Mavic

R-Sys SLR Road Wheelset - Clincher - 2014

We put a great deal of demand on our wheels. If they're not stiff, responsive, and lightweight, we tend to treat them with either neglect or complete disdain. We need our wheels to move efficiently with each pedal stroke and in every race situation, but especially during demanding climbs and mountain races. However, while comparing fantasy to reality, what we really need is to easily be able to change a flat during a training ride -- quite the production with tubular tires. With the smooth rolling, aerodynamic Mavic R-Sys SLR Clincher Wheelset, the line between tubular and clincher wheels becomes blurred and irrelevant. Unless you have you own support car, you should be riding clinchers.

Like its tubular sibling, the R-Sys SLR Clincher wheels benefit from being tested in the pro peloton in a multitude of race scenarios, earning its merits on the bikes of climbers. And though you may be intrigued by the idea of full carbon wheels with deep rim profiles, an attraction that we understand, the rim depth on the front and rear wheels (22mm front and 25mm respectively) promotes the healthy aerodynamics and stiffness that you need for climbing bursts and swift descents.

That being said, here's something that might surprise you -- the R-sys SLR Clincher is made with Maxtal aluminum and it's received Mavic's Intern Spoke Milling to minimize the weight of the rim. This process aids in the creation of the wheel's high strength-to-weight ratio, and to further increase the wheels stiffness, the R-sys uses Mavic's Soude Usine Process to form the rim seam. Basically, the seam is arc welded and milled for a smooth finish that forms an incredibly strong rim joint. Accordingly, it reduces vibration and nearly eliminates brake shudder at the rim.

To keep the rim light and strong, the Mavic Fore drilling method has been used. Instead of drilling through both rim walls to get the spokes into place, only a single wall is drilled. This makes the wheel four times more resistant to fatigue while increasing the rim's rigidity by 20 percent. The rim has also been given an Exalith treatment that increases braking power, delays rim wear, and maintains the anthracite coloring for thousands of kilometers of training and racing.

The R-Sys rims roll smoothly on Black aluminum hubs. Equipped with QRM+ bearings, they're double-sealed for longevity. Each hub allows for micro-fine, preload adjustments without requiring you to remove your wheel from the bike. Keeping with the lightweight design, a Force Transfer System Light is used in the freehub body. This reinforces the contact area between the aluminum hub body and the pawls with two stainless steel inserts for a better engagement.

Connecting the hubs to the R-sys rims are ultra-stiff, lightweight carbon fiber Tracomp spokes. The front wheel uses 16 spokes for a radial lacing, and the rear has 20 spokes with a two-cross drive-side and radial non-drive side lacing pattern. Tracomp spokes provide an incredible amount of rigidity, because they flex less under load. And when the spoke experiences less compression it's less prone wheel deflection.

Mavic didn't want to sacrifice ride quality by running just any clincher tires on these wheels. Expanding the line of its wheel-tire system, Mavic has included Griplin/ Powerlink front and rear specific clincher tires with the wheel set. With a 127 TPI, and incredible cornering capability, these tires will stand up to the likes of the Roubaix and still grip on hair-pin turns down sketchy descents.

Mavic Exalith 2 brake pads come with the wheels to ensure a quiet and high level of braking. Included with the wheels are BR601 quick releases, wheelbags, a computer magnet, a bearing adjustment tool, one spoke wrench, a spoke holder for aerodynamic spokes, the Tracomp ring tool, and a user guide.

The Mavic R-Sys SLR Clincher Wheelset come in Black with Black tires. They weigh approximately 1960g with tires and are available with either a Campagnolo or Shimano/SRAM compatible freehub body.