Mavic K10 wheel and tyre Review

Reviewer: Dan Duguid

25-Mar-2010 | 2 Reviews

Rating:

£899.99 (at time of review)

Pros

Great ride quality
Exclusivity

Cons

Exclusivity comes at a price

See verdict and spec

Mavic's lightest Ksyriums matched with limited edition tyres for £899

Mavic's K10 is not just a limited edition 10-year celebration of the Ksyrium, with just 1,000 units available worldwide, but hopes to open new doors into the realms of a complete wheel-tyre system with the aim of increasing performance.

The new K10 is the lightest Ksyrium available and features increased milling on the sidewalls of the rim to decrease weight, albeit by just 15g a pair but adds that little bit extra in the looks department, with the milled areas being left as raw aluminium. On the bike these wheels look great, with a stealth appearance, and the ride is very much like a high-end Ksyrium, being light, lively and responsive without feeling harsh.

Making these wheels unique, the specific Mavic K10 tyre (£45 each) is to keep Mavic's lightest Ksyrium feeling that extra bit special. Mavic is new to the tyre market and using the same factory as Vittoria, has come to market with its own 290tpi dual compound tyre that tips the scales at just 450g per pair.

The front is 23mm wide and the rear is 25mm, giving a higher degree of comfort. Using Mavic's GripLink compound, the tyre is positive with ample grip while remaining fast.

Verdict

It was unfortunate that I punctured on the first outing but to be fair these tyres are best suited to summer conditions, not the gravel-strewn roads of Wales that I was riding on. The ProtekLink (anti-puncture) has since held up fine and if you did wish to switch to another tyre, there are no compatibility issues.

The Ksyrium K10 has the same Ksyrium high quality ride we have come to expect from Mavic while opening a new door in wheel-tyres systems and has extra detailing to boot, although at an extra cost for this exclusivity.

Full specification

Supplier

www.mavic.com

User reviews

Add your review

derekbiggerstaff

April 18 13:59

In what way is this a "system"? A trap for the gullible more like. Hardly surprising that a reviewer for the yuppie lifestyle magazine that CW has become, would take it seriously though.

Mark Smith

March 02 17:06

I've done 50 miles on a set of these. Where the centre harder tyre compound meets the softer side compound there are places where the there's a visible gap between the two. Whether this is normal or not I don't know but the gap is inconsistent so I'm guessing not. More concerning is that the softer side wall on my front tyre has already got a nasty cut down to the cloth and is weakened and bulging. I don't fancy a blow out when cornering hard downhill so I'm replacing the tyres. Mark