I’ve been searching the forum and have found very little info and commentary around the Mavic offerings, particularly the Cosmic Carbones. Even in test results published, they never seem to be ever mentioned. While I understand that the latest offerings from Zipp/HED/Bontrager are probably the fastest wheels out right now, are the Mavic’s a bad choice for training/every day riding? I’m curious as I have been riding a set of Neuvations on my road bike for a while and I am interested in getting rid of them for a variety of reasons. Back in the day, I used to ride on Kyserium SLs and they were awesome wheels to train on and even do a road race. I could even mount tires easily! I currently race on Zipp 404 tubulars; I rarely ride them oustide of races. What I’m looking for is a fast, reliable, training wheel. It seems that the cheaper offerings of the Mavics, while not the lightest, would fit the bill, especially given their reliability. Am I missing something or should I really be looking elsewhere? Ideally I would love to bet a set of Zipp FC wheels, except the price point is a bit prohibitive.
the mavic carbones are fine race wheels, much like the hed jet 6 or zipp 404.
You could use them every day too if you have the bank to wear out expensive wheels like that =)
they don’t currently make a real deep wheel though…not that WE can buy anyway.
Whats wrong with your Neuvations? For training/everyday riding, I’d honestly go with either the Neuvations or Forte Titans, with Conti Gatorskin tires and butyl tubes. I’m a big advocate for training (even fast training) with a solid heavy setup. The Zipp tubulars can be for race week and of course race day.
the neuvations are not solid nor are they heavy.
they are light, cheap, and, perhaps of medium durability? perhaps slightly weak?
of course if you rarely take turns fast or rarely go up really steep grades, or are very light, then they will still last a long time I guess.
Years of solid performance for me, and I go up and down extremely steep grades and take fast leaning turns…so? Maybe I’m the only one who thinks they’re good. However, I know you had a bad experience with them before.
Forte’s are nice too. I think both are relatively heavy, and solid, especially compared to the OP’s zipp tubulars.
Years of solid performance for me, and I go up and down extremely steep grades and take fast leaning turns…so? Maybe I’m the only one who thinks they’re good. However, I know you had a bad experience with them before.
I don’t know why people get so religious about a cheap wheel. Its not just me that has had one fail. I hear it from multiple bike shops that see the wheels come in broken a lot, multiple people that I’ve talked to but more importantly — ITS ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE TOP OF THE FAQ —
http://www.neuvationcycling.com/faq.html
clearly not a durable wheel even from their own words.
Anyway I got 3 years out of mine, maybe thats good for wheels? Be sure to keep an eye on the rear wheel where the spokes insert into the rim.
Perhaps I got the one set of wheels that was durable then. I don’t know.
the mavic carbones are fine race wheels, much like the hed jet 6 or zipp 404.
Ummm…actually, not so much.
The Tour magazine testing earlier in the year had them getting beat out by Zipp 101s (especially above 10d of yaw)…but, to be fair, that might say more about the 101s than the Carbones (however it REALLY gets beat by the FC 404 in that test) 
really? they are THAT bad?
how the hell…
I see the new deep one is on their website now, I wonder how it compares:
http://www.mavic.com/en/product/wheels/road-triathlon/wheels/Cosmic-Carbone-80
Perhaps I got the one set of wheels that was durable then. I don’t know.
the day will come!
the question is will you post and admit it! haha
or you are 130lbs and they will last forever
one funny thing about mavics is that they shouldn’t be so fast, on paper, but on the road they are. i had a pair of mavic CXps, once, and they were awesome: they lasted forever and stayed perfectly true. although mavic’s wheels might not be ‘cutting edge,’ you can take it to the bank that they’ll be perfectly round and true, with great hubs, bearings, spokes, etc.
-mike
Don’t jinx me!
Yes, I will admit it, I have no shame.
I’m 178lbs.
Lets help the OP now. lol
well to the OP, based on that wind tunnel test, stay the hell away and get a hed jet instead! lol
I love mine. Train and race on em. Had the fastest AG split in my last Oly.
What about Spinergy Stealth PBO wheels? They are half the price +/_ - several dealers, new on E-Bay.
Years of solid performance for me, and I go up and down extremely steep grades and take fast leaning turns…so? Maybe I’m the only one who thinks they’re good. However, I know you had a bad experience with them before.
I don’t know why people get so religious about a cheap wheel. Its not just me that has had one fail. I hear it from multiple bike shops that see the wheels come in broken a lot, multiple people that I’ve talked to but more importantly — ITS ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE TOP OF THE FAQ —
http://www.neuvationcycling.com/faq.html
clearly not a durable wheel even from their own words.
Anyway I got 3 years out of mine, maybe thats good for wheels? Be sure to keep an eye on the rear wheel where the spokes insert into the rim.
I did not mean to turn this into a referendum on Neuvation wheels. That being said, I can say that I do not trust them at all. My buddy races on them and swears by them. They don’t ship you extra spokes without reason! The only wheel that I’ve ever had more spoke issues with was the Rolf Sestriere wheel. In addition, I find that mounting tires on them to be far worse than any other rim I’ve ever owned in the past. In short, I regret buying these wheels.
I guess what brought me to post the original question is that the heavier Cosmics retail for around 1200, which is comparable to a nice set of Kyseriums. That’s a lot cheaper than the Zipp Firecrest wheels, or any other comparable clincher. Even the lighter version is significantly cheaper than the FC wheels. I could see the Cosmics being great fast training wheels that can also see some race activity. Mavic’s crash replacement policy is pretty good too. I love my Zipps; I just don’t see myself ever riding any of the newer all carbon FC rims ever on everyday rides.
Note that the Mavic wheel in that test is the Cosmic Carbone SLR, which is lighter and not as deep as the normal Carbones (and probably has more drag).
Note that the Mavic wheel in that test is the Cosmic Carbone SLR, which is lighter and not as deep as the normal Carbones (and probably has more drag).
Ummm…nope. They’re the same 52mm depth as the other “lower line” Carbones…although, those silly carbon spokes probably aren’t helping the aerodynamics any :-/
Both me and my wife train and race with the Cosmic Carbones. No problems in 2 years. Love them.
When these debates come up I always go back to the year Simon Lessing whooped everybody’s ass at IMLP on an aluminum Cervelo Soloist (now S1) set up in the road position with STI shifters, clip on aerobars and mavic cosmic carbones. Then I think…well…hmmmm…they didn’t slow him down too much and I’m certainly NOT capable of coming remotely close to his speed. It was at that point that I realized what is sitting ON the bike is much more important than the actual bike.
That’s not to say riding a 40 pound POS wouldn’t hurt you…just that most relatively high end equipment isn’t what is holding most of us back.
also, a good friend of mine has them. He generally does the bike leg in 70.3 races in 2:25-2:30 and generally finishes in the top 10 in his AG (40-45) at races like timberman, mooseman, etc.