REVIEW - Mavic Cosmic Carbone.
Karl2010
Posts: 511
Well i've got my Mavic Carbone SL's with built-in Powertap.
I bought them from Tredz.co.uk on interest free finance along with a 11-28 10 speed Ultegra cassette which Tredz kindly fitted free of charge.
I fitted the new tyres and tubes on Friday when they arrived,
23mm Continental 4 Seasons on the front.
25mm Continental 4 Seasons on the back
+ Race 28 Light inner tubes with 80mm valve for both wheels
Did a quick 1 mile test run on Friday and them seemed ok. Was pleased to see my Garmin displaying power.
Then on Saturday i did my 26 mile loop.
As i headed out there was a strong tail wind for about 12 miles so i was flying.
I would say that the new wheels did help me go faster i hit 35mph and maintained that speed for about a mile without going 'all out' i could have kept the speed up if it wasnt for the traffic lights. Like i said i did have a strong tail wind so its hard to give an honest review. Also my fitness is terrible at the moment, I havnt been on the road since i came off on the ice at the begining of December. Only done a few turbo sessions in the last 6 weeks, and been eating like a pig.
One thing i can honestly say is that im concerned about the "Flexability" of the front wheel, its a very low spoke count of 16, and it does have more lateral (side to side) flexability than my 20 spoke Fulcrum Racing 7.
I am confident sprinting on the Fulcrum because ive done it before and it feels safe.
I did have a few mini sprints/efforts on the new 16 spoke Carbone and it didnt feel safe, i was afraid i was going to do a Mark Cavendish and brake the wheel in half.
(bare in mind i weigh 199lb at the moment and in a real spint id be putting alot of that weight over the front wheel.)
The lateral stiffness is what i would expect from the rear wheel, and im happy with that.
Although i would be even more happy with 24 spokes for the rear.
Its grate to finaly have a power meter, and this will come into its own with more miles and training.
If im being honest, i probaly should have gone for some Zipp 808 Max wheels (24 spokes front and rear) this would give me more confidence when sprinting, but also would have been double the cost of the Carbone's.
I might have a look for a Front 2nd hand Zipp 808 Max just for this reason.
Over all i am happy with the wheels. The vertical stiffness seems fine, and i am certain the aero profile of the wheels helps me go faster, i am also please with the Powertap.
Disapointed with the low spoke count of the front wheel, if it had a few more spokes im sure this would stiffen it up.
I will be able to give a more honest review when:
a) my fitness has improved.
b) i've lost some weight.
c) i've got a couple of hundered miles in.
d) i've done a few races.
I weighed the wheels on some electronic kitchen scales and here are the results:
Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL Front Wheel = 876g
(inc squewer & rim tape)
Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL Rear Wheel = 1470g
(inc squewer, rim tape, 11-28 10 Spd Ultegra Cassette & Powertap SL)
Oh yeah they look sexy as hell on my bike..
I bought them from Tredz.co.uk on interest free finance along with a 11-28 10 speed Ultegra cassette which Tredz kindly fitted free of charge.
I fitted the new tyres and tubes on Friday when they arrived,
23mm Continental 4 Seasons on the front.
25mm Continental 4 Seasons on the back
+ Race 28 Light inner tubes with 80mm valve for both wheels
Did a quick 1 mile test run on Friday and them seemed ok. Was pleased to see my Garmin displaying power.
Then on Saturday i did my 26 mile loop.
As i headed out there was a strong tail wind for about 12 miles so i was flying.
I would say that the new wheels did help me go faster i hit 35mph and maintained that speed for about a mile without going 'all out' i could have kept the speed up if it wasnt for the traffic lights. Like i said i did have a strong tail wind so its hard to give an honest review. Also my fitness is terrible at the moment, I havnt been on the road since i came off on the ice at the begining of December. Only done a few turbo sessions in the last 6 weeks, and been eating like a pig.
One thing i can honestly say is that im concerned about the "Flexability" of the front wheel, its a very low spoke count of 16, and it does have more lateral (side to side) flexability than my 20 spoke Fulcrum Racing 7.
I am confident sprinting on the Fulcrum because ive done it before and it feels safe.
I did have a few mini sprints/efforts on the new 16 spoke Carbone and it didnt feel safe, i was afraid i was going to do a Mark Cavendish and brake the wheel in half.
(bare in mind i weigh 199lb at the moment and in a real spint id be putting alot of that weight over the front wheel.)
The lateral stiffness is what i would expect from the rear wheel, and im happy with that.
Although i would be even more happy with 24 spokes for the rear.
Its grate to finaly have a power meter, and this will come into its own with more miles and training.
If im being honest, i probaly should have gone for some Zipp 808 Max wheels (24 spokes front and rear) this would give me more confidence when sprinting, but also would have been double the cost of the Carbone's.
I might have a look for a Front 2nd hand Zipp 808 Max just for this reason.
Over all i am happy with the wheels. The vertical stiffness seems fine, and i am certain the aero profile of the wheels helps me go faster, i am also please with the Powertap.
Disapointed with the low spoke count of the front wheel, if it had a few more spokes im sure this would stiffen it up.
I will be able to give a more honest review when:
a) my fitness has improved.
b) i've lost some weight.
c) i've got a couple of hundered miles in.
d) i've done a few races.
I weighed the wheels on some electronic kitchen scales and here are the results:
Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL Front Wheel = 876g
(inc squewer & rim tape)
Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL Rear Wheel = 1470g
(inc squewer, rim tape, 11-28 10 Spd Ultegra Cassette & Powertap SL)
Oh yeah they look sexy as hell on my bike..
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