I have a set of the Carbone SLR with the carbon spokes and they are trueable with a normal internal nipple. I actually had a spoke splinter after getting hooked in a race and got a new one through Mavic. It was surprisingly easy to repair, and is now perfectly true. Amazing ride quality and I have loved the SLRs (this is the second set I have had). Quite fast for how heavy they are...
Cheers

Ok, as another person moving to Mavic next season I need to replace my 6.7's with a wheel from their range.

As bad ass as the 80's look, probably not really practical given the conditions here in the winter (when we do most of our road racing) and the terrain.

I like the look and weight of the CCU. Mate recommended those as being his number 1 choice.

The CC SLR are a little deeper (which I like) but clincher and about 400g heavier than the CCU.


Argh! Choices


(also like the look of the Ksyrium SLR as an alloy race wheel option, but sounds like they're as aero as a delivery van?)

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Baum Ristretto, Baum Mondrian Corretto & the '89 Merckx! | "If you could eat it in one sitting, hold your line." | twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis

I would get the CCU for racing (by all accounts they are a great all around wheel), and keep it simple and get the Aksium for training (if you need to be on Mavic for that).

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My Bikes

My Photoblog

Referring to the title of this thread:

"If you had to buy only Mavic wheels..."

I would rather walk.

You know, I used to think that, too. From the clunky hubs and skewers, to the goofy lacing and chunky rims, Mavic just never felt 'right' to me. One of the things about collecting professional race bikes is that you end up with a lot of wheels (it is stupid, actually). I have to say that after you ride them, you kind of get attached to them.

One of the things that I like about Mavic is that they are designed as a system. Individually, the components may not be what you'd choose, but thet do seem to work really well together. The braking on Mavic is also really good. I am hoping to get a set of Mavic Cosmic Carbone 80's this season and am looking forward to them.

Not the R-sys SLR that's for sure.

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Storck Fenomalist 6.3kg.
BMC Teammachine SLR01

The difference between the Ksyrium SLR and SLS is the carbon spokes, right?

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Baum Ristretto, Baum Mondrian Corretto & the '89 Merckx! | "If you could eat it in one sitting, hold your line." | twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis

I have always had some mavic wheels in my collection last season I had Ksyrium SL, CCU's and CC80's. I found the 80s to feel dead and unresponsive on a road bike. The CCU'S are hands down the best wheels I've owned better than lightweights, zipps or any others I've tried. Going to get a pair of Ksyrium SLR for training in the new year and some crossmax SLR for my MTB.

I just think they are a great all round package and provide a good backup service MP3 is awesome, used my CCUs for cross last winter they got completely wrecked, swapped for new pair no questions asked!

SLR has the carbon spokes on the non drive rear as you stated. Plus exalith. SLS is zircal spokes all around, no exalith, BUT looks like it has the extra milling on the sides. Lighter?

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'07 Cervelo R3, '10 Lapierre Xelius

Website does in fact say the SLS is (very marginally) lighter.

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Baum Ristretto, Baum Mondrian Corretto & the '89 Merckx! | "If you could eat it in one sitting, hold your line." | twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis

2nd this

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Gloss Black Special Order Colnago C59 with SR and Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLR
Giant TCR Advanced SL Rabobank
Go Cadel

It's looking like it will be between them and the Ultimates.

Actually swaying towards the SLR's...

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Baum Ristretto, Baum Mondrian Corretto & the '89 Merckx! | "If you could eat it in one sitting, hold your line." | twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis

I have the CC SLRs from a few years ago - before the exalith, and have been quite happy with them. They held up well through the one crash I was in too. My wife races on them now as I went to tubulars.

If you are not going tubulars, the CC SLRs are pretty sweet.

I would get a Cosmic SLE. Solid break, aero, all terrain.

On a side note, how is Mavic hub? Compared to say Dura-ace, Easton or other brands? I read some old forum topic that has nothing positive to say about Mavic's hub quality in general. Looking to buy the SLE, though not sure yet.

Glad to see this one's still going...

If the wheels were just for racing or anywhere else where support was assured, I don't think there would be any question for me - the Ultimates would be the only choice of the current crop offered to the public. If the sponsorship also offered the new classics tub, the wider/rounder one Van Summeren used for his P-R win and that the guy who 'won' the P-R Challenge last year also rode, then I'd probably take that for non-mountain days.

With regards to the Cosmic 80's, a team I'm friendly with had these wheels added to their fleet for a high-profile race, with the expectation that they would be ridden by all team members to support the Mavic sponsorship. Not one rider at that race was interested in using those over their standard Ksyriums - the feeling was that they felt 'dead' and were quite slow for anything but a TT.

Finally, in response to the ideas of running a 25c tire on a Cosmic or that the Cosmic is just an Open Pro rim with a fairing, I can say that this is most definitely not the case. As said, the Cosmic family with their 13mm internal rim width is much narrower then an Open Pro and really just about any other rim out there. That means that using a 25c tire might get you back to the ride feel of a 23c, but has done so at the expense of another 25-50g per wheel of rotational weight - to say nothing of what's it's done to the already poor aerodynamics of this wheel.



I understand it's not too bad when a 19-21c tire is mounted (and I do recognize that the CC80 is a decent wheel for aerodynamics), but as you can see, with a 23c tire, you're paying a weight penalty for the depth, without really achieving any advantage.

Mavic wheels will always have fans, as they do feel very connected and responsive, but I guess I've always felt that once you've done your research, it's pretty easy to find other options out there that provide the same connection, with greatly improved performance across the balances of ride quality vs. aerodynamics vs. weight (vs. price too!)