Mavic's distinctive, fat silver spoke CrossMax SL wheels have been race icons for years now. Not even Julian Clary has more rim history than Mavic and the SSC rims are as fly as you'll find.
They're UST compatible as standard, coated with a ceramic layer that means your rim brakes will out-stop DH discs in the dry and they're machined away between the spoke and valve insertion points to reduce weight. The bladed 'Zicral' alloy spokes thread directly into the rim, they're super tough, and make an outstandingly tight wheel. This V-brake set uses an ultralight composite bodied front hub to drop over 100g from the disc version.
Despite looking vulnerable, the exposed, adjustable bearings survive really well in all-weather conditions. The 'loud and proud' steel reinforced freehub is a rock solid piece too, and the Mavic QR skewers (included) are fantastic. They're pretty expensive wheels, and while disc versions are only £17 more a set, they're quite heavy (1732g Vs 1548g).
