Mavic

Ksyrium SLS Road Wheelset - Clincher - 2014

While we understand the obsession with carbon fiber rims, the Mavic Ksyrium SLS Clincher Wheelset begs the question, why bother? That's because they're feathery light and stunningly stiff, and considerably more affordable than the closest carbon competitor. That means precise tracking when you're flying into chicanes at 50mph, without sacrificing the spirited climbing you need on the way back up. And if the package wasn't sweet enough, it also includes Mavic's venerable Yksion Pro tires to keep you in touch with the road.

The Ksyrium SLS wheelset achieves its feathery-light 1395g weight thanks mostly to the highly refined rim profile. Mavic built the world's first aluminum bicycle rims in 1934, so you could say they've got some experience. After being extruded and rolled into a perfect circle, the rim faces are machined, for pulse-free braking. The inside of the rim is then machined using Mavic's ISM 3D technology to relieve any unnecessary material from around the spoke holes, while leaving plenty of meat to resist spoke pull-through.

Right about now, you may be thinking that shaving off so much metal would result in a rim that's flexy, but you'd be forgetting about Mavic's FORE drilling. You see, while most rims are drilled through the outside to establish a spoke bed, Mavic only drills through the inner face of the rim, and adds a threaded insert. Between maintaining the integrity of the rim, and adding the threaded inserts, it yields a rim that's much stiffer than rims that are hundreds of grams heavier.

With all the effort put into lightening the rims, it's only fitting that the Ksyrium SLS gets a carbon-shelled hubset. Enhancing the lightness is an FTS-L freehub, which is built from aluminum, with two stainless steel inserts in between the hubshell and the pawls. What that means for you is the lightness of an alloy freehub, with the durability of a steel freehub. The hubs also benefit from Mavic's QRM+ technology, which employs double-sealed low-friction bearings. And they lace up with Zicral spokes, which have proven to be durable under heavier riders, while still being incredibly light. Plus, the Ksyrium SLS's come wrapped in Mavic's excellent Yksion Pro tires.

The Mavic Ksyrium SLS Clincher Wheelset is sold as a set, with the option of either Shimano/SRAM or Campagnolo, both of which come with 11-speed-compatible freehubs. This wheelset includes Mavic Yksion Pro tires.