Wheels

Mavic Ksyrium Elite

Very nice upgrade wheelset option from the iconic French brand

On any low to mid-range bike, wheels are a prime example of something that’s ready for an upgrade as they’re the most commonly under-specced component in an attempt to keep price down.

And as far as upgrades go, your wheels are one of the immediately appreciable changes you can make. Swap out your basic wheels for something a little more exalted and you’ll notice the difference straight away. And that’s where wheels like Mavic’s Ksyrium Elites come in.

Mavic’s extensive wheel range covers everything from high end carbon like the Cosmic Ultimates to their entry-level Aksiums, and it’s the quality they offer at both ends of the scale that really makes the Annecy-based brand stand out.

The Ksyrium range sits one up from the Aksium and is an immediately obvious option for anyone looking to swap out their training wheels or ditch the set that came with their bike. They’re representative of Mavic’s innovation, having been the first to use the ‘Fore’ concept – a spoke nipple mounted on the inside of the rim rather than externally, using less material and leaving a neater finish with the valve hole being the only visible intrusion.

The wider rims allow these to hold 18 per cent more air than their predecessors, which will make for a wonderfully comfortable ride

Innovation has been the key to Mavic’s longevity. Since their foundation in 1889 through to the first glass fibre lenticular aero wheel in 1973, and following that with anodised rims and the aforementioned Fore concept, they’ve been setting trends for over a century. And all that means you can be sure when you buy a set of Mavics you’re acquiring yourself a set of wheels that have been thoroughly well thought out.

That’s certainly true of the Ksyrium Elite, which was given its latest makeover last year to include a new, wider rim, perfectly on trend with the latest trend towards wider tyres. That internal rim width is 2mm greater than their predecessors, and that allows the tyres to hold an 18 per cent greater volume of air than before which will mean greater comfort out on the road.

Impressively, widening the rims hasn’t meant a huge weight increase, and when we reviewed them last year out test set tipped the scales at 1,608g, just 88g more than the Ksyrium Elite S.

Mavic supply their wheels as wheel-tyre systems, and have done since 2010, which means you also get a set of 25mm Yksion Pro tyres as part of the deal, bringing total system weight up to 2,204g (including inner tubes).

Price: £500
Weight: 1,608g
Website: Mavic

One bit of trickle down tech is the QRM+ bearings, which are top class, the same bearings you’ll find in the £2,000 Cosmic Carbone Ultimates.

Our test wheels came with metallic red hubs and spoke nipples, and you can also get them in electric blue if you fancy something flashy, or classic black for a more traditional look. Colour, of course, doesn’t affect performance but it’s a nice touch.

They didn’t disappoint when it came to riding, either, offering a lovely ride quality coupled with enough stiffness to make them responsive under acceleration. The wide rim, as well as being on trend, allows for a notably more comfortable ride than their predecessors. All yours for just £500.