$241.34

Just because the professional teams and the UCI can’t figure out how to make disc brakes possible for races, that doesn’t mean that we have to forego taking advantage of this breakthrough trend. The Mavic Ksyrium Pro Disc Wheelset will give you the freedom to head out on epic rides in all weather and road surfaces without having to worry about braking performance or losing control.

With the Ksyrium line, Mavic had an excellent base from which to work when developing their road bike-specific disc brake wheels. For one thing, it’s important to keep the weight down since, if you’re planning on taking your disc brake road bike over mountain passes and then down into backwoods fire trails, then your are not going to want to have to drag some twenty pounder up those climbs. Considering the multiple tasks these wheels will have to perform – from washboard dirt road riding to alpine climbing – Mavic needed to find the right mix using their proprietary technology. To keep the rim durable and light, they turned to their special Maxtal alloy, which is exclusive to Mavic and offers a greater strength to weight ratio than conventional 6106. Lighter rims mean snappier acceleration. Being aluminum experts, Mavic has also developed a method to keep the rim joint stronger and smoother. After the rim is bent into shape, the joint is arc welded and then that seam is milled for a flush, almost imperceptible finish. In a typically French acronym, they call this their Soudé Usiné Process (SUP), or Welded Machined Process. Whether you remember what they call it, you will notice just how balanced the wheel feels.

Continuing their focus on the rims as a way to keep the weight down while still being able to withstand the forces caused when braking with a disc, Mavic developed what they call their ISM 4D concept. It is a Mavic-patented method of reducing rim weight by milling the profile of the rim. If you are familiar with the ISM 3D rims Mavic makes, you need to imagine this new 4D version as taking the method one step further, reshaping the rim so that it is smoothed and rounded, and not just squared out on the top and sides of the rim. For the area around the nipple holes, Mavic has left that beefed up to provide enough strength to accommodate the FORE spoke insertion drilling. Mavic has incorporated the FORE design feature because it provides a 20% increase in the rim rigidity to maximize power transfer while offering another method to keep the weight down. Saving the weight reduces the inertia while the smoother profile helps in the aerodynamics of the rim. Shaving as much as 50 grams off each rim means that these wheels won’t be beasts to drag up a climb.

For the spokes, Mavic relies on their Zicral bladed spokes. Light, stiff and incredibly strong, the Zicral are made of an aluminum alloy that provides them with a higher stiffness-to-weight ratio than previous iterations. With the different forces that a disc brake exerts on a wheel compared to rim brakes, Mavic had to pull out the big guns to keep the wheels stiff and strong enough, but without adding the dreaded weight. And you’ll be glad that they took the trouble since the light weight will most definitely be an advantage on your climbs. To lace the spokes, Mavic turns to their ISO Pulse technology. The spokes are laced radially on the rear drive side and cross-two on the rear non-drive side as well as both sides on the front to maximize drive side dish, thus providing a better spoke tension balance between left and right flanges. If having the radial lace on the drive side sounds counterintuitive to you, it makes perfect sense in Mavic’s world of thinking outside the box. They can do this because their Zicral spokes are so inherently strong, and are held extremely securely by the FORE threaded spoke nipples, it means that the wheel will be able to withstand the hardest pounding.

The hubs are equally well thought out. The front hub body is made from carbon with aluminum flanges to keep the weight down, while the axle is aluminum. The rear body is a robust aluminum with an aluminum axle. Available in both Centerlock and six-bolt, the front hub is QR, and 15mm thru-axle compatible, while the rear is QR and M11 (Shimano and SRAM 8/9/10/11-speed) compatible. For the hub innards, Mavic uses their QRM+ bearing system. Super smooth rolling, the cartridge bearings are double sealed and sport a micro-adjustability system without having to remove the wheels from the bike. For the rear hub, Mavic employs what they call their FTS-L system, which is a lightweight method of securing the pawl to the hub body by using two stainless steel inserts. You may not be able to put your finger on it when you are riding, but the level of rolling efficiency this set-up provides will make these wheels glide so smoothly and effortlessly that you’ll feel like you hardly have to pedal.

Confident that their Wheel Tire System (WTS) is the way of the future, Mavic has designed the Ksyrium Pro Disc Wheelset in conjunction with their proprietary tires in mind. It makes sense since the tire is the first thing to hit the air and touch the ground; so much of a wheel’s performance comes down to the rubber that wraps your hoops. Mavic has taken the guess work out of it by shipping the Ksyrium Pro Disc Wheelset with their Yksion Pro GripLink for the front wheel and the PowerLink tire for the rear. And yes, they are specific about which tire goes on which wheel. The front GripLink is designed especially to enhance grip and reduce the chances of having a flat. And for rainy weather, its tread is designed to evacuate water to prevent you from wiping out. The rear tire, while also having a high resistance to punctures due to the use of a nylon anti-puncture breaker, has been developed to offer excellent energy transfer, reduced rolling resistance and safe grip due to its tread pattern. Since these wheels will likely be carry road bikes over all sorts of unpaved trails, Mavic is shipping 25mm tires so you can get all the advantages that wider tires offer.

Mavic wheels come with a two-year warranty against defects. Mavic also has their MP3 Program. Short for Mavic Purchase Protection Plan, this is an extended coverage option. It is not required, but it is a cheap and cheerful way to buy some peace of mind—think crash insurance. You’ll need to buy MP3 through Mavic’s website within ten days of purchasing your Ksyrium Pro Disc Wheelset, so be certain to get onto the Mavic site soon after you place your wheel order to get the details.  More information will be packaged with your wheels.

The Mavic Ksyrium Pro Disc Wheelset will give you the sort of performance we’ve come to expect from the 125 year old company, while using the very cutting edge technology. They are shipped with BX601 quick releases, front QR adapters, specific disc bolts, a computer magnet for the front wheel and a multifunction adjustment wrench. Weighing in at 1535 grams without the tires, these wheels will give you snappy acceleration and stop on a dime. The siren call of adventure has never been so easy to answer.