A wheel that combines a racer's responsiveness and lightweight performance, with a smoother, deeper rimThe Ksyrium Pro Exalith SL is a lighter and stiffer version of Ksyrium Pro Exalith. It pushes weight-saving one step further, making it a high performance choice for any kind of ride. Like the Pro Exalith, this wheel features the same Fore technology and Zicral spokes that bring higher stiffness and strength at a very low weight. Exalith treatedIt also features the Exclusive Exalith technology, a chemical treatment of the aluminum alloy that slows down wear, notably at the brake track. It also shortens braking distance by 20% in dry and wet conditions, and provides a stunning all black finish, including on the brake track that will keep its color for thousands of kilometers. ISM4D and Tracomp technologyThe rim uses ISM4D technology to keep weight and inertia very low, saving four watts in aerodynamics. In addition, it uses our patented and unique Tracomp technology on the rear wheel. Tracomp stands for Traction/Compression. It was first introduced on the R-Sys wheel where we’ve been able to lower the wheel weight again by 10%, while increasing lateral stiffness by 30%. So why does Tracomp make such a difference? Well a traditional wheel works with spokes that are only tensioned. The spoke tension provides the frontal and lateral stiffness and keeps the wheel components together. But under lateral loads, half of the spokes will see their tension increase, and the other half will see it lowering. When the load is very heavy, some spokes might completely lose their tension, which provokes a sudden loss of wheel stiffness, something that most cyclists have experienced at some point. The traditional way to avoid that is to increase the spoke tension, which results in poor fatigue resistance for both spokes and rims. Tracomp overcomes this issue by allowing the spoke to work both in traction and compression. Under heavy loads, instead of losing their tension, Tracomp spokes will enter into compression and keep the wheel supported with a high lateral stiffness. To achieve this, the spokes need to be: - Round and hollow (tubes) so they won’t buckle when compressed - Clamped on both ends by a nipple that is bonded to the spoke and directly threaded into the rim’s Fore drilling and a ring inside the hub that locks the spoke head and prevents the spokes from travelling inside their slots - Carbon to provide the desired weight saving and extra stiffness during the tension phase as, carbon fibers don’t stretch as much as steel or aluminum alloy Also, because these spokes don’t suffer loss of tension, the overall wheel spokes’ tension can be lower, which means the wheel components last longer.The Tracomp carbon spokes also dampen road vibration and since they allow for a very wide wheel dish, the vertical compliance of the wheel adds comfort too. The result is a superlight 1355g wheelset that offers super high lateral stiffness and great comfort. Matching Yksion Pro tiresThe Ksyrium Pro SL comes with our Yksion Pro tires which offers a great balance of grip, rolling resistance and a low weight of only 205g in 25mm thanks to the supple 127 TPI casing, Kevlar beads and our well-balanced rubber compound. The front wheel comes with the Griplink version that offers a specific tread pattern which helps evacuate water when cornering to increase confidence and speed in difficult conditions. It also offers very strong Kevlar puncture protection to improve safety. The rear wheel comes with the Powerlink version, which uses a more supple nylon puncture protection instead of Kevlar to lower rolling resistance. We’ve also optimized the tread pattern so pressure on the ground is reduced. This reduces rolling resistance and increases speed even further, while also improving water evacuation from the center to increase traction and efficiency in wet conditions. Ksyrium Pro Exalith SL is available with 23mm or 25mm tires. Yksion Pro tires are also available in 28mm for even more comfort.