Mavic

Cosmic Pro Carbon SL Disc Wheelset - Tubular

The stars of Mavic's all-new, full carbon rim design launch have undoubtedly been the Cosmic Pro Carbon SL and Ksyrium Pro Carbon SL clincher rim-brake editions as Mavic's well-researched and meticulously designed first foray into carbon braking tracks. Alongside that release, The Cosmic Pro Carbon SL Disc Tubular Wheelset has taken a seat in the wings, quietly emitting excellence with a new rim design and disc brake compatibility.

We'll admit to being a little bit partial to the Cosmic, as it's steeped in nostalgia as the wheelset that usurped the Ksyrium on start lines across the world and ushered in an era of deep-dish carbon race rims. That said, the classic NACA profile had its issues in crosswinds, so we're excited to see a new rim shape integrating under the Cosmic name. The new profile is less pointy than Mavic's usual models, featuring a dramatically blunted inner face that represents the most radical departure from a pure NACA airfoil shape from the French firm to date. This shape better manages oblique resistance, combining the aerodynamic benefits of deep rims with additional crosswind stability.

Mavic claims that the Cosmic Pro Carbon SL's profile compares favorably to some of our top-selling wheels in the 40-50mm range, and credits it with saving 2.3 watts across yaw angles up to 10 degrees. This means the aerodynamic properties don't disappear as soon as you take the wheels out of the wind tunnel and onto the actual roads.

With all the excitement about the new rims, it'd be easy to overlook the Cosmic Carbon SL's Instant Drive 360 hubs. The hubs represent yet another drastic departure from tradition, as the engagement mechanism replaces the usual pawl system with the dual-ratcheting rings formally found only in designer hubs on custom, hand-built wheels. The design involves two rings that press together laterally. One face of the rings' teeth is sloped, so they ramp off of each other while freewheeling. The other face isn't, so the rings engage with pedal input. The design cuts the engagement angle down to nine degrees, a number we might expect to see on a mountain bike hub and are pleasantly surprised to find on the road.

The Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon SL Disc Tubular Wheelset includes Mavic's signature Yksion Pro Tubular tires in a 25mm width, with GripLink up front for increased cornering confidence and PowerLink in back for a smooth, fast rolling ride. Regardless of position, though, both tires receive a nylon breaker for flat protection. Each wheelset is also packaged with front 12mm adapters, rear 12 x 142mm adapters for Instant Drive 360, quick release skewers, specific disc bolts, a user guide, and a multifunction adjustment wrench.