Mavic Ellipse Track Wheelset

The Mavic Ellipse Track Wheelset is built to move between two very different jobs: real velodrome training and racing, and everyday urban fixed-gear riding. Mavic built the Ellipse around a flip-flop rear hub, which means the same wheelset that handles a track session can be flipped to run a freewheel for street use, rather than requiring separate wheels for each.

The rim is built from Maxtal, an aluminum alloy exclusive to Mavic with a higher strength-to-weight ratio than conventional aluminum alloys, shaped to a 30mm depth with a SUP-welded joint — the seam is arc-welded and then milled smooth rather than left as a raw weld, which keeps the rim true and durable over time. Unlike a pure velodrome-only wheel, the Ellipse's rim includes Mavic's black Exalit brake track, so it works with rim brakes for riders who want a brake for street use, while still functioning as a proper brakeless track wheel on the boards.

The wheels lace with 20 bladed, straight-pull steel spokes on both the front and rear, a spoke count and style built for the stiffness and quick acceleration track riding demands. Both hubs use aluminum shells and steel axles with QRM+ sealed cartridge bearings, which keep the wheel spinning smoothly with minimal maintenance — a real advantage for a wheel that's likely to see frequent use in both training and commuting. The rear hub's flip-flop design puts a fixed cog on one side and threads for a freewheel on the other, so a rider can run the wheel fixed for track work and flip it to freewheel for casual riding without needing a second wheel.

Mavic rates the Ellipse for clincher tires between 23mm and 32mm wide, giving enough range to run a narrower tire for pure speed on the track or a slightly wider tire for comfort and grip on city streets. The complete set weighs approximately 1,895 grams, a reasonable weight for a durable, do-it-all track and street wheelset rather than a stripped-down, ultralight racing-only build. The wheelset ships with Mavic rim tape and a lockring included, though not pre-installed, and it takes a French-threaded lockring — worth noting if you plan to ride fixed-fixed, since you'll need to source a second lockring for the non-drive side.

This is a wheelset for a rider who wants genuine velodrome capability without giving up the flexibility to ride the same wheels on the street — a track racer or trainee who also commutes or rides casually on a fixed-gear or single-speed setup, and who'd rather own one durable, well-built wheelset than two specialized ones.