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Mavic R-Sys SLR WTS wheelset review

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$1999.90

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Mavic R-Sys SLR WTS Wheelset

BikeRadar verdict

4 out of 5 stars

"Super-light package, among the tightest and smoothest wheels we’ve ever tested"

9 comments
Mon 30 May 2011, 11:00 am BSTBy

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The rims are machined in between each spoke bed, making for an impressive bare weight of just 1,370g a pair (1.02kg front, 1.12kg rear including tyre and skewer). The front wheel features Mavic’s lightweight Zircal (aluminium) bladed aero spokes while the rear has the same Zircal blades on the drive side, and tubular carbon fibre spokes on the non-drive side.

These are among the tightest and smoothest wheels we’ve ever tested, with hard, out-of-the-saddle sprints, big lean angles in corners, and rough roads and cobbles all handled with the minimum of fuss. The braking takes some getting used to, though.

The combination of hard pad and hard surface makes for powerful grip, and we were having to use much less force than usual to get the same stopping power to the rim. It does require setting up perfectly, and the first 75-100km were a pretty noisy affair until they were run in.

Mavic have designed their own tyres to complement the new SLR wheels. The Yksion tyres – Griplink at the front and Powerlink at the rear – are supple, lightweight full slicks with a gummy surface that offers a great balance of flexible cushioning and tenacious grip. In fact these feel very similar to our current favourite clincher, Schwalbe’s Ultremo ZR.

This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine.

What's the score with BikeRadar reviews? You can find a full explanation of our ratings here.

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User Reviews

There are 9 reviews on this post

Showing 1 - 9 of 9 comments

  • Hhhmmmmm:

    1.02kg + 1.12kg = 1370g

    Even changing the (SI) units isn't going to hide the marketing speak

  • "antikythera

    Hhhmmmmm:

    1.02kg + 1.12kg = 1370g

    Even changing the (SI) units isn't going to hide the marketing speak"

    Unless they've edited the article since you posted that comment (which in my experience they do when you point out a mistake), you need to read again!

    " impressive bare weight of just 1370g a pair"

    "(1.02kg front, 1.12kg rear including tyre and skewer)"

  • How heavy are those tyres and skewers?

    Seem a bit weighty to me

  • Ultremo ZR? Do you mean ZX?

  • From memory tyres are approx 220g front 230g rear, 90g per innnertube, rear skewer sat next to me 57g, so I guess 47ish for the front so 734g all in. That's 36g extra somewhere, but it should give you an idea. TBH I think Mavic are making a bit of a daft move printing all their weights with the tyres and tubes on, cos if you don't realise that you'll think they're really ruddy heavy.

    YOu can buy em separate though.

  • I have to say these wheels look amazing in the flesh. Ive been a bit non-plussed by the whole wheel/tyre system guff from Mavic, but if they ride as good as they look.... The original R-sys were noted as 'comfortable' wheels by many, if there is such a thing, so looking forward to trying these.

  • This test shows a Ksyrium SLR wheelset, not R-SYS SLR. So the headline should be corrected.

    The difference is only in the front wheel, which is a Ksyrium (SLR), with the rear wheel being a R-SYS (SLR).

    R-SYS SLR = R-SYS front and rear

    Ksyrium SLR = Ksyrium front + R-SYS rear

    Anyway, very nice wheels! :-)

  • So at a "bare weight of 1370g a pair"

    That's not very light either, given the lack of spokes etc..

    And at £1330 for that weight, having a laugh aren't they!?

  • they should have made the wheel/tyre thing tubeless though. They've missed a trick there in my opinion. Clincher tyres are a super competitive marketplace - why would a buyer go for the Yksions when they can have the proven Ultremos/PR3s/Corsas et al? But if they went tubeless then they are up against just the Hutchinsons, with the Atom as the only race tyre.

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Specification

Name:
R-Sys SLR WTS wheelset (11)
Built by:
Mavic
Price:
$1999.90

Weight (g):
1370 g
No of Holes (Front):
16
No of Holes (Rear):
20

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