Mavic Elite vs. Mavic SL



Lawguy661

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Jan 17, 2006
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I ride a Canondale Six13 Team bike, that came with a pair of Mavic Elites. I am thinking about updating wheels. How different are the Elites from the Mavic SL's? I know there's about a 300 gram difference between the pair. Otherwise, I really don't know much about the SL's. I have been very happy with the Elite's thus far, as they seem to be a great training wheelset. Are the SL's as tough as the Elite's?

Thanks for any input.
 
Lawguy661 said:
I ride a Canondale Six13 Team bike, that came with a pair of Mavic Elites. I am thinking about updating wheels. How different are the Elites from the Mavic SL's? I know there's about a 300 gram difference between the pair. Otherwise, I really don't know much about the SL's. I have been very happy with the Elite's thus far, as they seem to be a great training wheelset. Are the SL's as tough as the Elite's?

Thanks for any input.

SLs are the better models. Aside from being lighter, spokes are fewer and more aero, hubs are different, they are more pricey. If you think elites are tough, these are tougher.
 
Are you sure they are more areo? Really i dont call the Elites areo enough to make a difference but i'd be happy my bike came with them and just use them. They are bullet proff. 7500 miles on mine and havent trued them yet.
 
shokhead said:
Are you sure they are more areo? Really i dont call the Elites areo enough to make a difference but i'd be happy my bike came with them and just use them. They are bullet proff. 7500 miles on mine and havent trued them yet.

SL spokes are a tad wider than Elites. The SL rim & hub/bearing quality is better than Elites and is priced higher.

Mavic has the following Ksyrium wheelsets arranged from high-end to lower-end:

Ksyrium ES (edition speciale)
Ksyrium SSC SL
Ksyrium Elite
Ksyrium Aksium
 
I do not know if you are riding Campagnolo or that other company's stuff :)p;))... but you may also want to consider Campagnolo Neutron and/or Eurus. Absolutely fabulous wheelsets, bulletproof, and you will laugh at the Elites you have been using.

Having said that, the Elites are fine wheels...
 
Powerful Pete said:
I do not know if you are riding Campagnolo or that other company's stuff :)p;))... but you may also want to consider Campagnolo Neutron and/or Eurus. Absolutely fabulous wheelsets, bulletproof, and you will laugh at the Elites you have been using.

Having said that, the Elites are fine wheels...

Never been a fan of crapy but others swear by them.
 
hd, don't you think the SSC SL's are way overpriced? Several riders here have them, but I can't see why any wheelset would be worth $875 for us club type riders.

Can you describe the hub seals and bearings the SL's use? I've got both Ultegra hub wheels (conventional 32 spoke build up) and Velomax/Easton Circuit wheels, and am not very happy with the cartridge bearing hubs on the Circuits.
 
dhk said:
hd, don't you think the SSC SL's are way overpriced? Several riders here have them, but I can't see why any wheelset would be worth $875 for us club type riders.

Can you describe the hub seals and bearings the SL's use? I've got both Ultegra hub wheels (conventional 32 spoke build up) and Velomax/Easton Circuit wheels, and am not very happy with the cartridge bearing hubs on the Circuits.

SLs use sealed cartridge bearings that can be adjusted for fluidity to suit your riding style. How that works is beyond me.

I agree that they are pricey but I think the 2006 models are probably the only ones worth the money versus the older models. Also having placed the SSC badged on these wheels, Mavic in a way certifies that these wheels are reserved only for professionals or professional-use but are available also for us normal cycling consumers.,, marketing gimmick? highly subjective but I saw Tirreno-Adriatico live on Eurosport and spotted a number of pros on these wheels.

BTW, below the SLs is the Ksyrium Equipe. All Ksyriums have 18/20 spoke count F/B.
 
dhk said:
hd, don't you think the SSC SL's are way overpriced? Several riders here have them, but I can't see why any wheelset would be worth $875 for us club type riders.
Absolutely, they are way overpriced, even here in Europe. I would suggest waiting a few months and their price will come down to a more logical level. Now you are paying for the novelty... "the pros JUST got them and you can have your very own set too'! :rolleyes:

Or, look into different options... the Fulcrum racing wheels are great, as are the Campagnolo wheels.
 
dhk said:
hd, don't you think the SSC SL's are way overpriced? Several riders here have them, but I can't see why any wheelset would be worth $875 for us club type riders.

Can you describe the hub seals and bearings the SL's use? I've got both Ultegra hub wheels (conventional 32 spoke build up) and Velomax/Easton Circuit wheels, and am not very happy with the cartridge bearing hubs on the Circuits.

What is a "us club type riders"?
 
shokhead said:
What is a "us club type riders"?
By "club-type rider", meant a non-racing rider who does club rides, charity rides and centuries, and maybe a couple of training races or TTs a year. Assume that's the majority of us here....could be wrong of course.

But I'm not saying people shouldn't spend that much for wheels; just that these SSC SLs seem pricey to me. On the other hand, understand that the best things in life don't come cheap, and that the prices usually stay up on the good stuff.
 
dhk said:
hd, don't you think the SSC SL's are way overpriced? Several riders here have them, but I can't see why any wheelset would be worth $875 for us club type riders.

Can you describe the hub seals and bearings the SL's use? I've got both Ultegra hub wheels (conventional 32 spoke build up) and Velomax/Easton Circuit wheels, and am not very happy with the cartridge bearing hubs on the Circuits.
I would never pay $850 for them (thank you eBay $500-$600), but your hard pressed to find a wheel that will support a 200+lb rider across 150mi a week.
 
allanw said:
I would never pay $850 for them (thank you eBay $500-$600), but your hard pressed to find a wheel that will support a 200+lb rider across 150mi a week.
If I understand your response, you're saying that it's hard to find a wheelset that will hold up for a 200 lb rider doing 150 miles/ week for less than the cost of the SSL?

IMO, a well-built conventional wheel with the right components should have it all over the SSLs in long-term durability for less than half the money. If cost/mile is important, the SSL wouldn't be my choice. Of course, if someone is giving me SSL wheels to use for race-only or special events, would love to have them.
 
I have a pair of Elite Wheels on my 650c bike as Mavic does not make the Sl's in 650. I like mine for everyday riding and have no problem with them either, although they are a tad heavy (Of course mine are lighter because they are 650's). If you want some zippier wheels for races or hilly long rides or centuries, then the SL wheels are a good choice. My husband has a pair and really likes them. I have a pair of Velomax Ascent wheels for my light pair. Now they are called Easton Ascent II as Easton bought out Velomax. They are very light. I think around 1419 grams per pair. Note they are not super bulletproof though.


Lawguy661 said:
I ride a Canondale Six13 Team bike, that came with a pair of Mavic Elites. I am thinking about updating wheels. How different are the Elites from the Mavic SL's? I know there's about a 300 gram difference between the pair. Otherwise, I really don't know much about the SL's. I have been very happy with the Elite's thus far, as they seem to be a great training wheelset. Are the SL's as tough as the Elite's?

Thanks for any input.
 
Lawguy661 said:
I ride a Canondale Six13 Team bike, that came with a pair of Mavic Elites. I am thinking about updating wheels. How different are the Elites from the Mavic SL's? I know there's about a 300 gram difference between the pair. Otherwise, I really don't know much about the SL's. I have been very happy with the Elite's thus far, as they seem to be a great training wheelset. Are the SL's as tough as the Elite's?

Thanks for any input.
The rims on the SL's are machined between the spokes, also the spokes on the SL's are Zicral as opposed to stainless on the Elite's.
 
allanw said:
I would never pay $850 for them (thank you eBay $500-$600), but your hard pressed to find a wheel that will support a 200+lb rider across 150mi a week.

My Curcults will handle 200+ for $500 or less if you can find a deal. More aero then Mavic's to.