 Well-finished hub… |
 … and well-hidden spoke end |
Vying for pride of place on the Mavic stand was the eagerly-awaited Cosmic Carbone SLR wheelset, which has the same ‘R2R’ rim-to-rim carbon spoke technology as the company’s Ultimate Carbone design plus clincher rim convenience. The all-carbon bladed spokes run, as the name says, from one side of the rim to the other via a locating station in the hub, but where the spokes on the Ultimate are moulded directly into the rim, those on the SL need to have a threaded attachment to the aluminium extrusion that provides the rim’s strength.
Mavic does this by inverting the threaded, adjustable design seen on the non-drive side of the Ultimate’s rear wheel, sticking it inside the carbon fibre aero cladding on the SL rim where it is nicely hidden away…
 Proper racing wheels with power measurement |
 Stealthy black suits R-Sys wheels |
Power measurement has found its way into Mavic’s product range, where the proven CycleOps Power Tap hub may be found laced into both the Cosmic Carbone Pro and Carbone SL rims. All the usual POwerTap benefits are present and correct, allied to the aerodynamic performance of these race-proven Mavic rims.
Meanwhile, the popular R-Sys wheelset gets a makeover with an all-black finish set off by silver alloy spoke attachments. It looks so good you wonder why R-Sys didn’t come this way in the first place.
 Good looking, no? |
 Underside shows stylish layout |
Mavic’s newest product range may well cause concern amongst the company’s compatriots, for the French wheels specialist’s new pedal series will come up directly against road offerings from both Look and Time. Running Race SL Ti, Race and Avenir in descending order of cost and, presumably, desirability, the Mavic design is a different take on the classic Jean Beyl-designed Look concept of 1984, for which the patent is long expired.
The pedal body is neatly styled with a slim waist and rear retention jaw attachment on the outside. The usual spring tension adjustment is made using an easily accessible screw on the top of the jaw and the plastic cleats are available in fixed and 7deg float options. Weight for the Race SL Ti is a claimed 110g per pedal…
