Mavic Cosmic Carbon Ultimate [en]

I thought I was on holidays while waiting for our new website, well it seems I was wrong and a big new forces me to take back my pen or should I say my keyboard!
The latest Mavic wheel we spoke a lot the last months have been announced almost officially.
A small meeting to present them to the Saunier Duval riders has been organized and it ends any rumors about these – very waited and very technical – wheels.

Thus, as its name indicates, the wheels are mostly made out of carbon: the rims, the spokes and the front hub. Only the rear hub is still in metal.
Here are their specifications:

Front wheel:	Rear wheel:
Rim: 40mm deep Carbon fibre 12K, no drilling	Rim: 40mm deep, assymetrical Carbon fibre 12K, no drilling
20 unidirectionnal carbon spokes molded to the rim	20 unidirectionnal carbon spokes molded to the rim
Hub: carbon fiber 12K, 9mm alloy axle	Hub: alloy, FTS-L rotor system, 9mm alloy axle
Non truable, non repairable	Truable from the non drive side spokes, non repairable

Tubular only	Tubular only
Swissstop pads included (voir ici)

1185gr the set
2300 euros

Click to enlarge

We are pleased to see that Mavic could reply in a short time, about 24 months or so to a new expanding market: the high range wheels.
The wheels are not as light as the Mavic guys told us, they stood they will be as light as the direct challenger known as Lightweight (1060gr) and as stiff as them (we can not verify this yet) but this is not the case. They anyway seem promising.
The wheels are not repairable but warrantied for 2 years, we will then advise them only for great events.

Why is only the non-drive side of the rear wheel truable and not the front wheel or the drive side of the rear wheel? Simply because the front wheel is very stable, very durable whether the process to make them is controlled.
For the rear wheel, it’s a bit more difficult to have a decent opinion. We can think that the process istill has to be perfected and therefore the wheel will go out of true after a few kilometers. A lack of stiffness may forced Mavic to go to a more traditional construction to keep a stable and stiff wheel. According to Mavic press, this construction will compensate the eventual maladjustements of the wheel.

Then we think some open doors have been left opened for further improvements of the product to make the main process profitable.
Examples: full carbon rear hub, non truable rear wheel, color change, ceramic bearings, titanium axles…

About the aesthetic, it’s usual Mavic with flashy but well designed stickers and a yellow spoke. The 12K carbon fibers remind Corima rims.

The hubs