Since the first edition of this guide a couple of years ago the range of tubeless-ready wheels available to you has doubled, to the point where this guide is becoming obsolete; you now have to make an effort to avoid tubeless-compatible wheels rather than having to hunt them down. We found almost 200 different models listed by manufacturers, though they’re not all available in the UK yet. Let’s take a look.

What almost all tubeless-ready wheels now have in common is a shoulder in the rim well for the tyre bead to sit on, with a lip on the inside edge to keep it there. Subtle changes to the shapes of rims and the profiles of tyres over the last couple of years have made mounting tubeless tyres easier while simultaneously improving the security of their fit.

American Classic

American Classic Sprint 350 Tubeless wheelset.jpg

American Classic has a substantial range of tubeless wheels, including some up-to-the-minute wide-rim designs, and some of the lightest aluminium-rimmed wheels around.

American Classic recently shut down its Taiwanese factory, but many of its wheels are still available through dealers.

Read our review of the American Classic Sprint 350 Tubeless wheels
Read our review of the American Classic Argent Tubeless wheels

Bontrager

Bontrager Affinity Elite Road Disc wheelset

Trek’s wheel and component brand was early to get on board with tubeless mountain bike tyres, so it’s no surprise there’s a wide range of Bontrager tubeless-ready wheels, from the entry level Affinity Comp right up to the all-carbon Aeolus range of racing wheels.

Read our review of the Bontrager Aura 5
Read our review of the Bontrager Affinity Elite Disc wheels
Find a Bontrager dealer

Campagnolo & Fulcrum

Fulcrum-Racing-4-DB-2-Way-Fit-Disc-Center-Lock-Wheelset-2018-Model-black-28-set-front-12x100-rear-12x142-Shimano-59177-188315-1502371684.jpeg

Campagnolo and subsidiary wheel brand Fulcrum call their tubeless system 2-Way Fit — sometimes shortened to 2WF — as it works with both standard tyres and tubeless tyres. Campagnolo says this allows a rider to “test which of the two solutions suits them best or use the clincher for training and the tubeless tire for the day of the race”.

There are nine models in the two marques’ ranges from the Campagnolo Zondas to the Fulcrum Racing Zeros. Four new disc-brake tubeless models were recently announced under the Fulcrum marque, along with one new disc-brake tubeless Campagnolo wheel, all with 2-Way Fit rims.

Read our review of the Fulcrum Racing 3 2-Way Fit wheels

Cero

Cero ARD23 Aluminium Disc Clincher Wheelset - rim bed.jpg

The wheel brand of Derbyshire cycle shop Cycle Division, Cero has a range of five tubeless-compatible wheels with aluminium or carbon rims that represent very good value for money for the weight and performance on offer.

Read our review of the Cero ARD23 Aluminium Disc wheels

DT Swiss

DT Swiss R24 Spline wheelset - rim bed 2

All DT Swiss’ wheels appear to be tubeless-ready, a sensible move by the wheelmaker to broaden the appeal of its hoops. The range covers every imaginable road and cyclo-cross application and a huge price band from the budget R24 Splines at under £200 up to the ERC 1100 Dicut disc brake at £2,000 per pair. DT Swiss announced a huge selection of new wheels in May 2017, but they've yet to make it to the shelves; they're expeceted in December.

Read our review of the DT Swiss R24 Spline disc brake wheels

Easton

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With a starting point at almost £700, Easton's tubeless offerings are very much pitched at the high end and racing, and include three models with carbon fibre rims for speed demons.

Find an Easton dealer

Edco

Edco Roches Tubeless Ready Wheelset

Edco has a large range of tubeless wheels, not all of which seem to be available in the UK, but which includes the startlingly light Supersport Neggias at a claimed weight of 1,179g.

Find an Edco dealer

Halo

Halo Evaura 6D 700c wheelset

Some of your best-value options in tubeless come from British brand Halo whose range includes the Evaura 6D wheels we reviewed recently and two Uni models that can be used with either discs or rim brakes.

Read our review of the Halo Evaura 6D wheels
Find a Halo dealer

Hunt

Hunt Race Season Aero Wide wheelset

New British wheel contender Hunt specialises in tubeless — in fact, it doesn't make anything else, aside from a couple of models for tubular tyres. The range comprises twelve models at the time of writing, six for disc brakes and six for rim brakes. We've been very impressed by the performance and value of the wheels we've reviewed so far.

Read our review of the Hunt 4Season Dura Road wheels
Read our review of the Hunt Race Season Aero Wide wheels

Kinesis

Kinesis Crosslight CX Disc

To go with its well-regarded road and cyclo-cross frames, Kinesis has a range of four tubeless-ready wheels, two for cyclo-cross use and two for road, with disc- and regular-braked versions of the latter.

Read our review of the Kinesis Crosslight CX Disc wheels

Knight Composites

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If these newly-released wheels from Knight Composites live up to their claims, the tubeless technology they embody could be a game-changer. Working with tyre maker Schwalbe, Knight has developed a hookless rim, drawing lessons from the design of automotive tyres and says fitting a Schwalbe tyre to a Knight tubeless rim is easier than Mavic's Road UST set-up.

Read more: Knight launch new TLA wheels, claimed to be the world's 'easiest and fastest'

Mavic

Mavic Ksyrium Elite Disc All Road.jpeg

Mavic was surprisingly late to the road tubeless party given its wide range of mountain bike tubeless wheels, but as of June 2017 has gone all in with a 14-model line-up of wheels that use a road-specific version of the UST technology Mavic pioneered for mountain bikes back in the 1990s.

Mavic says its UST wheels work best with its own UST tyres because the manufacturing tolerances of tyres and rims are very tightly controlled, but other manufacturer's road tubeless tyres will work.

Mavic Road UST cross-section

Mavic Road UST cross-section

Novatec

Novatec 30 Alu Clincher wheelset - Main

We've liked the Novatec tubeless wheels we've reviewed. As well as tubeless compatibility they have lots of thoughtful features such as compatibility with both Shimano and Campagnolo cassettes and a steel strip in the aluminium freehub body that stops sprocket splines from digging into it.

Read our review of the Novatec CXD wheels
Read our review of the Novatec Thirty wheels
Find a Novatec dealer

Parcours

Parcours Grimpeur wheelset.jpg

Parcours has a four-wheel range, tightly focused on going fast.

Read our review of the Parcours Grimpeur wheelset

Prime

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A component brand backed by the mighty buying power of Chain Reaction Cycles, Prime has a range of tubeless-compatible wheels ranging from workaday alloy wheels at £115/pair to aero carbon wheels at £800. They've all come down in price since launch and some are now exceptionally good value; carbon wheels for around £500 is hard to beat.

Read our review of the Prime Race Road Alloy wheels

Pro Lite

Pro-Lite Bortola A21 wheelset - rim

Pro Lite has a big range of tubeless wheels, with at least seven models, but we've only been able to find a UK source for one of them the light but sensibly priced Bortola A21W.

Read our review of the Pro-Lite Bortola A21 wheels
Find a Pro Lite dealer

Reynolds

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Acclaimed US carbon fibre specialist Reynolds has one of the larger ranges of tubeless-ready wheels, with an aluminium-rimmed wheelset kicking the range off.

Ritchey

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Ritchey has a six-wheel tubeless line-up, comprising three Zeta models with aluminium rims and three WCS Apex models with carbon fibre rims. The tyre mounting tech may be bang up to date, but Ritchey has emphasised old-school reliability and durability with features like J-bend spokes and brass nipples.

Shimano

Shimano WH-6800 wheelset.jpg

Despite partnering with tyre maker Hutchinson to develop tubeless tyres for the road in the early 2000s, Shimano hasn't gone all in, and just offers four models. They're good value, though with the Ultegra model wheels a particular bargain at the time of writing.

Read our review of the Shimano WH-6800 Ultegra wheels
Find a Shimano dealer

Stan's No Tubes

Stans NoTubes Alpha 340 Wheelset

Tubeless pioneer and sealant maker Stan's NoTubes was quick to get on board when tubeless tech crossed over from mountain bikes to the road. Stan's claims the Bead Socket Technology used in its rims gives a more secure seal between tire and rim and a proper tire profile for lower pressures, faster cornering and less rolling resistance.

Read our review of the Stan's NoTubes Alpha 340 wheels
Find a Stan's No Tubes dealer

Syntace

Known for its lightweight mountain bike wheels, Syntace also offers a model of road tubeless wheel.

Read our review of the Syntace W21R wheels

Velocite

Velocite RT50 tubeless carbon wheelset - rim

This Taiwanese carbon fibre specialist offers a range of keenly priced carbon wheels and an aluminium-rimmed model, all ready for tubeless tyres with the right rim strip and sealant.

Read our review of the Velocite RT50 wheels

Zipp

Zipp 30 Course Disc-brake Clincher wheels tight.jpg

Famous for aero wheels, Zipp only recently made the leap into tubeless wheels with two models of aluminium-rimmed wheels, one for disc brakes, and one for rim brakes. It's bang up to date with a 25mm rim (external width) and there's an optional SRAM XD freehub body so you can fit a 10-42 cassette if you want to use a single-ring gear system.

In 2017 Zipp announced a tubeless, disc-compatible version of the 303 carbon clincher wheels.

Read our review of the Zipp 30 Course Disc wheels

Want to go tubeless? Here are all your options in tyres.

Tubeless tyres are gradually gaining popularity as more riders become convinced that their improved ride and increased resistance to punctures are worth the cost of new wheels and tyres and the sometimes problematic fitting process. If you’re about to make the switch, here’s a look at your tyre options.

When tubeless tyres for road wheels first appeared you had very few choices. Hutchinson made tyres, Shimano and Stan’s NoTubes made wheels and conversion kits and, er, that was it. Now many tyre makers offer tubeless options, though Michelin and Continental are notable hold-outs.

Read more: How to fit a tubeless tyre
Read more: Road tubeless: everything you need to know — including how to convert

Bontrager

Bontrager R3.jpeg

Bontrager R3

Bontrager offers a range of three tyres badged Tubeless Ready, which means what you need to get them working is sealant and either Bontrager’s special rim strips if you have Bontrager wheels, or other tubeless compatible wheels and valves. In ascending order of raciness, they’re the AW2, R2 and R3. We’ve tested and liked the latter as part of the Bontrager Road TLR Upgrade Kit.

Read our review of the Bontrager R3 Tubeless Ready
Read our review of the Bontrager Road TLR Upgrade Kit
Read our review of the Bontrager CX3 Team Issue TLR Cyclocross Tyres

Find a Bontrager dealer

Compass

Compass Barlow Pass TC tyre.jpg

Compass Barlow Pass TC

Compass Cycles grew out of the magazine Bicycle Quarterly, founded in 2002 by Jan Heine, a Seattle-based long-distance cyclist and journalist. Heine contends that wide, supple tyres perform better in every respect than skinny tyres, and perform better than would be expected from rolling resistance twsts performed on smooth steel drums. And he's put his money on it with a line of tyres that includes tubeless models.

Read our review of Compass Cycles Barlow Pass tyres

Giant

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The newest entry into the tubeless fray is the world's biggest bike manufacturer, which has switched to tubeless tyres and wheels on large swathe of its 2018 models. Giant has come up with a ten-model range that covers a full range of applications from racing to messing about in the dirt.

Find a Giant dealer

Hutchinson

Hutchinson Sector 28 tubeless tyre

Hutchinson Sector 28

Hutchinson launched tubeless tyres for road bikes back in 2006, so it’s no surprise the French tyre maker has a fairly big range. While most tyre makers have gone down the Tubeless Ready route with lightweight tyres that need sealant to keep the air in, Hutchinson also makes tyres to the original Road Tubeless spec, sealed with a coating of rubber inside the tyre.

Hutchinson's flagship tubeless tyre is the Fusion 5, which is available in a number of variants. There are Tubeless Ready versions that need sealant, and Road Tubeless versions that, on paper, don't need sealant, but that everyone uses sealant with anyway just to be safe. Both Road Tubeless and Tubeless Ready versions are available in Galactik, Performance and All Season variants.

Galactik is the lightest version, intended for racing; Performance is the all-rounder with a slightly thicker tread and All Season is more durable, with a thicker tread and grooves to allegedly disperse water in wet conditions. Road Tubeless Fusion 5s come in 23mm and 25mm widths, Tubeless Ready in 25mm, plus 28mm in Performance and All Season.

All Fusion 5s use Hutchinson's ElevenStorm rubber which provides very low rolling resistance and buckets of grip. Tubeless Ready versions have Hutchinson's Hardskin bead-to-bead protection to reduce cuts and punctures. Galactik Road Tubeless tyres have a light reinforcement under the tread, while Performance and All Season Road Tubeless tyres get extra protection in the form of a Kevlar band.

Read our review of the Hutchinson Intensive Road Tubeless tyres
Read our review of the Hutchinson Fusion 2 tubeless tyres
Read our review of the Hutchinson Sector 28 tubeless tyres

IRC

IRC Pro Tubeless.jpg

IRC Formula Pro Tubeless

IRC makes several tubeless or tubeless ready tyres, but they’re very rare in the UK; we’ve only been able to find one source. That’s a pity as IRC has been pushing road tubeless technology to make tyres lighter and faster. The Pro Tubeless tyres have internal coating based on latex rubber rather than synthetic butyl. That makes for lower rolling resistance, just as a regular clincher tyre is faster with a latex inner tube than a butyl one.

Read our review of the Formula Pro Tubeless RBCC
Read our review of the Formula Pro Tubeless X-Guard

Maxxis

Maxxis Re-Fuse.jpg

Maxxis is known for mountain bike tyres, but also offers tubeless-ready tyres in a wide range of sizes and applications, plus a tubeless tyre that doesn't need sealant.

Find a Maxxis dealer

Mavic

Mavic Yksion Pro UST Clincher Tyre

Mavic Yksion Pro UST

Mavic jumped into the road tubeless sector with both boots in summer 2017, announcing a new standard — Road UST — and a big range of wheels. The accompanying tyre offerings are a bit thin at the moment — the Yksion Pro UST in 25mm and 28mm widths — but Mavic clearly anticipates other manufacturers adopting the standard when it's been ratified by the relevant international bodies.

Mavic still offers its all-purpose/gravel tyre in the old Road Tubeless standard, the 30mm Yksion Elite Allroad.

Find a Mavic dealer

Panaracer

Panaracer Race A Evo 3 tubeless tyre.jpeg

Panaracer Race A Evo 3 tubeless tyre

Panaracer has joined the tubeless fray with the Race A Evo 3 Tubeless. The Japanese tyre maker has developed a brand new bead which it claims allows the tyre to be inflated using just a hand pump and claims this tyre increases puncture resistance by 24% compared to the previous Evo 2 tyre, thanks to a new Protite puncture proof material. The tread compound is also claimed to improve cornering performance.

Read our review of the Panaracer Race A Evo 3 tubeless

Find a Panaracer dealer

Schwalbe

ProOne_Close_up

Schwalbe ProOne

Schwalbe says “The future will be tubeless” in its latest blurb for the Schwalbe Pro One tyre, which it claims is its best tubeless tyre ever. We tested the slightly less advanced One Tubeless recently and found it rode brilliantly and, unlike many tubeless tyres, it was easy to get on the rim and to then pop into place on the bead seat.

Schwalbe offers a total of six ‘Tubeless Easy’ tyres, from the Pro One, which is being reliably reported as having a super-low rolling resistance, to the aptly named Big One, a 60mm tyre intended for mountain bike beach racing but which we’ve included in case anyone’s thinking of building up a ‘monster-cross’ bike.

Read our review of the Schwalbe One Tubeless
Read our review of the Schwalbe Pro One Tubeless
Read our review of the Schwalbe S-One Tubeless

Find a Schwalbe dealer

Specialized

Specialized Roubaix Road Tubeless.jpg

Specialized Roubaix Road Tubeless

Until recently, Specialized has focused on endurance and cyclo-cross riding with its Tubeless Ready tyres, which it spells 2Bliss because — well, who knows. Californians, eh?

Specialized also makes a Road Tubeless version of its S-Works Turbo tyre. The 26mm version of this tyre recently won a rolling resistance test against a range of standard and tubeless tyres, and looks promising as a fast tyre for UK riding.

Read our review of the Specialized Trigger Pro 2Bliss Ready

Find a Specialized dealer

Vittoria

Vittoria Corsa Speed (Open TLR).jpg

Vittoria makes the big claim that this graphene technology tyre is the fastest ever independently measured, and the lightest tubeless-ready tyre too.

Find a Vittoria dealer

French brand Mavic makes some of the most popular bike wheels out there. It doesn’t produce anything super-cheap, its road bike options starting at £150 and going right through to over £2,000.

Apart from the cheapest Aksiums, Mavic’s road wheels come equipped with tyres because the brand sees them working together as complete systems.

The range is large and could be somewhat confusing, so we’ll try to break it down as logically as possible. To muddy the waters even more, Mavic has recently introduced Road UST, which is its take on Road Tubeless. There are UST versions of many of Mavic's most popular wheels, and the venerable, much-loved Open Pro rims will also be available in a UST version.

Mavic has recently announced an addition to the range in the Cosmic Ultimate UST, an all-carbon fibre wheelset aimed squarely at road racers.

Fact of the day: Mavic is actually an acronym coming from Manufacture d'Articles Vélocipédiques Idoux et Chanel. Charles Idoux and Lucien Chanel founded the company in 1890 to make mudguards.

Without further ado, here's the essential data on the full range, plus links to the cheapest sources we've been able to find.

Road UST

Mavic Road UST cross-section

Mavic Road UST cross-section

As you can see from the listing, many of Mavic's clincher rims are now Road UST, and conventional versions are gradually disappearing as shops run out.

You can learn more about Road UST in our news story about the launch of the system: Mavic introduces Road UST tubeless system covering huge section of wheel range.

The executive summary for Road UST is that the combination of rim and tyre bead design makes it easier to get tyres on and off, and to seat them, according to Mavic. A Road UST tyre on a Road UST rim will seat with a standard floor pump with as little as 47psi.

However, only Mavic currently makes compatible wheels and tyres, which are designed together with there’s tight control over production variances. The Road UST standard is being approved by both ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and ETRTO (European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation) working groups, so other manufacturers will be able to make Road UST wheels and tyres when that process is complete.​

Endurance wheels

Aksium

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​Aksiums— no, they're not Aksia, Latin pedants — are Mavic’s entry level road wheels, specced as original equipment on countless bikes. They have 21mm high pinned aluminium rims that were widened for the 2016 model to 17mm internal width to better accommodate increasingly popular wide tyres. Mavic reckons Aksiums are best suited to tyres from 25mm to 32mm.

Aksium pair.jpg

Like the rest of the range, Aksiums are built with straight pull spokes which the brand says are stronger than J-bend options, and they run on the brand’s QRM sealed cartridge bearings. That keeps maintenance down to a minimum. The hub bodies are aluminium while the axles and the freewheel are steel.

Aksiums are reasonably light for the money (a claimed 865g front, 1,015g rear) and we’ve found them to be quick and generally reliable. These are good, solid all-rounders, though they're not yet available in Road UST.

Check out our Mavic Aksium review.

Mavic Aksium disc.jpeg

The Aksium Disc uses the same rims and bearings but with either a Center Lock or six bolt disc hub, and more spokes: 24 front and rear as opposed to 20 front and rear. The front hub is convertible from a standard quick release to a 15mm thru-axle design.

Mavic Aksium Elite.jpeg

Aksium Elites are a bit lighter than standard Aksiums at a claimed 1,735g (800g front, 935g rear) because Mavic joins the two ends of the rim using a sleeve rather than a pinned joint.

Unlike the other Aksiums, the Elites come with Mavic’s own all-season Yksion Elite Guard tyres with a 120TPI (threads per inch) casing and a nylon anti-puncture breaker that runs from one bead to the other.

Buy if: You're looking for reliable training wheels that aren't too expensive.

Ksyrium range

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Mavic’s Ksyrium wheels have gradually evolved since 1999, building up a reputation for combining light weight with loads of strength. You might see the cheaper models as workhorse wheels but the higher up the range you go the higher the performance you get for your money.

Ksyrium

Mavic Ksyrium 2017.jpeg

The lower priced models are made with box section aluminium rims, in the case of the most basic Ksyrium they’re 25mm high with recommended tyre sizes of 23mm to 25mm. Mavic use the same QRM sealed cartridge bearings as you get with the Aksiums, and Yksion Elite tyres come as part of the package.

The claimed wheelset weight is 1,690g (77g front, 920g rear), which is pretty light for this price, although it’s combining that with a bombproof performance that makes this a popular choice.

2018_mavic_ksyrium_disc.jpg

The Ksyrium Disc is essentially the same wheel but with disc hubs and four extra spokes per wheel. Neither the rim-brake nor disc versions of the base model Ksyrium are Road UST compatible yet.

Buy if: You're after something that's reasonably light and very sturdy.

Ksyrium Elite UST

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The Ksyrium Elite UST is made of a different material from the cheaper wheels in the range: an aluminium alloy that Mavic calls Maxtal. It has a higher strength to weight ratio than the 6106 aluminium alloy commonly used in rim manufacture. Mavic reduces the rim weight further by milling away material between the spokes. It uses this technique, which it calls ISM 4D, on all of its higher end aluminium rims.

The spoke nipples are screwed directly into the rim as the holes are ‘pushed’ through the inside wall rather than drilled, the pushed up material then being threaded to allow the nipple to be secured.

To make the Elites user serviceable, Mavic has installed steel double sealed bearings that are fully adjustable, even chucking in the tool you need to do it.

When we reviewed the original Ksyrium Elites we said, “Great mid-range wheels for the all-rounder, as happy to race as they are to cruise, but the tyres are average.”

With an RRP of £529, these are the cheapest Road UST wheels in the Ksyrium range.

Read our review of the Mavic Ksyrium Elite.

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In 2017 Mavic added a disc-compatible version of the Ksyrium Elite; that's now the Ksyrium Elite UST Disc.

The Ksyrium Elite UST Disc uses a similar rim to the regular Ksyrium Elite UST with a disc-compatible hub. There are versions to take six-bolt rotors or those with Shimano's Center Lock mount. They weigh a claimed 770g and 900g for front and rear respectively and come with Mavic's Yksion Pro GripLink and PowerLink tyres.

>>Read more: Everything you need to know about road tubeless

Buy if: You want solid all-rounders that are light enough to race.

Ksyrium Pro

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The Ksyrium Pro UST is built with spokes made from Zicral, an aluminium alloy, which Mavic says are stiffer, stronger and lighter than traditional stainless steel spokes.

We’re getting down to some very light weights now; the Ksyrium Pros come in at a claimed 1,410g (590g front, 820g rear).

Buy if: You want a lightweight wheelset that doesn't compromise on durability.

Ksyrium Pro UST Disc

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The Ksyrium Pro UST Discs are, you won't be surprised to learn, the disc-compatible version of the Ksyrium Pro USTs. The hubs on the Ksyrium Pro Discs are compatible with the increasing number of axle standards that are available for road disc. Standard quick release is covered, as is QR15 at the front and 142x12 at the back.

Buy if: You're after light disc brake wheels for endurance riding.

Ksyrium Pro Exalith

Ksyrium Pro Exalith.jpeg

Exalith is a technology that Mavic has been using on some of its aluminium rims for a few years now. The combination of a chemical treatment and a file-like texture that’s machined into the rim is claimed to reduce braking distances by 20%. You have to use specific pads that are supplied with the wheels.

The other advantage of Exalith is that it reduces rim wear. If you ride in grotty conditions and find road crud rapidly chews through your rims, these wheels are a solid choice. Mavic hasn't yet produced a Road UST version though.

For 2017 the Ksyrium Pro Exalith got a new, wider ISM 4D rim — 17mm across instead of the previous 15mm. Claimed weight is 1,475g/pr which splits out as 630g for the front wheel and 845 g rear.

Buy if: Powerful braking is your first priority.

Ksyrium Pro Carbon SL

Ksyrium Pro Carbon SL.jpeg

These carbon-rimmed wheels are designed for climbing although a lot of effort has been put into making the braking performance as good as possible. What goes up must come down, after all.

When this wheel was first introduced Mavic gave it an alloy insert that formed the bed and the hooks for the tyre bead. This was designed to ensure an even fit for the tyre and to dissipate braking heat through the structure of the wheel. However, this insert disappeared when Mavic developed better carbon curing technology, called TgMax, which could support high temperatures on the braking surface. This surface is also laser finished.

There are four versions, with either clincher or tubular rims and with or without mounts for disc brake rotors. The rim-braked Ksyrium Pro Carbon SLs weigh a claimed 1,390g (front 615g, rear 775g) while the £1,099 disc-compatible version is 130g heavier.

The Pro Carbon SL Tubular is the lightest Ksyrium wheelset at a claimed 1,190g (515g front, 675g rear). The tubular disc version comes in at 1,320g (625g front, 695g rear)

Check out our story from the product launch.

Buy if: You want a superlight wheelset with a good braking performance.

Allroad wheels

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For 2018 Mavic has split out these beefed-up wheels from the main Ksyrium range, although they still have a lot in common with Ksyriums. All three use a new Road UST rim with 22mm internal width. Mavic says they work with 28mm-62mm tyres.

Allroad Elite UST

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The rim-braked Allroad Elite UST is the cheapest of the range. It's only available with standard 9mm quick releases, so it's suitable for making older bikes a bit off-road capable if they have the tyre clearance, and they'll make great super-tough commuting wheels.

Claimed weight for the pair is 1,590g, which splits 685g/905g front and rear. That's only a little more than the Ksyrium Elite USTs with which they share features like steel double-butted spokes. They come with 30mm Yksion Elite Allroad tyres.

Buy if: You want light but beefy do-everything wheels

Allroad Elite UST Disc

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The Allroad Elite UST Disc wheels sound like they're the disc-braked equivalent of the Allroad Elite UST, but there are lots of differences aside from the disc compatibility. For a start they have 24 spokes in both wheels where the Allroad Elite UST has just 18 in the front wheel.

Like the Ksyrium Pro UST Disc wheels, the Allroad Elite UST Discs are compatible with a wide range of axle and quick release designs, including 12mm through-axles and 15mm front axles. These are wheels designed for versatility.

A pair of Allroad Elite UST Discs weighs 1,720g (F:795g, R:925g). They come with 30mm Yksion Elite Allroad or 40mm Yksion Elite Allroad XL tyres.

Buy if: You want off-road-capable disc-braked wheels

Allroad Pro UST Disc

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The top model in the Allroad range, the Allroad Pro UST Disc saves weight with details like a 20-spoke front wheel, carbon fibre front hub body and Zicral spokes. That pushes the price up, but at 1,610g per pair (F:730g, R:880g) they're a respectable weight for wide-rim disc wheels.

Like the Allroad Elite UST Disc wheels, this pair comes with your choice of 30mm Yksion Elite Allroad or 40mm Yksion Elite Allroad XL tyres.

Buy if: You want light wheels for gravel racing and endurance riding

R-Sys SLR

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The R-Sys SLR uses hollow carbon-fibre spokes that allow Mavic to build a wheel that’s extremely stiff laterally. Mavic calls this Tracomp technology because the spokes work in both traction and compression to maintain the wheel’s shape whatever forces you throw at it.

R-Sys spokes.jpg

The R-Sys SLR also features Mavic’s Exalith technology (see Ksyrium Pro Exalith, above) to improve braking and reduce rim wear.

Available in a clincher version only, the R-Sys SLR wheelset weighs just 1,295g (555g front, 740g rear). They're Mavic's lightest clinchers.

Buy if: You want a light weight combined with an excellent level of stiffness.

Aero wheels

Cosmic Elite UST

Cosmic Elite.jpg

Cosmic is the name that Mavic gives to its mid-depth wheels that are designed with aerodynamics in mind. The Cosmic Elite UST is the most accessible model, with 30mm-deep aluminium rims, aluminium hub bodies, and bladed steel spokes. In terms of materials, this is essentially an aero version of Mavic’s basic Ksyrium, except that, unlike the Ksyrium it has a Road UST rim, making it Mavic's cheapest tubeless option.

Buy if: You want a tubeless-compatible aero wheelset at a budget price.

Cosmic Elite UST Disc

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Mavic has added several disc-compatible models to its 2018 range, including these accessible aero wheels. They're largely the same as the rim-braked version, but with 24 spokes per wheel.

Buy if: You want your value-for-money tubeless aero wheels disc compatible

Cosmic Pro Carbon

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Tweaked for 2017, the Cosmic Pro Carbon is an entirely different design with 45mm-deep rims that feature elliptical sidewalls. Those rims are Maxtal aluminium with carbon-fibre flanges bonded on to improve the aerodynamic performance.

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The extra material does add to the weight. A pair of Cosmic Pro Carbons comes in at a claimed 1,650g (735g front, 915g rear).

For 2017, Mavic introduced a disc-compatible version of the Cosmic Pro Carbon. The disc mounts unavoidably add weight, bringing the total to 1,770g (835g front, 935g rear)

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The Cosmic Pro Carbon Exalith is the same rim-braked wheel except that the rim has been given Mavic’s Exalith 2 treatment (see above) to improve durability and braking performance.

The combination of an aluminium brake track and a carbon fibre fairing isn't the lightest way to build an aero wheel, but it does keep the price under control while delivering almost all of the speed benefits of deep rims.

Buy if: You want aero performance while retaining good braking on an aluminium brake track.

Cosmic Pro Carbon SL

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The Cosmic Pro Carbon SL family have 40mm deep full carbon rims and again there are versions for rim and disc brakes and for clincher and tubular tyres. For 2018 the clincher versions have Road UST rims.

We were very impressed by the Cosmic Pro Carbon SL when we reviewed them. They weigh what they supposed to (and for more than most people spend on a complete bike, they'd better), they're fast and Mavic's new brake track treatment means stopping in the wet is almost as good as in the dry, an area that traditionally been a weakness of carbon rims.

Read more: Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon SL clincher wheels review

As you'd expect, they're light. The rim-braked Cosmic Pro Carbon SL UST weighs 1,490 g/pr (645g front, 805g rear), while the Pro Carbon SL Tubular comes in at just 1,410g (620g front, 790g rear).

The disc-brake versions are a little heavier as you'd expect. The Pro Carbon SL Disc UST pairing weighs 1,570g (750g front, 820g rear) while the Pro Carbon SL Disc tubulars are 1,540g (730g front, 810g rear).

Cosmic Ultimate Tubular

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The Cosmic Ultimate Tubular also has a full-carbon 40mm deep rim. The spokes are carbon too, as is the front hub body. This all drops the weight down to a claimed 1,250g for the wheelset (555g front, 695g rear).

The Cosmic Ultimate is the wheel that you’ll see used most frequently by Mavic sponsored pro teams because of its light weight and a depth that’s suitable for a variety of terrains and conditions.

Buy if: You want a professional level wheelset that's light and versatile.

Cosmic Ultimate UST

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The latest addition to the Road UST line-up, these ultra-spendy wheels are squarely aimed at getting Mavic's sponsored racers on tubeless tyres. Mavic claims a weight of 1,300g for a pair, which is very impressive for aero clinchers, and says the aerodynamic performance is on a par with comparable wheels like Zipp's 303 Firecrests. Mavic also claims individual weights of 595g for the front wheel and 795g. They're slated to be available in early 2019.

There's no disc brake version as yet, and while we expect Mavic will eventually come up with some sort of superlight disc-brake aero clincher, it's going to be a challenge to mount a rotor on a Cosmic Ultimate style carbon hub.

Buy if: You want a low-weight combination of the latest aero and tubeless technologies

Hyperaero wheels

​Mavic refers to wheels with rims deeper than the Cosmic's 30mm and 40mm as Hyperaero, and has replaced the old CXR wheels with four new models under the Comète name, formerly reserved for a time trial rear disc.

Comète Pro Carbon SL

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These are very much Mavic's most modern aero wheels, with 64mm deep, 26mm wide NACA profile rims. They're reasonably light too: the Comète Pro Carbon SL UST comes in at 1,635g per pair, a few grams less than rivals like DT Swiss PRC 1400 Spline wheels.

Since there still aren't many people using disc brakes in time trials and triathlons, we suspect the most popular wheels from this group are going to be the tubular and UST versions.

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At 1,490g a pair the Comète Pro Carbon SL Tubular is the lightest model in the range, which is as you'd expect: with no mounts for a disc rotor or hooks for a tyre bead, a rim-braked tubular is still the lightest way to make a wheel.

Nevertheless, as we mentioned, the Comète Pro Carbon SL UST's 1,635g is pretty impressive for a clincher wheel with a rim this deep. That splits out as 740g for the front wheel and 895g rear.

If you're looking for an extra turn of speed for a [modern endurance bike, then the Comète Pro Carbon SL UST Disc could be for you. A pair weighs 1,755g (F:845g, R:910g).

Finally traditional and modern collide in the Comète Pro Carbon SL Tubular Disc. A pair weighs 1,630 (F:765g, R:865g). Both these wheels and the UST version are compatible with quick-release and through-axle systems.

Buy if: You want Mavic's fastest aero wheels

Comète Road

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The Comète time trial/triathlon disc wheel, available only as a tubular, is carbon fibre with an aluminium rim body and a Mavic Exalith brake track for improved braking and durability. The walls are asymmetrical: convex on the driveside and lenticular on the non-driveside.

Buy if: You're after a disc wheel that offers a top-level braking performance.

For more info go to www.mavic.co.uk.

It might still be early November but Christmas is on the way so we’re running a series of articles here on road.cc suggesting gifts for cyclists, and if you really want to shell out on someone special here are some money no object ideas.

When we say ‘money no object’ we’re not implying that everything here is luxury, but our suggested items do tend to be priced towards the higher end of their respective categories, and they demand that you dig quite deep into your finances – very deep in some cases!

Mavic Comete Ultimate shoes £900 

Admittedly, £900 is a ridiculous amount to spend on cycling shoes but this is the ‘money no object’ gift guide! These offer lots of interesting tech and an amazing performance for racing. If you want some slightly more sensibly priced footwear, check out our other shoe reviews. But if your heart's set on these, they're only available at Sigma Sport, so head on over there to pick up a pair.

Read our review. 

Artful Kicks custom painted shoes £various

If £900 shoes lack the personal touch, Artful Kicks will custom paint cycling footwear of your choice so you can have something unique.

Read our story. 

PowerTap P1S Single Side Powermeter Set £550
Buy now for 12% off at Evans Cycles

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All the kool kidz are training with power these days and, despite costing £550, the PowerTap P1S pedals are actually among the less expensive options. They're easy to set up and to swap between bikes, they work well and are compatible with a wide variety of head units. They’d make a great gift for anyone with a focus on fitness and/or racing.

The aforementioned discount over at Evans Cycles brings the price of these pedals right down to £439.99 - Buy now!

Read our review. 

Here’s our advice on choosing a cycling power meter.

Hill and Ellis Professor Bike Bag £195

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The Hill and Ellis Professor is a beautifully made satchel you can attach to your rack, and it performs as well off the bike as it does on. You’re worried about what happens when it rains, right? It comes with a high-vis rain cover. road.cc’s Simon loves his, and he’s a man of taste and refinement. That’s what he told me, anyway. 

Read our review.

Silca T-Ratchet Kit + Ti-Torque Kit £100 
Buy now over at Evans Cycles

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This is a beautifully made, superlight, and multi-functional set of tools that would make a great gift. The tools live in a beautiful waxed canvas cloth case that’s magnetically closed, snapping shut for compact storage in a jersey pocket. 

Evans Cycles currently has stock of the kit, so head on over there if you're looking to make the bike fettler in your life very happy. 

Read our review. 

Yoga Design Lab yoga mat £64

Buy now at Amazon

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Made from recycled plastic PET bottles and tree rubber, these colourful yoga mats (lots more designs available) mean you'll be doing your bit for the environment while stretching out your glutes and flexors. Namaste.

Get more info here. 

Prologo CPC Airing Nago Evo Nack saddle £249.99 
Buy now for 16% off at Tredz

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The name is arguably too long, but with carbon-fibre rails and CPC (Connect, Power, Control) polymer on the upper, the Prologo CPC Airing Nago Evo Nack saddle does have the advantage of looking expensive. Bonus! Even more important, reviewer George found it to be super-comfy.

Read our review. 

Rapha Leather Race Bag £595

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Rapha offers a water resistant Cordura race bag (currently out of stock) but if you want to go all in, this version “is constructed from a fine full-grain leather sourced from an artisan French tannery”. Well, of course. You wouldn’t expect anyone to rock up at a race with anything less, would you? 

See it here. 

Brooks Pickwick Leather backpack £340

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If you’re buying for someone who uses their bike for commuting or urban riding, Brooks’ Pickwick Leather backpack is a high quality bit of kit that’s “designed by André Klauser in London and manufactured in the hills of Tuscany by Italian artisans”. 

What is it with all the artisans? They’re cleaning up these days. 

Of course, heading over to Brooks and shelling out on the artisan leather isn't your only option. If you've been swept away by the design, but £340 is a little outside of your budget, you can buy the water-resistant canvas edition for £139.50 over at Tredz.

Get more info here.

CycleOps Hammer direct drive smart trainer £1,000
Buy now at Wiggle for 11% off

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This is a fully-featured indoor trainer to use with Zwift and similar apps, and it’s especially welcome at this time of year when the weather’s cold and damp. It has a smooth, realistic pedalling feel, accurate power measurement, high maximum resistance, and an air of reassuring solidity. It even folds away for more compact storage. The Hammer is a doddle to set up and, despite it’s name, is also quiet. The price has just been reduced from £1,200 to £1,000

Read our review. 

Chpt3 The Rocka 1.61 £300
Buy now for 13% off at Sigma Sports

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David Millar's Chpt3 brand describes its clothing, made by Castelli, as “premium cycling apparel”. The Rocka is based on Castelli's existing Gabba, but it comes in less of a race cut with extra features added, such as a front pocket and a buttoned flap at the collar.

Find out more.

Specialized S-Works Womens Prevail II helmet £175
Buy now over at Hargroves Cycles

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The Prevail  has long been a popular helmet with performance-focused cyclists because it's comfortable, well ventilated and seriously lightweight. This new version retains everything that was good about original but has a much lower profile. It not only looks better but offers improved ventilation and sweat management as well as reduced wind noise.

Read our review. 

Roval CLX 50 Disc wheels £1,870 
Buy now over at Evans Cycles

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The Roval CLX 50s (with 50mm-deep rims) combine the aero performance of deep section rims with the lightness of shallower rims, coming in at 1,415g with disc brake hubs. They put in an excellent performance across the board, proving fast and stable with impressive handling. There are more aerodynamically efficient wheels and there are lighter wheels, but these strike a really good all-round balance that works well in most situations.

Read our review. 

Castelli Idro Jacket £260 
Buy now over at Wiggle 

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The Idro is made of the waterproof, amazingly breathable and highly packable Gore-Tex Active fabric, as are the 7Mesh Oro and the Gore Bike Wear One that we’ve also reviewed here on road.cc. None of these jackets are cheap – largely thanks to the high-tech fabric used – but they perform superbly and pretty much any rider would be delighted to receive one. 

Read our review. 

Gore Power Windstopper long sleeve jersey £179.99 
Buy now for 5% off at Wiggle

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If you’re thinking of buying someone a Christmas jumper this year, here’s a little tip: don’t. Wacky doesn’t equal funny. Instead, get them a top they’ll really appreciate like this brilliant three-season Windstopper jersey that provides very good protection against wind and rain. It’s also lightweight and slim fitting with excellent breathability, and there’s not a snowman or reindeer in sight. A top pick!

Read our review. 

Barbour x Brompton Merton Wax Jacket £299
Buy now at John Lewis

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Brompton, of folding bike fame, has teamed up with luxury outdoor fashion brand Barbour to offer a range of different jackets for both men and women. This is the women's Bromley which boasts features like reflective tape in the collar, a dropped hem at the rear and venting. It looks good off the bike too.

Find out more. 

Exposure Strada 1200 £289.96
Buy now for 10% off at Rutland Cycling

The Exposure Strada 1200 is a well-made and durable light that offers all the illumination you could need on the road and very good battery life. With an aluminium shell and a good mount, it has an air of quality and should last ages.

Read our first review.

Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset £3,097.99
Buy now for 37% off at Wiggle

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The new version of Shimano’s top level road groupset offers a stunning performance without any real weakness: superb braking, excellent shifting and a more integrated design than previously. We always quote RRPs, but shop around and you’ll find it cheaper.

Read our first ride. 

Colnago Concept frameset £3,499.95
Buy now for 5% off at Merlin Cycles

The Concept is a stunning aero road bike with awesome speed and the excellent handling that is synonymous with the celebrated brand. It offers a slice of Italian exotic fused with ultra modern aero design. That's what Dave said in his review, anyway. And it looks cool!

Read our review.

Shand custom frame and fork £various

If you want to give someone the perfect bike, how about getting it made to their exact size and requirements? There are a lot of frame builders out there who can do the job. Shand, for example, specialises in steel frames. A custom bike more expensive than buying off the peg, of course, but you'll end up with something special. 

Check out our feature on great custom handbuilt frames.

Storck Fascenario.3 x Aston Martin £15,777

Okay, this is getting a little out of hand now, but if you do happen to have a friend who’s just had a big win on the horses, maybe they’ll get you one of these for Christmas. Storck has teamed up with Aston Martin to produce a limited run of 107 Fascenario.3s in this finish, built up with a mainly SRAM Red eTap wireless groupset, Zipp 303 NSW wheels, THM brakes and cranks and Pirelli PZero Velo tyres. The weight is a claimed 5.9kg. Not a bad little setup, eh?

Read our story. 

Want to go tubeless? Here are all your options in tyres.

Tubeless tyres are gradually gaining popularity as more riders become convinced that their improved ride and increased resistance to punctures are worth the cost of new wheels and tyres and the sometimes problematic fitting process. If you’re about to make the switch, here’s a look at your tyre options.

When tubeless tyres for road wheels first appeared you had very few choices. Hutchinson made tyres, Shimano and Stan’s NoTubes made wheels and conversion kits and, er, that was it. Now many tyre makers offer tubeless options, though Michelin and Continental are notable hold-outs.

Read more: How to fit a tubeless tyre
Read more: Road tubeless: everything you need to know — including how to convert

Bontrager

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Bontrager R3

Bontrager offers a range of three tyres badged Tubeless Ready, which means what you need to get them working is sealant and either Bontrager’s special rim strips if you have Bontrager wheels, or other tubeless compatible wheels and valves. In ascending order of raciness, they’re the AW2, R2 and R3. We’ve tested and liked the latter as part of the Bontrager Road TLR Upgrade Kit.

Read our review of the Bontrager R3 Tubeless Ready
Read our review of the Bontrager Road TLR Upgrade Kit
Read our review of the Bontrager CX3 Team Issue TLR Cyclocross Tyres

Find a Bontrager dealer

Compass

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Compass Barlow Pass TC

Compass Cycles grew out of the magazine Bicycle Quarterly, founded in 2002 by Jan Heine, a Seattle-based long-distance cyclist and journalist. Heine contends that wide, supple tyres perform better in every respect than skinny tyres, and perform better than would be expected from rolling resistance twsts performed on smooth steel drums. And he's put his money on it with a line of tyres that includes tubeless models.

Read our review of Compass Cycles Barlow Pass tyres

Giant

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The newest entry into the tubeless fray is the world's biggest bike manufacturer, which has switched to tubeless tyres and wheels on large swathe of its 2018 models. Giant has come up with a ten-model range that covers a full range of applications from racing to messing about in the dirt.

Find a Giant dealer

Hutchinson

Hutchinson Sector 28 tubeless tyre

Hutchinson Sector 28

Hutchinson launched tubeless tyres for road bikes back in 2006, so it’s no surprise the French tyre maker has a fairly big range. While most tyre makers have gone down the Tubeless Ready route with lightweight tyres that need sealant to keep the air in, Hutchinson also makes tyres to the original Road Tubeless spec, sealed with a coating of rubber inside the tyre.

Hutchinson's flagship tubeless tyre is the Fusion 5, which is available in a number of variants. There are Tubeless Ready versions that need sealant, and Road Tubeless versions that, on paper, don't need sealant, but that everyone uses sealant with anyway just to be safe. Both Road Tubeless and Tubeless Ready versions are available in Galactik, Performance and All Season variants.

Galactik is the lightest version, intended for racing; Performance is the all-rounder with a slightly thicker tread and All Season is more durable, with a thicker tread and grooves to allegedly disperse water in wet conditions. Road Tubeless Fusion 5s come in 23mm and 25mm widths, Tubeless Ready in 25mm, plus 28mm in Performance and All Season.

All Fusion 5s use Hutchinson's ElevenStorm rubber which provides very low rolling resistance and buckets of grip. Tubeless Ready versions have Hutchinson's Hardskin bead-to-bead protection to reduce cuts and punctures. Galactik Road Tubeless tyres have a light reinforcement under the tread, while Performance and All Season Road Tubeless tyres get extra protection in the form of a Kevlar band.

Read our review of the Hutchinson Intensive Road Tubeless tyres
Read our review of the Hutchinson Fusion 2 tubeless tyres
Read our review of the Hutchinson Sector 28 tubeless tyres

IRC

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IRC Formula Pro Tubeless

IRC makes several tubeless or tubeless ready tyres, but they’re very rare in the UK; we’ve only been able to find one source. That’s a pity as IRC has been pushing road tubeless technology to make tyres lighter and faster. The Pro Tubeless tyres have internal coating based on latex rubber rather than synthetic butyl. That makes for lower rolling resistance, just as a regular clincher tyre is faster with a latex inner tube than a butyl one.

Read our review of the Formula Pro Tubeless RBCC
Read our review of the Formula Pro Tubeless X-Guard

Maxxis

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Maxxis is known for mountain bike tyres, but also offers tubeless-ready tyres in a wide range of sizes and applications, plus a tubeless tyre that doesn't need sealant.

Find a Maxxis dealer

Mavic

Mavic Yksion Pro UST Clincher Tyre

Mavic Yksion Pro UST

Mavic jumped into the road tubeless sector with both boots in summer 2017, announcing a new standard — Road UST — and a big range of wheels. The accompanying tyre offerings are a bit thin at the moment — the Yksion Pro UST in 25mm and 28mm widths — but Mavic clearly anticipates other manufacturers adopting the standard when it's been ratified by the relevant international bodies.

Mavic still offers its all-purpose/gravel tyre in the old Road Tubeless standard, the 30mm Yksion Elite Allroad.

Find a Mavic dealer

Panaracer

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Panaracer Race A Evo 3 tubeless tyre

Panaracer has joined the tubeless fray with the Race A Evo 3 Tubeless. The Japanese tyre maker has developed a brand new bead which it claims allows the tyre to be inflated using just a hand pump and claims this tyre increases puncture resistance by 24% compared to the previous Evo 2 tyre, thanks to a new Protite puncture proof material. The tread compound is also claimed to improve cornering performance.

Read our review of the Panaracer Race A Evo 3 tubeless

Find a Panaracer dealer

Schwalbe

ProOne_Close_up

Schwalbe ProOne

Schwalbe says “The future will be tubeless” in its latest blurb for the Schwalbe Pro One tyre, which it claims is its best tubeless tyre ever. We tested the slightly less advanced One Tubeless recently and found it rode brilliantly and, unlike many tubeless tyres, it was easy to get on the rim and to then pop into place on the bead seat.

Schwalbe offers a total of six ‘Tubeless Easy’ tyres, from the Pro One, which is being reliably reported as having a super-low rolling resistance, to the aptly named Big One, a 60mm tyre intended for mountain bike beach racing but which we’ve included in case anyone’s thinking of building up a ‘monster-cross’ bike.

Read our review of the Schwalbe One Tubeless
Read our review of the Schwalbe Pro One Tubeless
Read our review of the Schwalbe S-One Tubeless

Find a Schwalbe dealer

Specialized

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Specialized Roubaix Road Tubeless

Until recently, Specialized has focused on endurance and cyclo-cross riding with its Tubeless Ready tyres, which it spells 2Bliss because — well, who knows. Californians, eh?

Specialized also makes a Road Tubeless version of its S-Works Turbo tyre. The 26mm version of this tyre recently won a rolling resistance test against a range of standard and tubeless tyres, and looks promising as a fast tyre for UK riding.

Read our review of the Specialized Trigger Pro 2Bliss Ready

Find a Specialized dealer

Vittoria

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Vittoria makes the big claim that this graphene technology tyre is the fastest ever independently measured, and the lightest tubeless-ready tyre too.

Find a Vittoria dealer

French brand Mavic makes some of the most popular bike wheels out there. It doesn’t produce anything super-cheap, its road bike options starting at £150 and going right through to over £2,000.

Apart from the cheapest Aksiums, Mavic’s road wheels come equipped with tyres because the brand sees them working together as complete systems.

The range is large and could be somewhat confusing, so we’ll try to break it down as logically as possible. To muddy the waters even more, Mavic has recently introduced Road UST, which is its take on Road Tubeless. There are UST versions of many of Mavic's most popular wheels, and the venerable, much-loved Open Pro rims will also be available in a UST version.

Mavic has recently announced an addition to the range in the Cosmic Ultimate UST, an all-carbon fibre wheelset aimed squarely at road racers.

Fact of the day: Mavic is actually an acronym coming from Manufacture d'Articles Vélocipédiques Idoux et Chanel. Charles Idoux and Lucien Chanel founded the company in 1890 to make mudguards.

Without further ado, here's the essential data on the full range, plus links to the cheapest sources we've been able to find.

Road UST

Mavic Road UST cross-section

Mavic Road UST cross-section

As you can see from the listing, many of Mavic's clincher rims are now Road UST, and conventional versions are gradually disappearing as shops run out.

You can learn more about Road UST in our news story about the launch of the system: Mavic introduces Road UST tubeless system covering huge section of wheel range.

The executive summary for Road UST is that the combination of rim and tyre bead design makes it easier to get tyres on and off, and to seat them, according to Mavic. A Road UST tyre on a Road UST rim will seat with a standard floor pump with as little as 47psi.

However, only Mavic currently makes compatible wheels and tyres, which are designed together with there’s tight control over production variances. The Road UST standard is being approved by both ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and ETRTO (European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation) working groups, so other manufacturers will be able to make Road UST wheels and tyres when that process is complete.​

Endurance wheels

Aksium

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​Aksiums— no, they're not Aksia, Latin pedants — are Mavic’s entry level road wheels, specced as original equipment on countless bikes. They have 21mm high pinned aluminium rims that were widened for the 2016 model to 17mm internal width to better accommodate increasingly popular wide tyres. Mavic reckons Aksiums are best suited to tyres from 25mm to 32mm.

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Like the rest of the range, Aksiums are built with straight pull spokes which the brand says are stronger than J-bend options, and they run on the brand’s QRM sealed cartridge bearings. That keeps maintenance down to a minimum. The hub bodies are aluminium while the axles and the freewheel are steel.

Aksiums are reasonably light for the money (a claimed 865g front, 1,015g rear) and we’ve found them to be quick and generally reliable. These are good, solid all-rounders, though they're not yet available in Road UST.

Check out our Mavic Aksium review.

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The Aksium Disc uses the same rims and bearings but with either a Center Lock or six bolt disc hub, and more spokes: 24 front and rear as opposed to 20 front and rear. The front hub is convertible from a standard quick release to a 15mm thru-axle design.

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Aksium Elites are a bit lighter than standard Aksiums at a claimed 1,735g (800g front, 935g rear) because Mavic joins the two ends of the rim using a sleeve rather than a pinned joint.

Unlike the other Aksiums, the Elites come with Mavic’s own all-season Yksion Elite Guard tyres with a 120TPI (threads per inch) casing and a nylon anti-puncture breaker that runs from one bead to the other.

Buy if: You're looking for reliable training wheels that aren't too expensive.

Ksyrium range

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Mavic’s Ksyrium wheels have gradually evolved since 1999, building up a reputation for combining light weight with loads of strength. You might see the cheaper models as workhorse wheels but the higher up the range you go the higher the performance you get for your money.

Ksyrium

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The lower priced models are made with box section aluminium rims, in the case of the most basic Ksyrium they’re 25mm high with recommended tyre sizes of 23mm to 25mm. Mavic use the same QRM sealed cartridge bearings as you get with the Aksiums, and Yksion Elite tyres come as part of the package.

The claimed wheelset weight is 1,690g (77g front, 920g rear), which is pretty light for this price, although it’s combining that with a bombproof performance that makes this a popular choice.

2018_mavic_ksyrium_disc.jpg

The Ksyrium Disc is essentially the same wheel but with disc hubs and four extra spokes per wheel. Neither the rim-brake nor disc versions of the base model Ksyrium are Road UST compatible yet.

Buy if: You're after something that's reasonably light and very sturdy.

Ksyrium Elite UST

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The Ksyrium Elite UST is made of a different material from the cheaper wheels in the range: an aluminium alloy that Mavic calls Maxtal. It has a higher strength to weight ratio than the 6106 aluminium alloy commonly used in rim manufacture. Mavic reduces the rim weight further by milling away material between the spokes. It uses this technique, which it calls ISM 4D, on all of its higher end aluminium rims.

The spoke nipples are screwed directly into the rim as the holes are ‘pushed’ through the inside wall rather than drilled, the pushed up material then being threaded to allow the nipple to be secured.

To make the Elites user serviceable, Mavic has installed steel double sealed bearings that are fully adjustable, even chucking in the tool you need to do it.

When we reviewed the original Ksyrium Elites we said, “Great mid-range wheels for the all-rounder, as happy to race as they are to cruise, but the tyres are average.”

With an RRP of £529, these are the cheapest Road UST wheels in the Ksyrium range.

Read our review of the Mavic Ksyrium Elite.

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In 2017 Mavic added a disc-compatible version of the Ksyrium Elite; that's now the Ksyrium Elite UST Disc.

The Ksyrium Elite UST Disc uses a similar rim to the regular Ksyrium Elite UST with a disc-compatible hub. There are versions to take six-bolt rotors or those with Shimano's Center Lock mount. They weigh a claimed 770g and 900g for front and rear respectively and come with Mavic's Yksion Pro GripLink and PowerLink tyres.

>>Read more: Everything you need to know about road tubeless

Buy if: You want solid all-rounders that are light enough to race.

Ksyrium Pro

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The Ksyrium Pro UST is built with spokes made from Zicral, an aluminium alloy, which Mavic says are stiffer, stronger and lighter than traditional stainless steel spokes.

We’re getting down to some very light weights now; the Ksyrium Pros come in at a claimed 1,410g (590g front, 820g rear).

Buy if: You want a lightweight wheelset that doesn't compromise on durability.

Ksyrium Pro UST Disc

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The Ksyrium Pro UST Discs are, you won't be surprised to learn, the disc-compatible version of the Ksyrium Pro USTs. The hubs on the Ksyrium Pro Discs are compatible with the increasing number of axle standards that are available for road disc. Standard quick release is covered, as is QR15 at the front and 142x12 at the back.

Buy if: You're after light disc brake wheels for endurance riding.

Ksyrium Pro Exalith

Ksyrium Pro Exalith.jpeg

Exalith is a technology that Mavic has been using on some of its aluminium rims for a few years now. The combination of a chemical treatment and a file-like texture that’s machined into the rim is claimed to reduce braking distances by 20%. You have to use specific pads that are supplied with the wheels.

The other advantage of Exalith is that it reduces rim wear. If you ride in grotty conditions and find road crud rapidly chews through your rims, these wheels are a solid choice. Mavic hasn't yet produced a Road UST version though.

For 2017 the Ksyrium Pro Exalith got a new, wider ISM 4D rim — 17mm across instead of the previous 15mm. Claimed weight is 1,475g/pr which splits out as 630g for the front wheel and 845 g rear.

Buy if: Powerful braking is your first priority.

Ksyrium Pro Carbon SL

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These carbon-rimmed wheels are designed for climbing although a lot of effort has been put into making the braking performance as good as possible. What goes up must come down, after all.

When this wheel was first introduced Mavic gave it an alloy insert that formed the bed and the hooks for the tyre bead. This was designed to ensure an even fit for the tyre and to dissipate braking heat through the structure of the wheel. However, this insert disappeared when Mavic developed better carbon curing technology, called TgMax, which could support high temperatures on the braking surface. This surface is also laser finished.

There are four versions, with either clincher or tubular rims and with or without mounts for disc brake rotors. The rim-braked Ksyrium Pro Carbon SLs weigh a claimed 1,390g (front 615g, rear 775g) while the £1,099 disc-compatible version is 130g heavier.

The Pro Carbon SL Tubular is the lightest Ksyrium wheelset at a claimed 1,190g (515g front, 675g rear). The tubular disc version comes in at 1,320g (625g front, 695g rear)

Check out our story from the product launch.

Buy if: You want a superlight wheelset with a good braking performance.

Allroad wheels

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For 2018 Mavic has split out these beefed-up wheels from the main Ksyrium range, although they still have a lot in common with Ksyriums. All three use a new Road UST rim with 22mm internal width. Mavic says they work with 28mm-62mm tyres.

Allroad Elite UST

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The rim-braked Allroad Elite UST is the cheapest of the range. It's only available with standard 9mm quick releases, so it's suitable for making older bikes a bit off-road capable if they have the tyre clearance, and they'll make great super-tough commuting wheels.

Claimed weight for the pair is 1,590g, which splits 685g/905g front and rear. That's only a little more than the Ksyrium Elite USTs with which they share features like steel double-butted spokes. They come with 30mm Yksion Elite Allroad tyres.

Buy if: You want light but beefy do-everything wheels

Allroad Elite UST Disc

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The Allroad Elite UST Disc wheels sound like they're the disc-braked equivalent of the Allroad Elite UST, but there are lots of differences aside from the disc compatibility. For a start they have 24 spokes in both wheels where the Allroad Elite UST has just 18 in the front wheel.

Like the Ksyrium Pro UST Disc wheels, the Allroad Elite UST Discs are compatible with a wide range of axle and quick release designs, including 12mm through-axles and 15mm front axles. These are wheels designed for versatility.

A pair of Allroad Elite UST Discs weighs 1,720g (F:795g, R:925g). They come with 30mm Yksion Elite Allroad or 40mm Yksion Elite Allroad XL tyres.

Buy if: You want off-road-capable disc-braked wheels

Allroad Pro UST Disc

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The top model in the Allroad range, the Allroad Pro UST Disc saves weight with details like a 20-spoke front wheel, carbon fibre front hub body and Zicral spokes. That pushes the price up, but at 1,610g per pair (F:730g, R:880g) they're a respectable weight for wide-rim disc wheels.

Like the Allroad Elite UST Disc wheels, this pair comes with your choice of 30mm Yksion Elite Allroad or 40mm Yksion Elite Allroad XL tyres.

Buy if: You want light wheels for gravel racing and endurance riding

R-Sys SLR

R-Sys.jpeg

The R-Sys SLR uses hollow carbon-fibre spokes that allow Mavic to build a wheel that’s extremely stiff laterally. Mavic calls this Tracomp technology because the spokes work in both traction and compression to maintain the wheel’s shape whatever forces you throw at it.

R-Sys spokes.jpg

The R-Sys SLR also features Mavic’s Exalith technology (see Ksyrium Pro Exalith, above) to improve braking and reduce rim wear.

Available in a clincher version only, the R-Sys SLR wheelset weighs just 1,295g (555g front, 740g rear). They're Mavic's lightest clinchers.

Buy if: You want a light weight combined with an excellent level of stiffness.

Aero wheels

Cosmic Elite UST

Cosmic Elite.jpg

Cosmic is the name that Mavic gives to its mid-depth wheels that are designed with aerodynamics in mind. The Cosmic Elite UST is the most accessible model, with 30mm-deep aluminium rims, aluminium hub bodies, and bladed steel spokes. In terms of materials, this is essentially an aero version of Mavic’s basic Ksyrium, except that, unlike the Ksyrium it has a Road UST rim, making it Mavic's cheapest tubeless option.

Buy if: You want a tubeless-compatible aero wheelset at a budget price.

Cosmic Elite UST Disc

2018_mavic_cosmic_elite_ust_disc.jpg

Mavic has added several disc-compatible models to its 2018 range, including these accessible aero wheels. They're largely the same as the rim-braked version, but with 24 spokes per wheel.

Buy if: You want your value-for-money tubeless aero wheels disc compatible

Cosmic Pro Carbon

Cosmic Carbon 2017.jpeg

Tweaked for 2017, the Cosmic Pro Carbon is an entirely different design with 45mm-deep rims that feature elliptical sidewalls. Those rims are Maxtal aluminium with carbon-fibre flanges bonded on to improve the aerodynamic performance.

mavic-cosmic-pro-carbon-1.jpg

The extra material does add to the weight. A pair of Cosmic Pro Carbons comes in at a claimed 1,650g (735g front, 915g rear).

For 2017, Mavic introduced a disc-compatible version of the Cosmic Pro Carbon. The disc mounts unavoidably add weight, bringing the total to 1,770g (835g front, 935g rear)

mavic_cosmic_carbon_pro_exalith.jpg

The Cosmic Pro Carbon Exalith is the same rim-braked wheel except that the rim has been given Mavic’s Exalith 2 treatment (see above) to improve durability and braking performance.

The combination of an aluminium brake track and a carbon fibre fairing isn't the lightest way to build an aero wheel, but it does keep the price under control while delivering almost all of the speed benefits of deep rims.

Buy if: You want aero performance while retaining good braking on an aluminium brake track.

Cosmic Pro Carbon SL

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The Cosmic Pro Carbon SL family have 40mm deep full carbon rims and again there are versions for rim and disc brakes and for clincher and tubular tyres. For 2018 the clincher versions have Road UST rims.

We were very impressed by the Cosmic Pro Carbon SL when we reviewed them. They weigh what they supposed to (and for more than most people spend on a complete bike, they'd better), they're fast and Mavic's new brake track treatment means stopping in the wet is almost as good as in the dry, an area that traditionally been a weakness of carbon rims.

Read more: Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon SL clincher wheels review

As you'd expect, they're light. The rim-braked Cosmic Pro Carbon SL UST weighs 1,490 g/pr (645g front, 805g rear), while the Pro Carbon SL Tubular comes in at just 1,410g (620g front, 790g rear).

The disc-brake versions are a little heavier as you'd expect. The Pro Carbon SL Disc UST pairing weighs 1,570g (750g front, 820g rear) while the Pro Carbon SL Disc tubulars are 1,540g (730g front, 810g rear).

Cosmic Ultimate Tubular

Cosmic Ultimate.jpg

The Cosmic Ultimate Tubular also has a full-carbon 40mm deep rim. The spokes are carbon too, as is the front hub body. This all drops the weight down to a claimed 1,250g for the wheelset (555g front, 695g rear).

The Cosmic Ultimate is the wheel that you’ll see used most frequently by Mavic sponsored pro teams because of its light weight and a depth that’s suitable for a variety of terrains and conditions.

Buy if: You want a professional level wheelset that's light and versatile.

Cosmic Ultimate UST

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The latest addition to the Road UST line-up, these ultra-spendy wheels are squarely aimed at getting Mavic's sponsored racers on tubeless tyres. Mavic claims a weight of 1,300g for a pair, which is very impressive for aero clinchers, and says the aerodynamic performance is on a par with comparable wheels like Zipp's 303 Firecrests. Mavic also claims individual weights of 595g for the front wheel and 795g. They're slated to be available in early 2019.

There's no disc brake version as yet, and while we expect Mavic will eventually come up with some sort of superlight disc-brake aero clincher, it's going to be a challenge to mount a rotor on a Cosmic Ultimate style carbon hub.

Buy if: You want a low-weight combination of the latest aero and tubeless technologies

Hyperaero wheels

​Mavic refers to wheels with rims deeper than the Cosmic's 30mm and 40mm as Hyperaero, and has replaced the old CXR wheels with four new models under the Comète name, formerly reserved for a time trial rear disc.

Comète Pro Carbon SL

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These are very much Mavic's most modern aero wheels, with 64mm deep, 26mm wide NACA profile rims. They're reasonably light too: the Comète Pro Carbon SL UST comes in at 1,635g per pair, a few grams less than rivals like DT Swiss PRC 1400 Spline wheels.

Since there still aren't many people using disc brakes in time trials and triathlons, we suspect the most popular wheels from this group are going to be the tubular and UST versions.

2018_mavic_comete_pro_carbon_sl.jpg

At 1,490g a pair the Comète Pro Carbon SL Tubular is the lightest model in the range, which is as you'd expect: with no mounts for a disc rotor or hooks for a tyre bead, a rim-braked tubular is still the lightest way to make a wheel.

Nevertheless, as we mentioned, the Comète Pro Carbon SL UST's 1,635g is pretty impressive for a clincher wheel with a rim this deep. That splits out as 740g for the front wheel and 895g rear.

If you're looking for an extra turn of speed for a [modern endurance bike, then the Comète Pro Carbon SL UST Disc could be for you. A pair weighs 1,755g (F:845g, R:910g).

Finally traditional and modern collide in the Comète Pro Carbon SL Tubular Disc. A pair weighs 1,630 (F:765g, R:865g). Both these wheels and the UST version are compatible with quick-release and through-axle systems.

Buy if: You want Mavic's fastest aero wheels

Comète Road

Comete 2017.jpg

The Comète time trial/triathlon disc wheel, available only as a tubular, is carbon fibre with an aluminium rim body and a Mavic Exalith brake track for improved braking and durability. The walls are asymmetrical: convex on the driveside and lenticular on the non-driveside.

Buy if: You're after a disc wheel that offers a top-level braking performance.

For more info go to www.mavic.co.uk.

• One of the most popular upgrades, better wheels (and tyres) can dramatically improve your bike’s ride.

• Stock wheels are often heavy and of mediocre quality — upgrading can reduce weight and improve reliability.

• If you want to go faster, choose wheels with deep-section rims; aerodynamics is far more important than weight.

• You’ve a choice of clinchers, tubulars or tubeless, with matching tyres; each system has pros and cons.

• Wheels benefit from the human touch; the best handbuilt wheels are still superior to wheels built entirely by machine.

Upgrading the wheels is one of the first changes many people make to their bikes. Why are wheels so important and how do you choose a better set of hoops?

It's one of the bike industry's guilty secrets: the wheels on even quite pricy road bikes are often a bit ordinary. That means upgrading your wheels can make a big difference to the feel and performance of your bike.

There are several reasons why you might want better wheels. If you're doing a lot of commuting on bad roads (the potholed streets of just about any UK major city for example) you might want a set of beefy wheels for weekday riding, and to switch to something lighter or more aerodynamic for the weekend.

Or you might have decided to keep the run-of-the-mill wheels your bike came with for training and to fit better-performance wheels for sunny days and important events.

>> Read more: All wheel reviews on road.cc

Wheel construction

The basics of wheel construction haven't changed in decades because, quite simply, they work extraordinarily well. A bike wheel can carry hundreds of times its own weight; pretty remarkable structural efficiency.

Your basic tension-spoked wheel consists of a hub that houses bearings so the whole thing can turn easily, a rim for the tyre to sit on and steel spokes under tension that hold it all together.

The tension in the spokes is the vital factor. When you load a wheel, the tension goes down in the spokes between the hub and the ground. As long as it never hits zero, the wheel can support you and your bike.

Nevertheless, wheels have evolved in the last couple of decades, and now usually have fewer spokes and deeper rims, both changes that improve aerodynamics. The spokes themselves may be flattened to better cut through the air too.

Perhaps the biggest change is the use of carbon fiber for rims. That's made possible deep, highly aerodynamic rims with minimal weight penalty. Carbon wheels are still more expensive than wheels with aluminium rims, but prices have been steadily decreasing for the last few years.

Tubulars, clinchers and tubeless

In terms of how tyres mount, there are three types of wheel rim. Rims for tubular tyres — which have the inner tube sewn into the carcass — have a shallow dip where the tyre is glued on. These are the lightest rims, and tubular fans say their soft floaty ride is unparalleled. However, for the vast majority of people the faff of gluing, and the difficulty of fixing a punctured tubular makes them too much hassle.

Clincher or wire-on rims have raised sidewalls with a hook where the tyre bead engages, and the tyre has a separate inner tube. In other words, this is the standard bike rim and tyre we all know and love. Fixing a flat is a simple matter of changing the tube and swapping tyres just requires tyre levers and a pump.

Tubeless tyres are a special case of clinchers. Tyre and rim are manufactured to precise tolerances to enable an airtight seal. The rim has no holes and the tyre is coated internally with rubber so there's no need for an inner tube. Some manufacturers forego the rubber coating and base their tubeless systems around use of sealant. That has the advantage of making them more resistant to penetration punctures, in addition to their natural resistance to pinch punctures.

Weight vs Aerodynamics

If performance is your aim, there's strong evidence that you should put more priority on aerodynamics than weight. Way back in 2001 bike engineer Kraig Willett analysed the forces on wheels and concluded:

"When evaluating wheel performance, wheel aerodynamics are the most important, distantly followed by wheel mass. Wheel inertia effects in all cases are so small that they are arguably insignificant."

That goes against the long-standing conventional wisdom that wheel weight is vitally important to performance because wheels have to be spun up to speed as well as moved along the road.

But you don't do much accelerating when you ride a bike, and even when you do the speed changes involved are relatively gradual. That means you spend most of your time, and therefore effort, simply shoving the air out of the way, and you should choose wheels accordingly.

Pro teams have drawn similar conclusions, which is why you now see far more deep-section wheels in the peloton than you did even ten years ago. Aero wheels are free speed in a breakaway or sprint.

The big disadvantage of deep-section wheels is the effect of crosswinds, which can blow you off track. Some wheels are less affected than others. Zipp's Firecrest shape is widely considered to be among the least problematic thanks to its bulged sidewalls, and most wheelmakers now offer something similar.

Rim width

Just as tyres have become a bit wider in recent years, with the previously ubiquitous 23mm size giving away to 25, 26 and even 28mm tyres, so rims have spread out too. All other things being equal, a wider rim makes for a stiffer, stronger wheel and also makes the tyre effectively a bit fatter.

Wider rims are also claimed to be more aerodynamic because air flows more smoothly between tyre and rim if they are about the same size. Wheel maker Mavic has taken this to its logical conclusion with its CX01 Blades, plastic fairings that fill the groove between its Yksion CXR tyre and Cosmic CXR wheel. The UCI won't let pros use them, but that doesn't affect triathletes and UK time trial riders.

Can we build it?

Wheelbuilding (CC BY-NC-ND Cory Grunkemeyer:Flickr)

If you want your wheels to be durable, then how they were built is just as important as the components that went into them. For wheels to be durable, the tension needs to be high and even. If it's not high then spokes can come loose as you ride because the tension can drop to zero under load. If the tension is not even then the wheel is unlikely to stay round and true, even if it's that way out of the box.

A step in the wheel-building process called 'stress-relieving' also improves wheel longevity by preventing fatigue failure at the spoke heads. If your relatively new wheels start breaking spokes it's a good bet they weren't stress-relieved properly when they were built.

Most wheels these days are built by machines. It's possible to set up wheel building machines to get all of these things right, or very nearly right, but sometimes factories take short-cuts, especially when the objective is to build inexpensive wheels. The less time each wheel spends in the machine, the more wheels the factory can build.

Spokes (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Jon Bowen:Flickr)

That's why cheap machine-built wheels have a poor reputation, but if a wheel builder doesn't know what he or she is doing, humans can build poor wheels too. The most efficient way of mass-producing high-quality wheels seems to be to let machines quickly do the spadework and then finish them by hand, as Joe Graney found when Santa Cruz decided to build its own wheels.

Alternatively, you can get top-quality wheels that have been built by hand from start to finish, either off-the-peg or custom built. Barnoldswick parts-meisters Hope have been making well-regarded wheels for years, including road wheels, while Hunt Bike Wheels is a new entrant in the field. You'll find wheels built by several others in the selection below.

If you want something truly special, a wheelbuilder who really knows their stuff can help you choose exactly the right combination of hubs, rims and spokes for your needs. The doyen of this approach in the UK is probably Liverpool's Pete Matthews whose resume includes building wheels for Tour de France King of the Mountains Robert Millar, legendary rouleur Sean Yates and comedian Alexei Sayle. Many good bike shops have a similar if less storied figure lurking in the workshop, quietly crafting wheels that last until the rim sidewalls wear out.

Names to look for

The major wheel brands nevertheless produce good wheels, by and large. Riders report thousands of happy miles on wheels by Mavic, Bontrager, Shimano, Reynolds, Zipp, DT Swiss and many others. Here are some of our favourite wheels from the last couple of years.

DT Swiss PRC 1400 Spline 65 — £1,507.48

DT Swiss PRC 1400 Spline 65.jpg

The new DT Swiss PRC 1400 Spline clincher wheels come with deep section 65mm rims for aerodynamic efficiency. They're well made and come with excellent internals, plus you can run them tubeless.

You are getting some seriously good wheels for your money here. Granted, these don't offer quite the aero performance of DT Swiss's ARC 1100 Dicut wheels but the PRCs feature excellent components, they're stiff, braking is good and, for their depth, they feel pretty stable in most conditions. This is a reliable high-performance wheelset that puts in a great performance in a variety of conditions.

Read our review of the DT Swiss PRC 1400 Spline 65 wheels
Find a DT Swiss dealer

Hunt Superdura Dynamo Disc — £499

Hunt Superdura Dynamo Disc wheelset -1.jpg

If you're looking at a dynamo system for your road bike then the SONdelux hub dynamo is pretty much the best out there for low resistance and weight, and it's renowned for great build quality which is matched by the rest of the components on these excellent Hunt wheels. Considering how much the dynamo costs on its own, the price is excellent too. They might be a bit much for the odd night ride, but if you rack up the miles after dark they're an investment worth considering.

Read our review of the Hunt Superdura Dynamo Disc wheels

AlexRims CXD4 — £287.99

Alex Rims Alex CXD4 Road Disc Wheelset.jpg

AlexRims knows a thing or two about making rims (the clue's in the name), so it's not a surprise that it's moving into the wheelset market. And if these CXD4s are anything to go by, you should definitely look at them as an option if you're upgrading your bike or speccing a new build.

On the road the wheels feel nice and stiff, with no obvious flex either from sprint efforts or heavy cornering. The bearings run smoothly, and whipping the cassette off showed that there's not very much notching on the alloy freehub body. The 1,580g all-in weight is pretty good for a disc wheelset at this price. Shimano's RX31s are 380g heavier for the same kind of money, and similar-weight wheelsets from the likes of Cero, Kinesis and Hunt come in at least £50 more expensive.

Read our review of the AlexRims CXD4
Find an AlexRims dealer

Hunt 3650 Carbon Wide Aero — £899

Hunt 3650 Carbon Wide Aero Road Wheelset.jpg

Going wide and deep, Hunt has created a set of fast, durable and light wheels in the 3650 Carbon Wide Aeros. With a specification of high-end parts and great build quality, Hunt isn't trying to reinvent the wheel but it is certainly refining it to a level of performance unheard of on sub-£1,000 wheelsets.

The name 3650 comes from how deep they are: 36mm at the front and 50mm at the rear. It's quite a common combination for many riders as it is so adaptable to various weather conditions and the topography of your chosen route.

The front gives you a slight aero advantage over a more standard box rim shape without getting battered around by crosswinds, and it also keeps the weight down for climbing.

Read our review of the Hunt 3650 Carbon Wide Aero wheels

DT Swiss PR 1400 Dicut OXiC — £703.20

DT Swiss PR 1400 Dicut Oxic Performance road wheel.jpg

The PR 1400 Dicut OXiC wheels feature a ceramic coated rim surface that provides reassuring braking performance in a range of conditions, making them ideal for year-round cycling in the UK.

The application of a hardwearing ceramic coating on the rim is nothing new: Mavic used to produce a highly regarded ceramic back in the day. DT Swiss, though, reckons its new OXiC treatment is able to deform with the rim, which means the coating can't become detached from the aluminium, a problem that plagued Mavic ceramic rims. DT is confident the ceramic coating won't wear our over the normal lifespan of the rim, and it won't fade in the sun.

Read our review of the DT Swiss PR 1400 Dicut OXiC wheels
Find a DT SWiss dealer

Shimano Dura-Ace C24 Carbon Clincher — £709.99

Shimano Dura Ace C24 Carbon Clincher wheelset.jpg

I've been running the C24s with 25mm Continental Grand Prix 4000 tyres (Shimano advises that you use tyres ranging from 23mm to 28mm with these wheels) and they've been very quick, accelerating fast, and the ride quality is hard to fault.

The C24s, which have just been given a graphics/aesthetics update to match Shimano's new R9100 components, have the shallowest rim heights of any wheels in the Dura-Ace range: the front is 21mm and the rear is 24mm. They're not particularly wide either: 15mm internal, 20.8mm external, whereas the new C40 and C60 clinchers are both 17mm internal and 24mm external, following the trend towards more width.

Read our review of the Shimano Dura-Ace C24s
Find a Shimano dealer

Hunt 30Carbon Gravel Disc — £879

Hunt 30 Carbon Gravel Disc Wheelset.jpg

I've been thrashing the Hunt 30Carbon Gravel Disc wheels around the roads and bridleways of the south west, as well as using them for a touring trip to Cuba where they endured all kinds of surfaces, pot-holes and being lashed to roof-racks with string. And I like them, a lot.

As the name suggests, the 30Carbon Gravel Disc wheels are aimed at the fast-growing new gravel/all-road/adventure bike category. Gravel bikes are aimed at riders who want to go quickly on the road, with the freedom to take a turn off the tarmac and explore further into the wild than you could on a traditional road bike. They're typically built tougher than a road bike, and consequently heavier. If you're looking for an upgrade to your gravel bike, wheels may be on your list, and with a weight of less than 1,500g, these are likely to be quite a bit lighter than most stock wheels.

Read our review of the Hunt 30Carbon Gravel Disc wheels

BORG22T Disc Road/CX tubular — £340

BORG22T Wheels.jpg

The BORG22T wheelset features 22mm-deep aluminium tubular rims and triple butted Sapim Force spokes laced onto Miche Syntium DX hubs. It's not a flashy package, but it bats well above its price tag – it's tough, fast and will suit riders looking for a brilliant cyclo-cross wheelset.

Sometimes a product will genuinely surprise you. Take a look at the spec list of the BORG22T wheels and you'd be forgiven for not expecting much, and certainly not at this price. But I put them on my bike and was surprised to find they're excellent. I wouldn't expect to find a tubular disc wheelset below the £1,000 mark; finding such a great set of wheels for £340 has made me question why I'd spend more.

Read our review of the BORG22T Disc Road/CX tubular wheels

Roval CLX 50 Disc — £1,788

Specialized Roval CLX 50 DISC Wheelset.jpg

Since Roval parent Specialized introduced the Roval Rapide CLX 40 wheels two years ago, they've been busy and the CLX 50 wheels are the CLX 40s' spiritual replacement. They're a marked improvement, too, with better aerodynamic performance and an impressively low weight for the disc brake version here.

The aim for the new Roval CLX 50 was to marry the aero performance of the deeper section CLX 64 with the lightness of the shallower CLX 32. At 1,415g with a 50mm-deep rim and disc brake hubs, they would appear to have achieved that objective.

This is a very attractive weight in a hugely competitive wheel market. They're not much heavier than the £4.8k Lightweight Meilenstein C Disc wheels, for example, and only a smidgen heavier than the so-called lightweight, shallow, rim-braked FFWD F3R carbon clinchers. You can have aero and low weight it would seem. And a Zipp 404 Firecrest Disc wheelset? That's a comparatively portly 1,715g.

Read our review of the Roval CLX 50 Disc
Find a Roval dealer

Halo Evaura Uni 6D — £348.98

Halo Evaura Uni 6D 700C wheelset.jpg

Halo seems very proud of its new Evaura Universal 6D 700C wheelset, and quite rightly. These are well-made wheels that can be adapted for a variety of cycles and purposes. The ride quality is excellent, the weight modest and – despite the dishing needed to make it disc-brake compatible – it proved impossible to provoke them into twisting or flexing.

The idea behind this wheelset is to make it as adaptable as possible to the new rash of wheel and braking standards that is spreading across the industry. While most conventional road frames take a 130mm rear axle, disc brake-equipped bikes are commonly adopting the 135mm found on mountain bikes. (Mountain bike rear axles are themselves now getting longer, but that's another story...)

Read our review of the Halo Evaura Uni 6D wheels
Find a Halo dealer

Fast Forward F3R Full Carbon Clincher Wheels — £999.99

Fast Foward F3R Full Carbon Clincher Wheelset.jpg

Fast Forward F3R Full Carbon Clincher wheels are a lightweight option that provide excellent acceleration and a high level of stiffness, although the lack of aero credentials might put off some who aren't pure climbers.

Fast Forward bills the Full Carbon Clincher as a wheelset that's particularly suited to climbing. The carbon rims are 30mm deep and 22.4mm wide with quite a rounded profile and a blunt inner edge – far more U-shaped than V-shaped.

Read our review of the Fast Forward F3R Full Carbon Clincher wheels
Find a Fast Forward dealer

Knight Composites 65 wheels — £2,000

Knight 65 Wheelset.jpg

The Knight 65 Carbon Fibre clinchers offer very good stiffness, but their real skill is in cutting through the air at high speeds and feeling stable with it.

These wheels – Knight's own rims laced to DT Swiss 240 hubs – have a whole lot going for them. Okay, at 65mm deep they're never going to be particularly light, our pair coming in at 1,680g (including rim strips and skewers), but that's not unusual. For comparison, Zipp's 404s are a claimed 1,505g (you also need to factor in the weight of the rim strips and skewers) and Bontrager's 70mm-deep Aeolus 7s are a claimed 1,610g.

It's when you fire the Knight 65s up to speed that things get impressive. As tester Mat Brett put it: "I have a few routes that I ride regularly as personal time trials for reviewing bikes and kit – rolling rather than hilly – and I've used these wheels to help achieve consistently fast times over several weeks and in a wide variety of conditions. I measure power every ride and my view is that these wheels are offering impressive speeds for the wattage I'm putting out. It's unscientific and highly anecdotal, so take it or leave it, but this is my experience."

Read our review of the Knight Composites 65 DT Swiss 240 wheels
Find a Knight Composites dealer

DT Swiss RRC 65 Dicut clinchers — £1,150

DT Swiss RRC 65 Dicut C - 1.jpg

They might be a lot of money but these DT Swiss RRC 65 Dicut clincher wheels are fast and stable, and they offer a good braking performance too.

These wheels are at their best when slicing along at high speed. They maintain pace beautifully with an appreciably lower resistance than shallow section rims. The RRC 65s also accelerate well, especially considering their 65mm rim depth. Weighing 745g (front) and 885g (rear) – excluding skewers; combined weight is 1,630g (DT's official total weight is 45g lower) – they spin up to speed with little fuss. For comparison, Zipp's 58mm deep 404 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers have claimed weights of 725g and 895g (1,620g total).

Some people might consider 65mm a little deep for general road use but we rode with these wheels on both a road bike and more occasionally on a TT bike for six weeks and they were superb. We really rate these wheels highly, and not just for racing against the clock.

Read our review of the DT Swiss RRC 65 Dicut clinchers
Find a DT Swiss dealer

Vision Team 35 — £299.99

Vision Team 35 Wheelset .jpg

Vision's Team 35s are competent and durable entry-level race wheels, with the added bonus of being very comfortable for a set of semi-deep-section alloy clinchers. The black anodised finish gives them a cool stealth look too.

The Team 35s are a revamped version of Vision's long-standing T35 model, and with a recommended retail price of £229.95 they sit right at that level of a first serious performance upgrade for a lot of bikes.

At first glance they seem a bit porky at 1,820g, especially considering the quoted weight is some 100g less than that, but the good thing is they never feel sluggish out on the road. You notice it a little if things get really steep or you ask for some rapid acceleration from a standing start, so if you're searching for a climber's set of wheels, look elsewhere.

Otherwise, the Team 35s are hard to knock. Considering the depth of the alloy rim, you'd expect them to feel harsh, but they don't.

Read our review of the Vision Team 35 wheels
Find a Vision dealer

Swiss Side Hadron 625 — £1,329

Swiss Side Hadron 625 wheelset.jpg

"Hur hur hur your wheels are called Hard... oh no, wait, it's Hadron." To Swiss ears, the name may well conjure up the crowning peak of European scientific endeavour, but it's perilously close to something that provided regular amusement to the Sunday morning crew back at home. That's as may be, but the Swiss Side Hadron 625s are stonkingly good wheels, offering arguably the best performance in this price bracket on the market today.

They use a hybrid aluminium-carbon rim to give aluminium-rim brake performance and class-leading aerodynamic performance, at a price way below the big players like Zipp and Enve. And by god they sound good.

Read our review of the Swiss Side Hadron 625 wheels

Superstar Components Pave 28 wheels — £269.99

The least expensive wheels we've ever given four and a half stars, the Superstar Pace 28s demonstrate that custom handbuilt wheels can be competitive on weight and reliability with any factory wheels. They have wide rims in the modern style and are built on reliable Icon hubs. They're comparable to substantially more expensive wheels from other manufacturers; light enough to race on while still managing to be as tough as old boots, and look how shiny they are.

Read our review of the Superstar Components Pave 28 wheels

Hunt 4Season Aero V2 — £299

Hunt 4Season Aero V2 wheels

Hunt's entry-level road clinchers look like an excellent choice. They succeed the now-discontinued 4Season Dura Road wheels which we liked a lot, and like those wheels, these look to be a good first upgrade over heavy stock wheels, or as a good quality winter or all-round option, they're right on the money.

The 4Season Aero V2 wheels have the same hubs. We had no issues with the 4-pawl freehub, nor with the sealed EZO bearings. Everything ran smoothly in spite of being subjected to some biblical conditions. The supplied skewers are an external cam, with a nylon insert instead of the brass one you get on the more expensive Hunt wheels, but they do the job without any fuss.

Read our review of the Hunt 4Season Dura Road
Find a Hunt dealer

Pro-Lite Bortola A21 wheels — £349.99

The 1,540g weight of these wide, tubeless-ready wheels is impressive for an aluminium wheelset even if that is about 65g over the claimed weight. With the Bortolas Pro-Lite haven't sacrificed strength or durability to achieve it, it's more of a by-product of well chosen, proven components.

On the road, they're smooth and comfortable, but light enough to reward a little out of the saddle dig on a steep section while climbing.

Overall the Bortolas are perfect all rounder wheels that only really lose out in terms of aerodynamics due to that shallow rim.

Read our review of the Pro-Lite Bortola A21 wheels

Pro-Lite Revo A21W — £269.99

Pro-Lite Revo A21 Disc Clincher Wheelset.jpg

Road disc and gravel wheels are getting better, lighter and cheaper, and right at the forefront of that trend are the Pro-Lite Revo A21s. At 1,650g, with a Centerlock option, thru-axle compatibility and a wide track rim, they're a bargain, and pretty future-proof too.

Pro-Lite builds all its wheels by hand and the Revos arrived nice and true, with even spoke tension. The spokes are bladed and triple butted, and Pro-Lite uses a brass washer at the spoke head to better distribute the forces there.

The Revos use a 21mm deep rim (hence the name), which is 23.8mm wide externally and 19mm internally. That makes it ideal for 28-32mm tyres, although 25mm rubber and bigger chamber tyres will be fine too.

Read our review of the Pro-Lite Revo A21W
Find a Pro-Lite dealer

Stan's NoTubes ZTR Grail Team — £457.95

Stans NoTubes ZTR Grail Disc Wheelset.jpg

We've been hugely impressed with these wheels. With 25mm slicks at high pressures they're fast on the road, and they've proven extremely tough when riding with knobbly tyres at low pressures off-road. They're a decent weight, the hubs are easily interchangeable to different axle standards, and the company's Bead Socket Technology (BST) means getting a tubeless tyre inflated is a cinch.

The Grail rims are wide: 24mm on the outside, 21mm on the inside. The rims are also quite deep, 24.5mm, making them the company's deepest – and therefore more aero – rim to date. They're constructed from aluminium and weigh a claimed 460g apiece. The BST rim profile features a shallow seating area so the tyre bead locates right up against the side of the rim. Getting a Schwalbe One tubeless tyre to inflate was ridiculously easy – a slosh of sealant inside and a track pump to inflate the tyre.

If you want a disc- and tubeless-ready wheelset with a wide rim profile to make the most of the growing number of wide tubeless tyres, the Stan's NoTubes ZTR Grail Team wheels combine a competitive price, decent weight and impressive performance. Add in the easy tubeless compatibility and axle versatility, and they're seriously worth considering.

Read our review of the Stan's NoTubes ZTR Grail Team
Find a Stan's NoTubes dealer

Edco Optima Roches (22mm) Tubeless Ready Wheels — £599.99

Traditional looks meets modern width in these wheels from Swiss-based Edco, which have 22mm wide rims and are ready for Tubeless tyres like those offered by Hutchinson, Bontrager or Schwalbe.

There are a lot of clever touches to these wheels like the MultiSys freewheel body, designed to accept both Shimano/SRAM and Campagnolo cassettes so you don't need new wheels if you ever change gearing allegiance.

These wheels ride well, are a sensible 1571g and come with a whopping eight-year guarantee.

Read our review of the Edco Optima Roches (22mm) Tubeless Ready Wheels
Find an Edco dealer​

Swiss Side Hadron 485 — around £1,329

Swissside Hadron 485 wheelset

Hadron wheels (named after that big circular tunnel near Geneva, of course) are available in rim depths of 48.5mm, 62.5mm and 80mm (front)/85mm (rear). All share the same fundamental construction, with aluminium rims and carbon fairings. Swiss Side says it's done an enormous amount of work to perfect the aerodynamic design of these rims, focusing on aerodynamic drag and also minimising the sensitivity to side-winds.

They've performed well in a wide variety of riding. We won't pretend that we can accurately determine the difference compared with other quality aero wheels of a similar depth, but they certainly feel like they're in the same ball-park, holding speed really well and making a rather satisfying hum in the process.

Read our review of the Swiss Side Hadron 485
Find a Swiss Side dealer

Fulcrum Racing Quattro Carbon DB — £869.99

Fulcrum Racing Quattro Carbon DB wheelset.jpg

The Fulcrum Racing Quattro Carbon DB wheels could well redefine the modern bicycle wheel. They're bang on trend for a broad range of today's disc brake-equipped bikes and promise the trinity of light, fast and strong.

First, they're the right material: carbon fibre, with a 3k core and unidirectional surface. And while Fulcrum doesn't tout them as tubeless ready, they are, with only the valve hole in the bed of the 40mm-deep aero section rims.

The broad carbon rims are laced with 18 spokes in the front and 21 in the rear – a number low enough to keep the weight down, but high enough to make the wheels feel bombproof.

Paradoxically, they ride like function-specific race-day wheels, all revved up and raring to rip up the road, and so, naturally, you expect them to be fragile and delicate, with a need to be guarded from harm and children's sticky fingers. In reality, they're street tough and ready for couple of pints and a scrap.

Read our review of the Fulcrum Racing Quattro Carbon DB
Find a Fulcrum dealer

Spin K2 Carbone XLR38 25mm Fat Boy Clincher wheels — £990.00

The closest equivalent to these wheels in the current Spin range is the DM8 Custom Shop Pro ThirtyEight Super Fly Boy. They're still 38mm deep, but now wider to give better support and shape to 25-28mm tyres.

The XLR38s offered bags of speed with a fat rim profile reminiscent of a Zipp or Enve but at a fraction of the price. We expect theSuper Fly Boys to be just as good, making them an ideal upgrade for anyone looking to invest in their first deep section carbon wheels.

Spin offers a choice of rim depths, laced to its own SPN Precision hubs. With the 38mm rims, they weigh 1500g per pair. That's a very competitive weight, certainly for the price. You won't get much lighter unless you're prepared to spend quite a lot more money. Braking with the supplied QuickStop Black Shadow brake blocks was excellent.

Read our review of the Spin K2 Carbone XLR38 25mm Fat Boy Clincher wheels

Reynolds Aero 58 clincher wheels — £1,890.99

The ultimate in aero wheel performance comes with the combination of a deep rim, a wide tyre bed and a shape that's not affected badly by sidewinds. The Reynolds Aero 58s fit the bill.

On the road, the Aero 58s are discernibly fast and easily give you a 2km/h speed increase over a high profile wheel such as a Mavic Ksyrium. Reynolds claim best-in-class stability is sidewinds and out testing bore this out. Consistent, high cross winds proved no problem whatsoever, it was only in really gusty conditions, such as when passing a gap in a hedgerow, that the 58s could be unsettled.

Braking performance in the dry is very good, not so great in the wet, but no worse than most carbon rims, and while the 1601g weight isn't feathery, it's pretty good for such deep wheels.

Fast, quick-accelerating and superbly stable in crosswinds, the Aero 58s are our benchmark in carbon clincher performance.

Read our review of the Reynolds Aero 58 clincher wheels
Find a Reynolds dealer

Lightweight Meilenstein tubular — £3,549

Lightweight Meilenstein wheelset

Yes, they're very expensive, but the Lightweight Meilenstein carbon tubulars are superlight and equally stiff, resulting in an exceptional performance out on the road.

As the name suggests, Lightweight makes very light wheels. Our Meilensteins, with 47.5mm-deep and 20mm-wide rims, hit the road.cc Scales of Truth at 480g for the front (Lightweight claims 475g) and 640g rear (Lightweight claims 625g). That's a total of just 1,120g. The skewers add 44g.

You might expect that because they weigh so little the Meilensteins will flex about all over the place as soon as you jack up the power. That would seem logical, but the biggest surprise in their performance is that they're very, very stiff.

From the first pedal stroke you can feel that these are light wheels and acceleration is little short of superb. Really, you'll be astonished.

Read our review of the Lightweight Meilenstein tubular
Find a Lightweight dealer

Since the first edition of this guide a couple of years ago the range of tubeless-ready wheels available to you has doubled, to the point where this guide is becoming obsolete; you now have to make an effort to avoid tubeless-compatible wheels rather than having to hunt them down. We found almost 200 different models listed by manufacturers, though they’re not all available in the UK yet. Let’s take a look.

What almost all tubeless-ready wheels now have in common is a shoulder in the rim well for the tyre bead to sit on, with a lip on the inside edge to keep it there. Subtle changes to the shapes of rims and the profiles of tyres over the last couple of years have made mounting tubeless tyres easier while simultaneously improving the security of their fit.

American Classic

American Classic Sprint 350 Tubeless wheelset.jpg

American Classic has a substantial range of tubeless wheels, including some up-to-the-minute wide-rim designs, and some of the lightest aluminium-rimmed wheels around.

American Classic recently shut down its Taiwanese factory, but some of its wheels are still available through dealers.

Read our review of the American Classic Sprint 350 Tubeless wheels
Read our review of the American Classic Argent Tubeless wheels

Bontrager

Bontrager Affinity Elite Road Disc wheelset

Trek’s wheel and component brand was early to get on board with tubeless mountain bike tyres, so it’s no surprise there’s a wide range of Bontrager tubeless-ready wheels, from the entry level Affinity Comp right up to the all-carbon Aeolus range of racing wheels.

Bontrager has recently introduced two new lines of carbon-rimmed tubeless wheels, the Aeolus XXX and Aeolus Pro series.

Read our review of the Bontrager Aura 5
Read our review of the Bontrager Affinity Elite Disc wheels
Find a Bontrager dealer

Campagnolo & Fulcrum

Fulcrum-Racing-4-DB-2-Way-Fit-Disc-Center-Lock-Wheelset-2018-Model-black-28-set-front-12x100-rear-12x142-Shimano-59177-188315-1502371684.jpeg

Campagnolo and subsidiary wheel brand Fulcrum call their tubeless system 2-Way Fit — sometimes shortened to 2WF — as it works with both standard tyres and tubeless tyres. Campagnolo says this allows a rider to “test which of the two solutions suits them best or use the clincher for training and the tubeless tire for the day of the race”.

There are nine models in the two marques’ ranges from the Campagnolo Zondas to the Fulcrum Racing Zeros. Four new disc-brake tubeless models were recently announced under the Fulcrum marque, along with one new disc-brake tubeless Campagnolo wheel, all with 2-Way Fit rims.

Read our review of the Fulcrum Racing 3 2-Way Fit wheels

Cero

Cero ARD23 Aluminium Disc Clincher Wheelset - rim bed.jpg

The wheel brand of Derbyshire cycle shop Cycle Division, Cero has a range of five tubeless-compatible wheels with aluminium or carbon rims that represent very good value for money for the weight and performance on offer.

Read our review of the Cero ARD23 Aluminium Disc wheels

DT Swiss

DT Swiss R24 Spline wheelset - rim bed 2

All DT Swiss’ wheels appear to be tubeless-ready, a sensible move by the wheelmaker to broaden the appeal of its hoops. The range covers every imaginable road and cyclo-cross application and a huge price band from the budget R24 Splines at under £200 up to the ERC 1100 Dicut disc brake at £2,000 per pair.

Read our review of the DT Swiss R24 Spline disc brake wheels

Easton

EC90SL_Clincher_Wheelset.jpg

With a starting point at almost £700, Easton's tubeless offerings are very much pitched at the high end and racing, and include three models with carbon fibre rims for speed demons.

Find an Easton dealer

Edco

Edco Roches Tubeless Ready Wheelset

Edco has a large range of tubeless wheels, not all of which seem to be available in the UK, but which includes the startlingly light Supersport Neggias at a claimed weight of 1,179g.

Find an Edco dealer

Halo

Halo Evaura 6D 700c wheelset

Some of your best-value options in tubeless come from British brand Halo whose range includes the Evaura 6D wheels we reviewed recently and two Uni models that can be used with either discs or rim brakes.

Read our review of the Halo Evaura 6D wheels
Find a Halo dealer

Hunt

Hunt Race Season Aero Wide wheelset

New British wheel contender Hunt specialises in tubeless — in fact, it doesn't make anything else, aside from a couple of models for tubular tyres. The range comprises twelve models at the time of writing, six for disc brakes and six for rim brakes. We've been very impressed by the performance and value of the wheels we've reviewed so far.

Read our review of the Hunt 4Season Dura Road wheels
Read our review of the Hunt Race Season Aero Wide wheels

Kinesis

Kinesis Crosslight CX Disc

To go with its well-regarded road and cyclo-cross frames, Kinesis has a range of four tubeless-ready wheels, two for cyclo-cross use and two for road, with disc- and regular-braked versions of the latter.

Read our review of the Kinesis Crosslight CX Disc wheels

Knight Composites

knight-composites-50-tubeless-carbon-clincher-dt-swiss-240-wheels.jpg

If these newly-released wheels from Knight Composites live up to their claims, the tubeless technology they embody could be a game-changer. Working with tyre maker Schwalbe, Knight has developed a hookless rim, drawing lessons from the design of automotive tyres and says fitting a Schwalbe tyre to a Knight tubeless rim is easier than Mavic's Road UST set-up.

Read more: Knight launch new TLA wheels, claimed to be the world's 'easiest and fastest'

Mavic

Mavic Ksyrium Elite Disc All Road.jpeg

Mavic was surprisingly late to the road tubeless party given its wide range of mountain bike tubeless wheels, but as of June 2017 has gone all in with a 14-model line-up of wheels that use a road-specific version of the UST technology Mavic pioneered for mountain bikes back in the 1990s.

Mavic says its UST wheels work best with its own UST tyres because the manufacturing tolerances of tyres and rims are very tightly controlled, but other manufacturer's road tubeless tyres will work.

Mavic Road UST cross-section

Mavic Road UST cross-section

Novatec

Novatec 30 Alu Clincher wheelset - Main

We've liked the Novatec tubeless wheels we've reviewed. As well as tubeless compatibility they have lots of thoughtful features such as compatibility with both Shimano and Campagnolo cassettes and a steel strip in the aluminium freehub body that stops sprocket splines from digging into it.

Read our review of the Novatec CXD wheels
Read our review of the Novatec Thirty wheels
Find a Novatec dealer

Parcours

Parcours Grimpeur wheelset.jpg

Parcours has a four-wheel range, tightly focused on going fast.

Read our review of the Parcours Grimpeur wheelset

Prime

Prime Road Race alloy wheelset - decal.jpg

A component brand backed by the mighty buying power of Chain Reaction Cycles, Prime has a range of tubeless-compatible wheels ranging from workaday alloy wheels at £115/pair to aero carbon wheels at £800. They've all come down in price since launch and some are now exceptionally good value; carbon wheels for around £500 is hard to beat.

Read our review of the Prime Race Road Alloy wheels

Pro Lite

Pro-Lite Bortola A21 wheelset - rim

Pro Lite has a big range of tubeless wheels, with at least seven models, but we've only been able to find a UK source for one of them the light but sensibly priced Bortola A21W.

Read our review of the Pro-Lite Bortola A21 wheels
Find a Pro Lite dealer

Reynolds

ASSAULT_Disk.jpg

Acclaimed US carbon fibre specialist Reynolds has one of the larger ranges of tubeless-ready wheels, with an aluminium-rimmed wheelset kicking the range off.

Ritchey

Ritchey Classic Zeta wheelset.jpg

Ritchey has a six-wheel tubeless line-up, comprising three Zeta models with aluminium rims and three WCS Apex models with carbon fibre rims. The tyre mounting tech may be bang up to date, but Ritchey has emphasised old-school reliability and durability with features like J-bend spokes and brass nipples.

Shimano

Shimano WH-6800 wheelset.jpg

Despite partnering with tyre maker Hutchinson to develop tubeless tyres for the road in the early 2000s, Shimano hasn't gone all in, and just offers four models. They're good value, though with the Ultegra model wheels a particular bargain at the time of writing.

Read our review of the Shimano WH-6800 Ultegra wheels
Find a Shimano dealer

Stan's No Tubes

Stans NoTubes Alpha 340 Wheelset

Tubeless pioneer and sealant maker Stan's NoTubes was quick to get on board when tubeless tech crossed over from mountain bikes to the road. Stan's claims the Bead Socket Technology used in its rims gives a more secure seal between tire and rim and a proper tire profile for lower pressures, faster cornering and less rolling resistance.

Read our review of the Stan's NoTubes Alpha 340 wheels
Find a Stan's No Tubes dealer

Velocite

Velocite RT50 tubeless carbon wheelset - rim

This Taiwanese carbon fibre specialist offers a range of keenly priced carbon wheels and an aluminium-rimmed model, all ready for tubeless tyres with the right rim strip and sealant.

Read our review of the Velocite RT50 wheels

Zipp

Zipp 30 Course Disc-brake Clincher wheels tight.jpg

Famous for aero wheels, Zipp only recently made the leap into tubeless wheels with two models of aluminium-rimmed wheels, one for disc brakes, and one for rim brakes. It's bang up to date with a 25mm rim (external width) and there's an optional SRAM XD freehub body so you can fit a 10-42 cassette if you want to use a single-ring gear system.

In 2017 Zipp announced a tubeless, disc-compatible version of the 303 carbon clincher wheels.

Read our review of the Zipp 30 Course Disc wheels

For 2018 Mavic's highly dependable all-rounder, the Ksyrium Elite, has become tubeless, using the French company's UST system like much of the range. The wheels have maintained their lightweight, durable persona from previous models and are still great to ride whether you are racing or tackling the club run, with a little bit of future proofing. A welcome addition is that the Yksion Pro UST tyres are a lot better than the non-tubeless versions I tested a couple of years ago.

• Pros: Decent weight, well built, tyre/wheel combo works well together
• Cons: Erm...

It's not a new thing for Mavic to include tyres in its wheel packages; the company has been doing that with its tubed wheelsets for years but with its tubeless setup, UST, it's taken this to the next level, controlling the marriage between rim and rubber to the nth degree.

> Find your nearest dealer here

Mat gives the full lowdown here on the introduction of UST and what it involves, but just to give you a little snippet, 'Mavic says that it can now offer a lifetime of hassle-free installation and maintenance when using UST approved products because control of the manufacturing provides the optimum rim diameter and a precise tyre bead diameter.

'Mavic claims that its road UST tubeless system is different from other tubeless systems in that the wheel and tyre are designed together and there's tight control over production variances. If you want the figures, the rim bead seat diameter is 621.95mm (with a tolerance of +/-0.35mm) and the tyre bead diameter is 619.6mm (with a tolerance of +/-0.2mm). They're tight tolerances.'

mavic_ksyrium_elite_ust_wheelset_-_rim.jpg

The wheels arrived at the office with the tyres fitted, and after reading Mat's write-up I tested the wheels for a bit with another brand of tyre, the Ere Research Genus, to test compatibility as Mavic recommends only using its own tyres with the wheels, and everything was fine. The Eres popped onto the rim without hassle and stayed seated throughout the riding with no issues.

mavic_ksyrium_elite_ust_wheelset_-_rim_detail.jpg

The same can be said for the Mavic tyres. Inflation was smooth and simple, with the Yksions sitting snuggly against the rim of the wheel with just the use of a standard track pump, and there were no leaks of sealant anywhere.

Get a grip

When I tested the non-tubeless Ksyrium Elites back in 2016, my biggest – well, only – gripe was the tyres. They seriously lacked grip, especially in the wet, and puncture proofing was pretty poor.

These UST versions are way, way better, offering loads of grip. Something I found out on pretty much the only rainy day of the test period.

mavic_ksyrium_elite_ust_wheelset_-_rim_and_tyre.jpg

After about four weeks of no precipitation, the Sunday's weather was looking downright biblical and as a rider who thrives in the extremes of weather I had to get out for a play.

Shaftesbury, in Dorset, is one of the highest towns in England, and in the direction I would need to head for home there is a lovely twisty descent for a good half a mile, with fowing bends, some tightening up mid-way through. If you're brave enough to stay off the brakes, 50mph is easily achievable.

> Buyer's Guide: Tubeless tyres

I took the first couple of turns cautiously, just to gauge some feel, but I was already touching 40mph and the cars behind had realised I was probably going to be quicker through this section than they were and had backed right off. Time to relax.

With speed and confidence growing with each corner, I was taking more and more risks, and to say I was impressed with the Yksion Pros would be an understatement. Grip and feedback were spot on, and if I did break traction, a little shift in power or body position easily saw them come back under control.

A classic all-rounder

Anyway, back to the wheels – after all, they are the main part of the package.

At 1,532g without tyres (2,101g with tyres and valves) they are light enough to be exciting on the climbs or under acceleration, and their stiffness certainly backs that up; you won't get any flex or brake rub here.

> 187 tubeless wheelsets — your choices in new technology hoops

It is a really solid wheelset as well, you can feel that just by the way they roll. Covering rough stretches of tarmac doesn't see them rattling you about and if they do whack a pothole you get an assuring thud rather than the crack sound you get from alloy wheels.

The Ksyrium Elites feel like they have the durability of a training wheel with the performance of a race one.

The techy stuff

For the rims Mavic uses its exclusive Maxtal aluminium alloy, which it says gives a higher strength to weight ratio than the 6061 grade more commonly used in wheel manufacturing.

Weight is removed by machining material away from the spoke bed in between where the nipples are, and while it isn't quite as striking as the exposed aluminium found on earlier models it does give the wheels that cool wavy look.

Mavic has gone for differing depths for the front and rear, 24mm and 26mm respectively.

A lot of wheels coming in for test at road.cc tend to be for disc brakes, so it's a real pleasure to see the simplicity of the radial spoking design on the Ksyrium front wheel, which uses just 18 spokes.

mavic_ksyrium_elite_ust_wheelset_-_front_hub.jpg

The rear has 20 of the double butted, straight pull, flat spokes in a radial pattern on the non-drive side, with a two-cross setup for the drive side.

Hub-wise, Mavic uses an all-alloy affair for both the body and the axle. The flanges are pretty large to take the loads and they run very smoothly indeed.

mavic_ksyrium_elite_ust_wheelset_-_rear_hub.jpg

Up until the arrival of these, I was still running the 2016 Kysirium Elites on my wet weather bike and the hub bearings are still running as smoothly as the day they were fitted, so I don't see any issues arising with these. They are adjustable and Mavic even chucks in the tool but I haven't had to touch the earlier version at all, even with about 6,000 miles on the clock.

For the freehub, Mavic has gone for a steel body and it is holding up well to wear and tear. There are no significant grooves on the splines from hard acceleration, from the cassette digging in.

Value

Carbon fibre wheels are getting ever cheaper and for £600 you can pick up a decent set of deep-section clinchers like the CES Sport RC50s.

So why go for aluminium? Well, it's a great material and just like frames it has come a long way in the last few years in terms of weight and strength.

The Ksyrium Elites are light, aren't affected by crosswinds and the braking is absolutely spot on regardless of the weather conditions.

> Buyer's Guide: 26 of the best new road bike wheelsets

You can get a lot of wheels at a similar weight cheaper than the £539 price tag here, but let's break it down a bit. The UST tyres would set you back £40-£50 each, plus you get enough sealant chucked in to do both tyres and plenty left over for topping them up.

Compare that to the Ritchey Classic Zetas, for instance, at £569, which are bloody good wheels by the way, or the £539.99 Deda Elementi Zero2 wheels that aren't even tubeless and don't come with tyres.

Conclusion

If you want a set of wheels to tackle a bit of everything, then the Ksyrium Elites are hard to fault, and while you can get cheaper this is a solid package that'll give you real peace of mind.

Verdict

They've always been good, but with better tyres and being tubeless, it's a very impressive package indeed

It might still be early November but Christmas is on the way so we’re running a series of articles here on road.cc suggesting gifts for cyclists, and if you really want to shell out on someone special here are some money no object ideas.

When we say ‘money no object’ we’re not implying that everything here is luxury, but our suggested items do tend to be priced towards the higher end of their respective categories, and they demand that you dig quite deep into your finances – very deep in some cases!

Mavic Comete Ultimate shoes £900 

Admittedly, £900 is a ridiculous amount to spend on cycling shoes but this is the ‘money no object’ gift guide! These offer lots of interesting tech and an amazing performance for racing. If you want some slightly more sensibly priced footwear, check out our other shoe reviews. But if your heart's set on these, they're only available at Sigma Sport, so head on over there to pick up a pair.

Read our review. 

Artful Kicks custom painted shoes £various

If £900 shoes lack the personal touch, Artful Kicks will custom paint cycling footwear of your choice so you can have something unique.

Read our story. 

PowerTap P1S Single Side Powermeter Set £550
Buy now for 12% off at Evans Cycles

PowerTap P1S power meter pedals 2.jpg

All the kool kidz are training with power these days and, despite costing £550, the PowerTap P1S pedals are actually among the less expensive options. They're easy to set up and to swap between bikes, they work well and are compatible with a wide variety of head units. They’d make a great gift for anyone with a focus on fitness and/or racing.

The aforementioned discount over at Evans Cycles brings the price of these pedals right down to £439.99 - Buy now!

Read our review. 

Here’s our advice on choosing a cycling power meter.

Hill and Ellis Professor Bike Bag £195

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The Hill and Ellis Professor is a beautifully made satchel you can attach to your rack, and it performs as well off the bike as it does on. You’re worried about what happens when it rains, right? It comes with a high-vis rain cover. road.cc’s Simon loves his, and he’s a man of taste and refinement. That’s what he told me, anyway. 

Read our review.

Silca T-Ratchet Kit + Ti-Torque Kit £100 
Buy now over at Evans Cycles

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This is a beautifully made, superlight, and multi-functional set of tools that would make a great gift. The tools live in a beautiful waxed canvas cloth case that’s magnetically closed, snapping shut for compact storage in a jersey pocket. 

Evans Cycles currently has stock of the kit, so head on over there if you're looking to make the bike fettler in your life very happy. 

Read our review. 

Yoga Design Lab yoga mat £64

Buy now at Amazon

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Made from recycled plastic PET bottles and tree rubber, these colourful yoga mats (lots more designs available) mean you'll be doing your bit for the environment while stretching out your glutes and flexors. Namaste.

Get more info here. 

Prologo CPC Airing Nago Evo Nack saddle £249.99 
Buy now for 16% off at Tredz

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The name is arguably too long, but with carbon-fibre rails and CPC (Connect, Power, Control) polymer on the upper, the Prologo CPC Airing Nago Evo Nack saddle does have the advantage of looking expensive. Bonus! Even more important, reviewer George found it to be super-comfy.

Read our review. 

Rapha Leather Race Bag £595

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Rapha offers a water resistant Cordura race bag (currently out of stock) but if you want to go all in, this version “is constructed from a fine full-grain leather sourced from an artisan French tannery”. Well, of course. You wouldn’t expect anyone to rock up at a race with anything less, would you? 

See it here. 

Brooks Pickwick Leather backpack £340

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If you’re buying for someone who uses their bike for commuting or urban riding, Brooks’ Pickwick Leather backpack is a high quality bit of kit that’s “designed by André Klauser in London and manufactured in the hills of Tuscany by Italian artisans”. 

What is it with all the artisans? They’re cleaning up these days. 

Of course, heading over to Brooks and shelling out on the artisan leather isn't your only option. If you've been swept away by the design, but £340 is a little outside of your budget, you can buy the water-resistant canvas edition for £139.50 over at Tredz.

Get more info here.

CycleOps Hammer direct drive smart trainer £1,000
Buy now at Wiggle for 11% off

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This is a fully-featured indoor trainer to use with Zwift and similar apps, and it’s especially welcome at this time of year when the weather’s cold and damp. It has a smooth, realistic pedalling feel, accurate power measurement, high maximum resistance, and an air of reassuring solidity. It even folds away for more compact storage. The Hammer is a doddle to set up and, despite it’s name, is also quiet. The price has just been reduced from £1,200 to £1,000

Read our review. 

Chpt3 The Rocka 1.61 £300
Buy now for 13% off at Sigma Sports

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David Millar's Chpt3 brand describes its clothing, made by Castelli, as “premium cycling apparel”. The Rocka is based on Castelli's existing Gabba, but it comes in less of a race cut with extra features added, such as a front pocket and a buttoned flap at the collar.

Find out more.

Specialized S-Works Womens Prevail II helmet £175
Buy now over at Hargroves Cycles

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The Prevail  has long been a popular helmet with performance-focused cyclists because it's comfortable, well ventilated and seriously lightweight. This new version retains everything that was good about original but has a much lower profile. It not only looks better but offers improved ventilation and sweat management as well as reduced wind noise.

Read our review. 

Roval CLX 50 Disc wheels £1,870 
Buy now over at Evans Cycles

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The Roval CLX 50s (with 50mm-deep rims) combine the aero performance of deep section rims with the lightness of shallower rims, coming in at 1,415g with disc brake hubs. They put in an excellent performance across the board, proving fast and stable with impressive handling. There are more aerodynamically efficient wheels and there are lighter wheels, but these strike a really good all-round balance that works well in most situations.

Read our review. 

Castelli Idro Jacket £260 
Buy now over at Wiggle 

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The Idro is made of the waterproof, amazingly breathable and highly packable Gore-Tex Active fabric, as are the 7Mesh Oro and the Gore Bike Wear One that we’ve also reviewed here on road.cc. None of these jackets are cheap – largely thanks to the high-tech fabric used – but they perform superbly and pretty much any rider would be delighted to receive one. 

Read our review. 

Gore Power Windstopper long sleeve jersey £179.99 
Buy now for 5% off at Wiggle

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If you’re thinking of buying someone a Christmas jumper this year, here’s a little tip: don’t. Wacky doesn’t equal funny. Instead, get them a top they’ll really appreciate like this brilliant three-season Windstopper jersey that provides very good protection against wind and rain. It’s also lightweight and slim fitting with excellent breathability, and there’s not a snowman or reindeer in sight. A top pick!

Read our review. 

Barbour x Brompton Merton Wax Jacket £299
Buy now at John Lewis

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Brompton, of folding bike fame, has teamed up with luxury outdoor fashion brand Barbour to offer a range of different jackets for both men and women. This is the women's Bromley which boasts features like reflective tape in the collar, a dropped hem at the rear and venting. It looks good off the bike too.

Find out more. 

Exposure Strada 1200 £289.96
Buy now for 10% off at Rutland Cycling

The Exposure Strada 1200 is a well-made and durable light that offers all the illumination you could need on the road and very good battery life. With an aluminium shell and a good mount, it has an air of quality and should last ages.

Read our first review.

Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset £3,097.99
Buy now for 37% off at Wiggle

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The new version of Shimano’s top level road groupset offers a stunning performance without any real weakness: superb braking, excellent shifting and a more integrated design than previously. We always quote RRPs, but shop around and you’ll find it cheaper.

Read our first ride. 

Colnago Concept frameset £3,499.95
Buy now for 5% off at Merlin Cycles

The Concept is a stunning aero road bike with awesome speed and the excellent handling that is synonymous with the celebrated brand. It offers a slice of Italian exotic fused with ultra modern aero design. That's what Dave said in his review, anyway. And it looks cool!

Read our review.

Shand custom frame and fork £various

If you want to give someone the perfect bike, how about getting it made to their exact size and requirements? There are a lot of frame builders out there who can do the job. Shand, for example, specialises in steel frames. A custom bike more expensive than buying off the peg, of course, but you'll end up with something special. 

Check out our feature on great custom handbuilt frames.

Storck Fascenario.3 x Aston Martin £15,777

Okay, this is getting a little out of hand now, but if you do happen to have a friend who’s just had a big win on the horses, maybe they’ll get you one of these for Christmas. Storck has teamed up with Aston Martin to produce a limited run of 107 Fascenario.3s in this finish, built up with a mainly SRAM Red eTap wireless groupset, Zipp 303 NSW wheels, THM brakes and cranks and Pirelli PZero Velo tyres. The weight is a claimed 5.9kg. Not a bad little setup, eh?

Read our story.