Mavic

Cosmic Carbone SL Clincher Wheels

The Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL probably looks familiar. Top racers routinely ride at the head of affairs on these, showing the fastest packs in the world this clean set of wheels. Victories at the World Championships, at the Olympics, and so on. Spring Classics, Fall Classics, stage races. The whoosh you just felt was a pro blasting by you on Cosmic Carbone SL Wheels.

The Cosmic Carbone SL has gone on a diet. Even though the wheels look pretty much unchanged, they've been improved. The heart of the improvement is the new, lighter rim, almost identical to the Cosmic Carbone SLR. The rims are a carbon-aluminum hybrid. You start with an aluminum rim, giving you both the strength and braking advantages of aluminum, and then the rim is put through Mavic's well-known processes. The outer walls are thinned to their minimum via Mavic's Inter Spoke Milling (ISM) process. The aluminum rim employs Mavic's UB Control finish, meaning the surface is flat and grooved for smooth, fast, consistent braking. The result of these processes are that the rims that are 40g lighter each.

Once the machine work is done to the rim, the carbon-fiber shell is bonded in place. The elliptical sidewalls slice through the wind. The total rim depth is 52mm, which is deep enough to be very fast.

The spokes are straight-pull, bladed steel, anodized black to match the hubs. They're radially laced in front and on the non-drive side. The drive side of the rear has a cross-two pattern for greater strength and efficient power transmission.

The hubs are Mavic's "typical" low flange aluminum hub bodies, running on QRM+ bearings and held in place via a 9mm aluminum axle. Their Force Transfer System-Light (FTS-L) is a lightweight aluminum freehub body that sits directly over a hub "nub" that boasts centrally-located pawls and stainless steel inserts for durability. The result is less flex, less friction, and faster engagement.

This wheelset is part of Mavic's MP3 extended warranty program. The acronym stands for Mavic Product Protection Plan, and it provides you with two years of almost unlimited no-fault protection from Mavic. More details can be found on the MP3 website. Please note that MP3 coverage must be purchased within 5 days of the date that you receive your wheels. Contact one of our customer service representatives for the retailer and product codes that you'll need to register your wheels on the Mavic MP3 site. You'll also need the serial numbers that you'll find on your wheels. The cost for this coverage is approximately 8% of the retail cost of the wheels.

The Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL wheels have 16 spokes in front and 20 in the rear. The freehub body is available either as Campagnolo-compatible (ED10) or Shimano/SRAM compatible (M10). The wheelset comes with a bearing adjustment tool, spoke wrench, BR301 quick releases, rim tape, wheel magnet, valve extender, user guide, and warranty card. The Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL wheels are available as a clincher only. The front wheel weight is 780g, rear 960g, for a total wheel weight of 1740g per pair (excluding skewers).

• Aluminum braking surface allows the use of standard brake pads—no swapping and readjusting for race day
  
• 52-millimeter depth is a nice balance of stability and aerodynamic advantage
  
• Steel spokes and brass nipples offer long-term durability at a minimal weight penalty
  
• Includes quick releases, rim strips, and valve extenders for both wheels, and a spoke wrench and bladed spoke holder for the rear wheel