The 24mm profile is machined to reduce weight at non-crucial areas, and the ISM 4D milling process removes as much material between and around the spokes and from the sidewalls as possible. This drops rotational weight for faster acceleration while the smoothed/softened edges and shaping improve aerodynamics. The lacing is radial, which because of the strength and tension possible from the Zicral spokes, FORE drilled nipple insert system, and the sealed Ksyrium rim. The wide bladed spokes of the front wheel are double-butted. The result is one of a very select group of truly laterally stiff front wheels that still have a level of safety and give under impact. The straight-pull spokes aren't not vertically locked into the hub flanges like a j-bend design, so while the spokes themselves won't give like steel spokes, the hub system allows the wheel to absorb impacts, protecting the rim and rider.

Of course, you also get the full complement of standard Mavic technologies such as a SUP welded/machined joint, which keeps the rim inherently strong, with no weak point. The QRM+sealed cartridge bearing system is micro-adjustable with a special tool while the while is mounted in the fork; a very simple process. The front hub itself has a carbon shell bonded to large alloy flanges that carries an oversized alloy axle. The wheel was designed for quick release use with 100mm wide dropouts. Mavic supplies their excellent BR601 QR for sure hold under any circumstances. At 600 grams for this front wheel, the Ksyrium Pro was built for everyday performance riding. Mavic supplies their excellent BR601 QR for sure hold under any circumstances.

To complete the wheel, Mavic includes their Yksion Pro Griplink SSC 700x25 clincher tire. The single compound rubber features a harder durometer center for limited rolling resistance, speed, and long wear, while the shoulders use a much softer application of the same rubber, which ensures terrific grip in all conditions and speeds. The tread design is directional, with angled channels that help with grip and sipe water away from the center section. The carcass is a 127tpi nylon casing which augments the rubber and has a true rounded shape. In between the rubber and the casing Kevlar breaker is supple enough to match the casing, and has good puncture protection. This 25mm version is rated to 110 max psi, which will roll smoothly with the stiffness of the Ksyrium rim.

This Ksyrium front wheel was built for everyday performance riding and racing. The matching rear comes in at 795 grams for a wheelset at 1395g total. If you want a lively, responsive wheel you can feel accelerate underneath you as you make a move or attack a climb, or be sure of entering a corner at 30+ mph with a competitor on your left shoulder, you want the Ksyrium Pro SL.