Mavic Ksyrium Elite UST Disc Wheel

The name Ksyrium has come to be synonymous with reliability, value, and tradition. Unfortunately, a world of ever expanding rim widths and tire mounting options means that tradition became something of an albatross around the neck. The Mavic Ksyrium Elite UST Disc Wheel bridges the gap between tradition and innovation, combining classic Ksyrium reliability with disc brakes, a generous rim width, and what may be the easiest tubeless mounting operation we've ever seen. They're slightly heavier than the Ksyrium Pro version, but it's hard to fault them a few grams when the steel spokes and virtually indestructible rim mean that, in the off chance you knock them out of true or snap a spoke, any bike shop or competent home mechanic the world over will be able to quickly get them rolling again. The key changes denoted by the UST designation are almost all at the rim, but the hubs bear a brief mention first. First, they're equipped for disc brakes, which have the kind of modulation and high-end stopping power that benefits riders in dusty, wet, or heavily laden touring conditions. Second, the Ksyrium Elite UST is among the first alloy wheels to roll out of the factory on the Instant Drive 360 freehub, which debuted in spring of 2016 on Mavic's first full carbon wheels. We were instantly won over by the new design, but the bar for entry was pretty high considering the price of the carbon wheels. Now, Mavic is lacing its most trusted training hoops to it, so the Instant Drive 360 hub is available for everyone from dedicated racers looking for spring training wheels or the dedicated recreationalist who appreciates the nuances of finely manufactured kit. The Instant Drive 360 engagement mechanism replaces the usual pawl system with the dual-ratcheting rings formally found only in designer hubs on custom hand-builts. The design involves two rings that press together laterally. One face of the rings' teeth are sloped, so they ramp off each other while freewheeling. The other...