Mavic

Cosmic Carbone 80 Carbon Road Wheelset - Tubular

The Mavic Cosmic Carbone 80 Tubular Wheelset didn't show up to the party empty handed. In fact, they arrived with a bottle of '98 Chateaux Latour, and they weren't drinking from plastic cups.

Similar to a French winemaker painstakingly examining and manipulating every aspect of his or her wine, Mavic engineers studied every characteristic of the wheel, and incorporated their front and rear specific PowerLink and GripLink tires to work in unison with the wheel. Mavic performed intensive wind tunnel tests, carefully assessing every aerodynamic detail to create the fastest wheel-tire system available. Garmin, Liquigas, and Omega Pharma Lotto pro teams were equipped with the Carbone 80s, and Mavic paid close attention to rider feedback.

The Cosmic Carbone 80 rims are made from woven 3K carbon fiber and use a carbon braking surface. The 80mm deep tubular rims are the most aero in Mavic's lineup and are designed for flat road races or time trials. Mavic recommends using tires between 19 and 28mm wide.

Mavic engineers decided to forgo carbon hubs and their successful Zicral spokes, instead opting for tried-and-true steel spokes; they are reliable, strong, and slip effortlessly through the wind. Mavic went with radial lacing on the drive side, and a 2-crossed pattern on the rear drive side. The two cross pattern makes the drive side exceptionally strong, while the non-drive side benefits from less weight due to the radial lacing pattern. Spoke count is 16 in the front and 20 in the rear. Both front and rear axles are made of aluminum, and run on Mavic's super-smooth QRM+ bearing system. The micro-adjustable bearing preload system is also found on the front and rear hubs, allowing the rider to dial in the hubs without removing the wheels from the bike.

The Mavic Cosmic Carbone 80 Tubular Wheelset comes with Mavic GripLink and PowerLink tires installed, wheelbags, carbon brake pads, valve extenders, bearing adjustment tool, spoke wrench, spoke holder for aerodynamic spokes, and a user guide. These wheels come in a Campagnolo compatible freehub body, and include BR301 quick release skewers. The front wheel weighs 800 grams (1090 with tire), and the rear wheel weighs 950 grams (1240 with tire). Total weight for the set is 1750 grams (2330 grams with tires).

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.

Note: The tires do not come glued on the rims.