ELITEWHEELS Drive SL SS steel-spoke road wheelset

With the Drive SL SS, Elitewheels builds its 25 mm internal road rim on Sapim CX-Ray steel spokes, in 48 or 58 mm. It is aimed at the racer on 29 to 32 mm tyres who wants a race wheel that is easy to maintain.

It all starts with rim width. At 25 mm internal, a 29 to 32 mm tyre inflates with almost straight sidewalls. It avoids the light-bulb shape it takes on a narrow rim. Its better-supported sidewall holds in corners and out of the saddle, and the air volume lets you run lower pressure. Externally, the rim measures 36 mm at the front and 34 mm at the rear. The front, the wheel that steers, is wider for stability in crosswinds. The rear turns in the air already churned up by the rider, where a narrower rim cuts drag.

CX-Ray is the choice for easy maintenance: a flat steel spoke most workshops have to hand. When truing, the blade is held with a bladed-spoke holder while the nipple is turned. Without one, the spoke twists and stays crooked in the airflow. The wheelset weighs 1,400 g in 48 mm, for a rider of up to 120 kg.

Elitewheels machines the titanium freehub body and its 60 teeth from a single block, and they engage every 6 degrees. MAAKE intends it for riders who want a race wheel their local workshop can true.