This period of the year does not really motivate to have a ride, the days are getting shorter and the weather is very… very wet and cold. So we are trying with this small article to put
new hearth into our readers. Please see some of the specifications of these three new products.
Mavic Race SL Ti
The biggest wheel manufacturer extends its range for the new season. Clothes, shoes and pedals will be available in 2009.
The pedals range is said to be very technical and competes directly with the most prestigious manufacturers. Three models between 220g and 290g per set form this young range.
There is no revolution behind these components, but the system seems easy to use, and looks durable. We will see how it holds with the time. The pedals are compatible with Mavic
« Dura-Cleat » style cleats which features two things. First, the contact area with the pedal is high to transfer the force of the rider in the best conditions, and second, the
cleats receive a soft plastic to allow some steps without damaging the important areas.
Two different cleats are available: with 7° of float or without float.
The models of the range differs by their weight of course, but also by several points: the axles are made out of different materials, there are more bearings of higher quality while going to the top range, and the finish evoluates dramatically. Final precision about the release tension, it is adjustable from 80 to 200kg/cm² through a hex screw at the top of the pedal.
The table below summarizes what Mavic offers as pedals:
| Model | Weight (per pedal) | Axle | Bearings | Body | Contact friction plate | Tension | Cleats |
| Race SL Ti | 110g | Titanium 6V | 2 QRM + 1 needle bearing | aluminium | Composite | Adjustable between 80 à 200kg/cm² | Dura Cleat, angular float: 7° or 0° |
| Race | 130g | Chromoly polished | 2 QRM | aluminium | Composite | Adjustable between 80 à 200kg/cm² | Dura Cleat, angular float: 7° or 0° |
| Avenir | 145g | Chromoly | 1 QRM | aluminium | Composite | Adjustable between 80 à 200kg/cm² | Dura Cleat, angular float: 7° or 0° |
The pre-production pedals are slightly heavier than claimed, they hit the scale with 237g instead of 220g, the bearings do not seem perfectly smooth and the rotation is not perfectly regular. We hope these little cons will be solved on the regular production, which has started not long ago.
Corima 2009
At Loriol, france, Corima updates its rims. The tubular Winium is the one that received the most updates. Indeed this rims had its carbon fibre updated from 3k to 12k for 2007, then
Corima came back to 3k in 2008, for some technical reasons. For 2009, the rims are lightened a lot: they lose 40g, so the newest version now only weights between 270 and 280g. This weight loss does not come along with a lower stiffness because the rim also is wider: 22,6mm instead of 21mm, which probably compensate or even surpass the stiffness drop related to the material cut.
From an aero point of view, the wider rim comes with a higher drag. But the Winium is not designed to be aero, it is a climbing rim so we take this update with a lot of interest.
The Aero rim keeps its width but also loses a couple of grams. Usually the Corima tubular aero rim is 380g, today, they are all under 370g and sometimes even sub 365g. The price of the rims has changed a little: the 2009 Aéro is 6 euros more expensive than the 2008.
Tune, white hubs
As mentionned in a previous article, during the Eurobike show, Tune now makes white, orange, green, purple hubs beside the standard colors.
For the fun, and because we are curious, we ordered two sets of them: Mig70 in 20 holes and Mag180 in 24 holes. The special color will certainly match some bikes in a very nice way. Dt Swiss also makes DT240s in 28h in white, and DT Aerolite spokes in white, and even in red! Agressive looking bikes are to be expected!
The weight of these hubs remains unchanged despite the new color/paint: 76g for the front and 186g the rear.
In term of price, the white hubs are a couple of euros more expensive than the normal hubs in red, black, blue, gold or silver, and finally the delay is pretty long to get these toys
made by Tune. We had to wait 2 months to get these white Mig70 and Mag180. The delay to receive the Mig45 and Mag150 is even longer, you can expect 3 months, and sometimes 4 months…
In short, if you want to make a very good build with these high-end german hubs, you need to anticipate .
