Mavic Ksyrium Elite S Vs Vision Trimax 30

FWIW. If I were choosing between the two ...

Then, I would choose the VISION TRIMAX 30 wheelset simply because its nipples appear to use a standard spoke wrench vs. MAVIC's proprietary Torx-like wrench ...

Of course, the spoke wrench is not an issue if you are tuning your wheel at home or if your shop does the work, but if you are on the road then MAVICs nipples will probably present an impossible situation unless you are willing to carry the comparatively bulky MAVIC-specific spoke wrench with you (MAVIC wheels used to come with a use-once plastic spoke wrench which was presumably so you would know what the metal version would look like ... so, I presume the current MAVIC wheels still come with that otherwise-useless plastic spoke wrench).

And presumably, the Vision wheel uses more-readily-available J-bend spokes.

Depending on your budget, then MY real recommendation would be the-rim-of-your-choice laced to traditional hubs with traditional J-bend spokes ...

I prefer either SHIMANO or CAMPAGNOLO hubs which have "loose" (i.e., readily serviceable) ball bearings OR one of DT's (really expensive) Star Rachet rear hubs vs. the rear hub which DT has on your/their R-1900 wheels OR the more mundane FORMULA brand hubs (which seem to be "okay"😉 ...

32x3 lacing is (still) probably the best option for general riding, BTW.

Obviously, Campagnolo hubs can only use over-priced Campagnolo Cassettes unless a Shimano-compatible Freehub is grafted onto it.

If you haven't worn out the braking surface on your front rim, then you may want to consider simply having a rear wheel laced with a 32h Shimano rear hub on a rim which more-or-less looks the same ...

I recommend straight 14g spokes because I prefer a laterally stiffer wheel ...

On the other hand, others often suggest a 14-15-14 double-butted spokes because of a belief that they produce a better wheel (I believe THAT belief is unfounded and/or misguided) ... well, double-butted spokes are definitely better for the wheelbuilder because s/he can charge you considerably more for the wheels!

I just trued up a pair of Ksyrium Elites today, which brings up what I like about Mavic wheels. The hubs are light and durable, having good cartridge bearings.The rims are also strong, light, and they true up easily once you have the wrench for the proprietary nipple in your hands. Should you break a spoke, though, which occasionally happens, replacement can be a hassle. After over 10k miles, my own Ksyriums (SLs) are rolling great after one truing and adjustment of the front hub, and several cassette body overhauls. More about that below.

I also overhauled the cassette body, which brings up my caveat about these wheels. The Mavic cassette body spins on teflon coated plastic bushing that wears out. It wears out faster if you don't clean it from time to time, like every 1500 (Mavic's recommendation) to 3000 (my actual interval) miles. Ignoring it leads to different consequences, depending on how oblivious you are to the condition of your equipment.

The solution is to learn how to take apart and clean this thing or remember to tell your bike shop mechanic to do it when you take it in for a tune-up.

Overall, I think Ksyriums are pretty dandy wheels. I don't know if I'd go out of my way to buy them, but they don't deserve some of the bad rep they get.

Ksyriums

Mavic is primarily a wheel builder. It's what they do. The Ksyriums are a solid wheel upgrade. The nipples are not an issue. Ive been riding for 29 years and the number of times I've trued a wheel out on the trail or road = 0. I have 4 sets of Mavic wheels (including 2 sets of Ksyriums) and all of them have been rock solid.

FWIW, I also am a fan of old style cup and cone hubs like shimano... Good stuff, have a couple sets of Ultegra hubs. Properly set up and maintained they'll last forever and replacing bearings is cheap and easy. Custom building wheels is an option but generally a bit pricier than buying an off the shelf wheel.