There has been no other wheel system like the Mavic Ksyrium series and the incredible heritage carries the Ksyrium concept to new heights in the Ksyrium Pro Carbon SL Clincher Wheelset With full 3K carbon 17mm internal width clincher rims, exceptional braking, new freehub engagement system, and a weight at 1390 grams for the set, this is the Ksyrium many have longed for since Zipp and Enve started to nail carbon clinchers. Even with the 25mm profile carbon rims, there is plenty of immediately recognizable Mavic technology here, along with a few new items of interest that combine to make this the best all-around Ksyrium ever for cyclists who want a performance wheel that can handle every day use, respond like a rocket, handle like a race car, and ride with a feel and quality that recalls the best modern Danish furniture.

It really all starts with the rim. Using technology that was developed for the recent Cosmic Carbone, Mavic uses a special process to create a 3K carbon clincher rim that is not only strong and resilient, but also has excellent braking characteristics. The process is called iTgMAX, which stands for Internal Glass Transition Temperature. With this system, the rim bed is created and built out to profile layer after layer of fine 3K carbon fiber, in continual, seamless sheets, creating a final one-piece unique rim contour wherein no fibers are cut. A proprietary resin and compaction system is used to create the final product. This results in a very strong rim structure, but also allows Mavic to ensure internal rim cooling, even at the hottest temperatures, which helps to maintain safe tire/rim interaction, but also maintains consistent braking, even under prolonged descents. The final stage of the TgMAX process is a laser finishing of the brake track, which creates a positive relationship between the rim and brake pad for consistent, powerful braking in all conditions. Mavic claims a 48% improvement over competitors in wet braking conditions with the supplied Mavic-specific carbon brake pads, which seems crazy, until you ride the wheels back to back.

The rim itself features a 17mm internal width, which is optimized with the 25mm rim profile for tires from 700x25 to 700x32mm wide. The natural expansion of the tire is no more appropriate with the rim width, giving an 25mm an optimal shape to the rim for best possible aerodynamics with this combination. The ride quality of the rim is much smoother due to the carbon construction defeating road vibration and minor impacts- a huge upgrade from the harshness of the aluminum Kysrium SL level wheels. A major departure from the alloy Ksyrium's is the more traditional spoke end/nipple combination, and the steel spokes. More like the Ksyrium Elite in this way, the Ksyrium Pro Carbon SL features straight pull, double butted, bladed steel spokes, which also improve the ride quality. With the rim so inherently strong, the spoke tension is still quite high and Mavic builds the front and rear wheels to complement each other.... Read More