Mavic Ksyrium 30 Disc wheelset

The Mavic Ksyrium 30 Disc wheelset is strong and well made, and though not the lightest it spins very smoothly and reliably without ever feeling too sluggish. The 30mm-deep alloy rims can feel a tad harsh at times, but for the price – and the looks that belie it – they're an attractive training proposition, especially combined with a nice light set of the best winter road bike tyres.

At 1,790g the Kysriums are pretty heavy, but that aside there's little to mark them out as 'budget,' despite being firmly in the entry-level camp. All the parts, and the build that stitches them together, have a reassuring feel of quality.

You get 24 steel spokes at both ends, secured with steel nipples, and although those are heavier than alloy nipples there's no galvanic corrosion (or easily-strippable threads) to worry about.

The spokes are double butted (thicker at the ends for strength), straight-pull and bladed for drag reduction, and overall it's a pleasingly strong and stiff build. My local lanes are pretty poor (and in autumn the worst holes are hidden by leaves, sticks, mud, saplings, moss, squirrels, rivers) so the test gave them a bit of a beating, but they ended it spinning just as straight and smooth as they started.

It's worth noting that Mavic even rates these for jumps – that's 15cm or less, so we're not talking giant hucks to flat here – but that tells you a fair bit about their solidity.

The 30mm-deep, 22mm-wide (outside diameter – inside is 19mm) aluminium rims can feel just a little bit harsh on rough tarmac, but I never found it particularly intrusive or uncomfortable. I ran 28mm tyres and the rims gave them a great shape; the limits are 25mm to 32mm, so that's right in the middle of their range.

The upside is that these wheels are also impressively stiff under acceleration, or at least, whatever you can muster; that highish weight naturally dulls it, though it's not as noticeable as I expected from looking at the scales.

The Kysriums roll very smoothly and easily on their Infinity hubs, and once up to speed they hold it easily. The rear freehub engages quickly too, and when you're freewheeling it has a lovely chunky tick that reminded me of the dials on Hollywood bank vaults... I'd say it was quiet to middling for volume, which I personally like. Mostly.

It's loud enough for alerting rural dog walkers, anyway, if only just – I find freewheeling quite a neutral way to warn people, as it's seemingly less provocative than a bell, a brief squeal of brake or a cheery 'Get-the-f***-out-of-the-road!'. That said, the Infinity doesn't create the most usefully urgent racket in an urban context, if that's what you're after.

I also really liked the tool-free ability to switch the driver body – our test set had an XD-R version attached on arrival, and it really did only take seconds to swap to Shimano.

Talking of compatibility, Mavic also does Campagnolo ED11 and N3W driver bodies, and in the box you'll find QR adaptors in case you're mixing skinny skewers with disc brakes. Also, the rear is compatible with either 135mm or 142mm spacings, though both ends are Center Lock only for disc attachment.

The spoke tension, truing of the wheels and smoothness of the bearings all remained excellent throughout the test. I had zero issues with the airtight rim tape too, and setting them up tubeless proved very easy.

Value

These will set you back £350, which is pretty good for entry-level sets and great considering their strength and quality. The Vel 28 RL Alloy Tubeless Disc Wheelset is pretty similar but £50 more at £399, for instance, though Stu was impressed with them and they do have the benefit of being 170g lighter (with rim tape) at 1,620g.

Stu also tested the Fulcrum Racing 4 DB Wheelset, which is also pretty close in spec and intention, though only slightly lighter than these Mavics at 1,760g and £100 more at £449.99. You could go for the 5 DB wheelset instead at £399.99, but Jamie wasn't impressed with the out-of-true pair he had on test last year.

They're also cheaper (but heavier) than the best inexpensive disc-brake road wheels in our best road bike wheels buyer’s guide (Scribe's Race-D wheelset, reviewed by Jamie in 2020, and now £420).

The Ksyriums feel very well built for the price and the value seems good, and better still the stylish looks and big logos will convince people you've spent a fair bit more than you have. Or it would if the entire economy wasn't worth less than £350 right now, so people will know you couldn't have anyway.

Conclusion

Overall, these are heavier than many similarly specced entry-level wheels, but they're cheaper than plenty, too, and they're more than up to withstanding the grimmest UK months of autumn and winter. And spring. And summer. They're a great choice for training and general road riding.

Verdict

On the heavy side, but strong, reliable and stylish – an impressive set of entry-level wheels