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Mavic’s Ksyrium name has been synonymous with high-end road racing wheels, but for 2016, the company has broadened their Ksyrium branding. Now the name first introduced in 2016 will represent a family of products that fully equips cyclists from head to toe and covers all drop bar disciplines, including gravel cycling and cyclocross. Cyclocross Magazine had a first look and first ride of these new Ksyrium products in Jackson Hole, Wyoming this week.
“Ksyrium is known as a wheel today. We’re going to expand Ksyrium as a complete holistic concept that will cover the wheel, tire, and also the rider equipment.” -Maxime Brunand, Road Product Manager
Mavic now offers Ksyrium cycling clothes, shoes, helmets, tires, and gloves in addition to wheels. (More on the garments later.) The Ksyrium wheel line has also expanded, and now adds disc brake, tubeless, and carbon wheelsets, and has gained in width.
The new Ksyrium offering perhaps most of interest to gravel and cyclocross racers is the new Mavic Ksyrium Pro Disc Allroad disc wheelset and tire system. The new 19 millimeters wide (internal) wheelset features a 420g alloy rim, new “Instant Drive” thru axle-compatible freehub, redesigned thru axle-compatible front hub, Zircal alloy spokes, UST tubeless compatible rims, and comes with its own Yksion 30c tubeless gravel tires made specifically for this wheelset.
The wheel represents Mavic’s widest road offering, but the company is taking a conservative approach to rim widths, and says the minimum tire width for the Allroad wheelset is 28c.
“Where we make a difference is we don’t only produce wheels, we produce wheel systems,” says Brunand. “We have the right rim width for the right tire width.”
The company has studied tire and rim widths, and cites its research in finding that narrow tires on wide rims presents a real danger of tires blowing off the rim. Mavic brand Manager Chad Moore also says such findings are consistent with “the official bicycle norms (ISO, ETRTO).” While its new 19mm (Allroad, internal) and 17mm (Carbon SL, internal) wider rims add several millimeters over previous Mavic models, the rims aren’t as wide as some competitors’ rims, and that’s intentional and due to safety concerns.
Today, we’ll focus on the new Allroad Pro Disc tubeless alloy wheelset we test rode over a 130k gravel ride in Idaho and Wyoming. Stay tuned for more on the Ksyrium Carbon SL wheels, the Ksyrium garments, and our ride.
Here’s the official specs on the 2016 Ksyrium Pro Disc Allroad tubeless wheelset and tires:
Ksyrium Pro Disc Allroad Wheelset:
• MSRP: $1250, including Yksion 30c Allroad tubeless tires
• Weight: 1620g: 770g front, 850g rear (note, no tape needed for tubeless use due to sealed rim)
• Availability: July 2015 USA, September elsewhere
Ksyrium Pro Disc Allroad Rim:
• Material: Maxtal
• ETRTO width / diameter: 622 x 19c (19mm internal width)
• Height: 26mm, asymmetrical
• Joint: SUP
• Drilling: Fore
• Brake track: Disc brake specific profile
• Weight reduction: ISM 4D (material removal between nipples)
• Valve hole diameter: 6.5 mm
• Tire: UST Tubeless and tubetype
• Recommended tire sizes: 28 to 42 mm. 28mm minimum
Ksyrium Pro Disc Allroad Spokes:
• Material: Zicral
• Shape: straight pull, bladed
• Nipples: Fore integrated aluminum
• Count: 20 front and rear
• Lacing: front crossed 2, rear Isopulse
Ksyrium Pro Disc Yksion Elite Allroad Tubeless Tire:
• Sizes: Both 28c and 30c tire options
• Bead: Kevlar, UST Ready (Yksion Elite 30c Allroad only)
• Tread: Single Compound
• Casing: 120 TPI
• Puncture Resistant Belt: Nylon, from bead to bead
• Dimensions: 28-622 (700x28c) or 30-622 (700x30C)
• Max. Pressure: 28mm 7.7 bars – 110 PSI /30mm 5.8 bars – 85 PSI
• Weight: 320g (30c)
More info: mavic.us
While many serious racers well he still interested in tubular options, the only tubular wheelset, as of this time, will be in the carbon format, both in rim brake and disc format. More on that later.
The Yksion Elite Allroad tires will meet the needs of some road and gravel cyclists, but doesn’t follow the trend of super wide knobby gravel tires, like the 40 C WTB Nano.
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