New Review: Mavic Cosmic Carbon SLE with Exalith

We received this review from a customer and partner in crime, the one and only Mr. John Bistolfo.  He rides like crazy, mixes it up in a race here and there, tears up trails, and has been known to show up at a CX race or two in full Tuxedo.  Trust what this dude says, he knows what he's talking about:

I’ve been wanting to get myself some aero wheels for a couple years and for many reasons I held off.  Cost, wet-braking, and style were among some of the reasons.  For years I’ve ridden Mavic wheels off-road and after hearing good things about the SLE wheels—especially the Exalith technology—I jumped on a set. 

I’ve got about 1200 miles on the wheels and I’m still psyched every time I ride.  The wheels have transformed my rig and my rides.

Speed is synonymous with the wheels.  I had heard aero wheels are “harder to get up to speed” but I haven’t really noticed a big difference.  I definitely notice an advantage at certain speeds.  18 mph is the first bump, then 22, then 24 mph.  24 mph is where I’ve really noticed the wheels working for me.  Holding speed is much easier and they’re rock solid when you’re rolling around 30 mph.

The transfer of power is also a noticeable advantage.  The wheels are stiff and give nice propulsion when hammering on the pedals.  When rolling at speeds in the mid 20s they give a good kick when you push them.

I’ve been riding a lot of hills with the wheels.  Even though “they” say aero wheels are too heavy for climbing I’ve enjoyed riding in SW Wisconsin with them.  My typical ride would include about 2000’ of climbing for a 50 mile route.  Whatever disadvantage I have from the weight when climbing is made up on the descents.  These are solid bullets on a descent, they roll fast and hold steady. 

The wheelset comes with Mavic tyres – the Yksion GripLink (front) and PowerLink (rear).  The tyres are great and provide good traction.  I rode wet roads this past weekend and they performed well.  This was also a good opportunity to test the breaking.  I didn’t notice any decrease in breaking distance and I attribute this to the Exalith technology.  The breaking surface has grooved surface like a file and used in combination with the Mavic brake pads they work well.

Initially I didn’t use the Mavic pads and burned through my pads in about 300 miles.  Part of the reason I did this was to avoid the loud screeching that the new rims make with the Mavic pads.  Once the new rim surface wears a bit the Mavic pads don’t make noise.  There is still a noise when breaking but it’s a proud whistle akin to a King hub whine.

So aside from the speed, transfer of power, stiffness and grip I’d have to say my favorite aspect of the wheels are the way they look.  Initially I thought about removing the stickers but after stepping back and reveling in the typography of my machine I’ve decided to keep them.  I’ve gotten several unsolicited comments from non-cyclists about how my bike looks bad ass.  I have to agree.

The only downside to the package are the valve extenders.  They’re pretty temperamental and I’m now using 80mm valve tubes.

Overall, these wheels are awesome.  They make going faster more fun.

He wasn't lying about the extenders, it appears he's decided to ride completely without valves!  We can get you a set of these things for a song, and they come with tires.  Give us a call.....