Mavic Ksyrium SL Premium

Price Paid:  $900.00 at online

Favorite Ride:
All rides

Bike Setup:
Ti w/ campy

Summary:
2008 Mavic Ksyrium SL Premium: Actually have been on these wheels since October (10 months). They are WAY over priced. Don't buy them if you can only get them for the typical $1,100. They're overpriced at what I paid. The black paint on the spokes scratches easily. The rim itself looks somewhat shotty up close. SL = super light, which these are not. They are heavier than advertised (mine weigh in at 1620g no skewers). Premium for the Ti bits. The hubs are not as smooth as many other hubs out there and require frequent greasing to keep them rolling smooth. Have broken a rear DS spoke and you can't limp home on it because it throws the rim way out of true. Total mileage on this set is about 3K miles. Braking surface is average. That being said, there's much worse wheels out there - however at this price range, there's MUCH better wheels out there as well.

Strengths:
Stiff, decent mid-weight clincher
Durability is questionable, but could be worse
Good looks from a distance
Spin up well

Weaknesses:
Overall Quality
Price
Durability is questionable, could be better
Finish (paint)
Hubs are sub-par

Similar Products Used:
Rolf Prima Vigor, Deep V w/ WI hubs, Ritchey, Bontrager,

Price Paid:  $850.00 at River City Bicycles

Favorite Ride:
Colorado Rockies

Bike Setup:
Cervelo Carbon Soloist
Dura Ace

Summary:
I have about 2,000 miles on these wheels and they have been perfect. Stayed absolutely true. Stiff for climbs and relatively aero for flats. For an overall wheel, I think they're great.

Strengths:
Stiff, durable

Weaknesses:
Could be more aero

Similar Products Used:
Bontrager X-Lites
Hand-built wheels

Price Paid:  $0.00

Bike Setup:
giant tcr composite, dura ace group, fsa, keo

Summary:
i'm a little bit new into roadbiking, but have already tried different kinds of mavic wheelsets. probably this is the best of all wheelsets i have had. i used to have mavic ksyrium elite, looks descent, performs well during rides, but sl premium is lighter, performs better during rides and much more prettier. have had mavic cosmic elite, very good on flat roads, really sturdy, however, its really heavy on climbs. mavic sl premium is really very light, excellent in sprints, you have advantage on climbs and really looks good.

Strengths:
every feature it has is his strength

Weaknesses:
non so far

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Murfreesboro Outdoor

Bike Setup:
Cervelo R3 with Ultegra group and FSA SL-K 50/36 crank

Summary:
I recently replaced the Easton Vista wheels that came on my Cervelo R3 with the Mavic SL Premium. The Eastons were pretty tough and could take a beating, but they did not spin up very quickly and did not habdle cross winds very well. I could immediately tell a difference with the SL Premiums. They are light and spin up quickly. They also feel great on rough pavement. They seem to be a perfect match for my bike - light and strong.

Unlike a previous reviewer wrote, my wheels were well-made and were true right out of the box. No adjustments were necessary and the finish was flawless. These wheels are everything I expected for the price.

Strengths:
Light, fast and well-made.

Weaknesses:
None

Price Paid:  $0.00

Bike Setup:
Scott Addict R2 fully stock with keo sprint

Summary:
I've never been a huge mavic fan, so take my review with a grain of salt. I was not impressed. Once I worked out the early kinks, the wheels were actually better than I expected. They are light and fairly stiff. Quality of assembly was my biggest issue. Wheels arrived pretty badly out of true. I expect better out of a wheel in this price range. The front hub was also not assembled properly. The fine issue I had was the paint. paint on the nipples and spokes just peeled off as I was trueing the wheel. It looks as though the paint was not cured properly.

Strengths:
Light, fairly stiff

Weaknesses:
Poorly built.
Cheap paint work
mavic trueing tools are cheap and the lack of precision makes trueing a pain

Similar Products Used:
Aksium, Xero x-3, DT-swiss 1450 (awesome wheel) and various mavic rims on shimano hubs.