Gear Review: Mavic Wheels
- By Paul Moore
- Published May 1, 2012
While Mavic has been delivering big things to the road world for years they haven’t had the same impact on the tri scene. For 201 2 they have stepped up with their Cosmic Carbone 80, which is their deepest rim to date. As the name suggests the Cosmic Carbone rims are 80mm deep and they’re 23mm wide. Unlike Zipp, Hed or Bontrager they haven’t gone with a wider rim but to help handling in cross winds Mavic have used elliptical sidewalls on the rim.
Furthering the handling characteristics Mavic have opted for more compliant stainless steel bladed straight pull spokes rather than wide bladed aluminium spokes because the rim itself provides much of the stiffness. These are radially laced up front with 1 6 spokes and two-cross on the drive side of the rear that runs with 20 spokes. This helps provide a little vertical compliance to take some of the sting out of the road.
The all black stealth looking rims are laced into Mavic’s machined aluminium hubs that are renowned for their quality build and smooth long lasting double sealed cartridge bearings. Another nice touch is the stainless steel reinforcement of the internal pawl and hub body contact area, which means these hubs are built to last with minimum maintenance and fuss. Mavic provide a bearing adjustment tool in the box should any adjustment be needed.
Mavic supply this wheelset with their own 23mm Yksion tubular tyres that sit into the rim to provide an almost seamless integration between the two providing solid aerodynamic qualities. The Grip Link front tyre features a single compound smooth tread while the rear Power Link tyre rolls with a dual compound. The 290TPI smooth thread tyres offer a solid and reliable ride whether powering on the straight or hammering hard into corners at speed.
On the scales this wheelset comes in at 1 ,750 grammes, which weight weenies will know is around 200-grammes more than equivalent Zipp, HED or Smart Enve set ups. Once riding it’s hard to notice the extra weight, but what you do become aware of is the comfy ride from the compliance of the spokes. They’re a forgiving set of wheels without feeling mushy or like you’re losing valuable power, which for longer course racing is always a bonus, so you’re not too beaten up for the run. The weight only becomes questionable when you hit climbs.
A nice touch is that Mavic provide quick releases, wheel bags, carbon-specific brake blocks, spoke key, valve extenders and a bearing tool. Mavic have come up with a quality package at a solid price point. The Comsic Carbone 80 wheels will suit those looking for reliability and a smooth ride on a flatter course.
Performance: 8
Value: 9
RRP: £1,800
FILED UNDER: Gear & Tech TAGS: About / Aero / Carbon / Information / Mavic / Review / Triathlon / wheel
Paul Moore
Paul Moore is the Online Editor for Triathlete Europe. When not glued to a computer he can be found writing books - most recently The World's Toughest Endurance Challenges which you can buy on Amazon. Paul has also written Ultimate Triathlon: A complete training guide for long-distance triathletes which is also available on Amazon.
