The Mavic Ksyrium SL S Clincher Wheel System is Mavic's popular and road-tested Ksyrium SL wheel, updated and improved, with Mavic's unique integrated tire and rim technology. By matching a specific tire with each wheel, the company is able to better control the way that stresses from the tire affect the rim and wheel and thus how the wheel performs overall. And, bonus, your wheelset will look extra awesome with matching wheel and tire graphics. Of course, you can also use any other road clincher tire with these wheels, if you prefer. Let's take a look from the outside-in:
The tires included are the Yksion Pro GripLink (front) and Yksion Pro PowerLink (rear). Up front, the GripLink compound is engineered to have superb grip in the corner, low rolling resistance, and a long-wearing center. The rear tire, meanwhile, features PowerLink compound for straight up speed and responsiveness. Both tires feature a whopping 210 TPI polycotton/Kevlar casing for a supple ride quality and excellent flat resistance, making these tires a good choice for race day or training rides. Both tires measure 700c x 23mm (23-622 ISO).
On to the wheel itself: Mavic's new 3D InterSpoke Milling (ISM 3D) has made the already-lightweight Ksyrium SL rims even lighter, removing material from the rim's lower bridge and sidewall to lower inertia without decreasing strength. Made of Maxtal aluminum, the rims already offered exceptional strength with an impressively low weight. Fore-drilling shaves off even more weight and eliminates the need for a heavy rim strip. The rear rim's asymmetric rear rim drilling reduces dish for stronger performance, and the UB controlled brake track allows reliable stopping in any riding conditions.
Spokes are bladed spokes made of Zicral alloy laced through oversized aluminum flanges for ultra-stiff handling with great aerodynamics. Radial lacing in the front and Isopulse lacing in rear: that's radial lacing drive-side and 2-cross non-drive-side for maximum drive-side dish and better spoke tension balance between left and right flanges, which makes for higher stiffness and better wheel stability, which makes for less maintenance needed—in other words, you can go harder and farther.
The hub design offers more weight savings while providing excellent performance. Carbon hub shells have a cool high-tech look; the FTS-L freehub body and QRM+ cartridge bearings make for efficient power transfer. Light alloy axles.
Available in either Shimano/SRAM 8/9/10/11-speed or Campagnolo 9/10/11-speed compatible versions. Claimed weight for wheels and tires: 1935 grams. Claimed weight for wheels alone: 1485 grams.