INTERBIKE 2009 – Mavic had two ridiculously lightweight wheelsets on display, and this is one of them: The R-SYS Ultimate prototype.
They have a claimed weight of 950g per set, and the front wheel is under 400g!  (With their permission, we tried to weigh them, but Mavic’s people couldn’t get them un-bolted without seriously altering the display…thanks for trying, though!)  Mavic says these have been riding in this year’s Giro d’Italia, and they’re being developed as proof-of-concept of what they’re capable of from an engineering standpoint.
The wheels are tubular-only and are basically a fully bonded construction.
Hit ‘more’ for additional photos…
Tubular-only full carbon rims.
Yep, bonded.  No nipples to twist.  Not on the wheels anyway, I’m sure your roommate/lover isn’t too far away…
Other than the internals, the rear driveside flange appears to be the only non-carbon fiber bit on the wheels.
OK, the axle caps are alloy, too.
There is absolutely no planned release date or pricing on these at present, and this is one of only 10 pair of the R-SYS Ultimates in existence and the only one in the U.S.
