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review

Mavic Ksyrium 30 Disc wheelset

8
£350.00

VERDICT:

8
10
On the heavy side, but strong, reliable and stylish – an impressive set of entry-level wheels
Quality feel
Strong build
Good freehub feel and sound
Look more expensive than they are
A bit heavy
Can feel a little harsh
Weight: 
1,790g
Contact: 

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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.

2022 Mavic Ksyrium 30 Disc - valve hole.jpg

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.

2022 Mavic Ksyrium 30 Disc - rim bed.jpg

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.

2022 Mavic Ksyrium 30 Disc - rear hub.jpg

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.

2022 Mavic Ksyrium 30 Disc - front hub.jpg

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

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Mavic Ksyrium 30 Disc

Size tested: 700C, 30mm deep

Tell us what the wheel is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Mavic says: "A brand new 30mm deep tubeless friendly rim that's light and dynamic, laced with double butted spokes on our state-of-the-art Infinity hub. All the Mavic quality and performance within reach."

Mavic also says its intended use is: "road and offroad with jumps less than 15cm"

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the wheel?

Mavic lists these details:

Rims

Material: Maxtal

Height: 30 mm

Drilling: traditional

Disc brake specific profile

Tire: UST Tubeless and tubetype

Internal width: 19 mm

ETRTO size: 622x19TC

UST tubeless technology

SUP welding technology

Spokes

Material: steel

Shape: straight pull, flat, double butted

Nipples: steel, ABS

Count: 24 front and rear

Lacing: front and rear crossed 2, contactless

Hubs

Front and rear bodies: aluminum

Axle material: aluminum

Infinity hubs

Front: Quick release and 12x100 through axle compatible

Rear: Quick Release, 12x142 and 12x135 compatible

Instant Drive 360 freewheel technology

QRM Auto bearing preload technology

Versions

Disc standard: Center Lock only

Freewheel: Shimano/Sram or XD-Road

Compatibility

Freewheel: Shimano/Sram, convertible to Campagnolo ED11, N3W and XD-R with optional driver bodies

Front axle: 12x100 thru axle, easily convertible to quick release with included adapters Not compatible with 15mm through axles

Rear axle: 12mm thru axle, convertible to Quick Release with included adapters

Compatible Adapters and freewheel bodies

12 to 9mm front adapter for quick release (V2680301)

12mm front hub cap (V2680501 - Delivered with the wheel)

12x142 rear axle adapters (V2510701 - Delivered with the wheel)

12 to 9mm rear adapter for quick release (V2510801 - Delivered with the wheel)

ID360 Shimano / Sram Light freewheel body (V3850101)

ID360 Campagnolo freewheel body (V3440101)

ID360 XD-R freewheel body (V2580101)

ID360 Shimano / Sram freewheel body (V3430101)

ID360 N3W freewheel body (V4270101)

Delivered with

Front QR adapters

Rear QR adapters for Instant Drive 360

UST valve and accessories

Pre-installed tubeless rim tape

User guide

Intended use

ASTM CATEGORY 2 : road and offroad with jumps less than 15cm

For a longer longevity of the wheel, Mavic recommends that the total weight supported by the wheels doesn't exceed 120kg, bike included

Rate the wheel for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Feel solid and look it, too. They're even rated for jumps – under 15cm ones, true, but jumps nonetheless.

Rate the wheel for performance:
 
7/10

These feel stiff and stable, though the weight means acceleration is dulled.

Rate the wheel for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the wheel for weight
 
6/10

They're a little hefty.

Rate the wheel for value:
 
7/10

Did the wheels stay true? Any issues with spoke tension?

Yes and no. In that order.

How easy did you find it to fit tyres?

Very easy, both tubed and tubeless.

How did the wheel extras (eg skewers and rim tape) perform?

This wheelset includes QR adaptors and tubeless valves, though both were absent from our test pair. The rim tape works well, though – both wheels sealed easily and, while they lost pressure when sitting in the shed, it was the same small amount from each.

Tell us how the wheel performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well given the price. They spin very smoothly, feel slippery at speed and seem reassuringly tough on bad roads. They arrived straight and true and stayed that way, too. Tyre changes and tubeless setups were easy, the freehub picks up quickly and ticks along quietly with a pleasing solidity.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the wheel

Reassuringly solid on bad roads, smooth spinning, quality freehub feel and sound, easy freehub swaps.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the wheel

Not the lightest, a little harsh at higher pressures, yellow flash could be next to valve rather than opposite.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The price looks good against similarly specced rivals.

Did you enjoy using the wheel? Yes

Would you consider buying the wheel? Yes

Would you recommend the wheel to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

There's little to doubt here over the strength and quality, and while they're heavy they hide it fairly well out on the road. The price is attractive, too. They're very good.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 48  Height: 183cm  Weight: 78kg

I usually ride: Vitus Zenium SL VR Disc  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: general fitness riding, mtb,

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1 comments

Avatar
a1white | 1 year ago
0 likes

" 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!'

Haha! Thanks for the genuine Lol 😂 

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