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.....

On Test: 2012 SRAM Red

I hemmed, and I hawed.  The previous generation of SRAM Red was good, the rear shifting was great, the weight was the best, but the front shifting was just never there.  When perfectly set up, it shifted fine, but not exceptionally.

After a few years of experience, SRAM kicked out 2012 Red, which has addressed all of the major concerns of their top-level group.

Ergonomics were always one of the strongest points of SRAM, so the change to a new lever shape concerned me.  But what works for me doesn't necessarily work for everyone, and we heard some people talking about a sharp edge on the back of the lever bothering some hands.  SRAM addressed this issue by smoothing the transition from the lever to the bars and adding some rubber inserts if someone still feels some pressure at the rear of the lever.

For years I settled on SRAM's front shifting to get it's amazing weight and to support the local boys.  Last winter I strayed to Shimano, drawn in by their industry-standard front shifting.  It was great, Shimano did exactly what they claimed.  Shifting was spot-on every time, front shifting was incredibly fast.

With the introduction of 2012 SRAM Red, the boys down on Kingsbury addressed a number of things but most importantly the front shifting.  The new Yaw front derailleur doesn't move like others, it actually moves laterally and slightly rotates to improve shifting.  In doing this, it also eliminates the need for a trim setting.  I was skeptical, but after being around this system for a couple of months I'm impressed.

The integrated chain spotter is a really nice touch as it's independently adjustable from the front derailleur.  Get your derailleur in place, then use the separate bolt to attach the spotter later.  A brilliant design.

The rear derailleur didn't see the same type of overhaul the front derailleur and shifters saw, which is just fine by me.  The shifts are crisp as always with a light touch but a positive engagement.

So here's the test rig.  If shifting in the stand, or on my short test ride, are any indication, this stuff will be sweet.  Now, if the front shifting remains great under power the way it did in the stand, SRAM will have a homerun with their new Red group.  It's only a matter of (not very much) time before the tech trickles down to Force-level where things will really get great for the masses!

New Review: Schwalbe Sammy Slick 700x35

I long for a good file tread.  One that provides minimum rolling resistance but good cornering grip.  Not asking for a lot, right?  Right.

I've long enjoyed the Challenge Griffo XS for training, but cornering with that is akin to riding road tires on ice.  The casing is supple so the ride is smooth, and man does it roll fast.

Not long ago I put a fair number of miles on the Clement LAS, which was awesome.  Great volume, very fast rolling, supple enough, and a nice shoulder that provided some great grip.  Come to think of it, my only complaint was that I was never able to set them up tubeless, but they weren't rated for that anyway.

So here I am, with a file tread I like, but that doesn't mean I should stop there.  Schwalbe's Sammy Slick appealed to me because of the shoulder it offers as well as the luck I've had in the past setting Schwalbe tires up tubeless.  I haven't tried that yet, but the tight bead of these tires I'm hoping will easy to seal up.

The tires are labeled as a 700x35, but set up on my Mavic R-SYS SLR's the casing measured a tiny 31mm, the widest point on the tread was a dismal 32.8.  Bummer since I was digging the idea of a 35mm tire.  Even more of a bummer, the tires are very short, meaning they have very little volume.  Advertised weight was 360g, mine were 325g and 355g.

On a very smooth course, I could see these tires being exceptionally fast.  Unfortunately, on a bumpy course the lack of volume would either force you to stay with low pressure and risk a pinch flat or raise the pressure and forgo grip and comfort.

I'm only a couple of rides into these tires, but so far I can say they roll exceptionally fast when the going is smooth.  The shoulder also grips quite well for a file tread, even when I was doing some hot laps at my favorite hidden gem along the North Branch Trail which offers up a lot of gravel.  The tires are pretty light, so they do spin up fast.

The Sammy Slick strikes me as the perfect tire for The Des Plaines River Trail or if you find yourself hitting some gravel roads.  You'd fly on a smooth and grassy cyclocross course, especially if that course offered some off-camber turns where most other people running file treads would find themselves slipping around.  Unfortunately because of it's narrow size and small volume, I wouldn't recommend these on a bumpy course where the risk of pinch flats would be very high.

NEW BIKE DAY! Lynskey R210 with Shimano 5700 105

Let's say you're looking for an excellent bike to train with on the road.  You already have a triathlon bike for racing, you already have a cyclocross bike, but you want that one single go-to road bike that will do anything.

You need your road bike to cover century rides, it needs to keep pace in a pack, it may see some gnarly road conditions, probably see it's fair share of winter, it has to do everything.

When you come to us with something like that, we recommend titanium.  It's durable, beautiful, timeless, easy to maintain, but most importantly, it rides oh-so perfectly.

This bike was built just for that person.  Someone who will log long miles, group rides with friends, commute, it'll do it all.  And after a quick wipe-down 10 years from now, it'll look brand new.

Here's another breakdown from Lynskey on what they say about the R210:

Ride in any condition, anytime, anywhere with comfort and style while enjoying a geometry that puts you in a slightly less aggressive riding position yet maintains neutral, stable and predictable handling.

The tubeset consists of double-butted round 3AL/2.5V aerospace grade titanium that will give you the look and lines of a true classic U.S.A. handmade ti bike frame, providing you an all-day supple smooth ride.

Worried about tire clearance? Don't be. There is plenty of clearance for a set of durable and comfortable 28c tires.

The hooded wright style dropouts provide the classic look and strength while allowing you to easily replace the derailleur hanger if need be.

A small from Lynskey has great dimensions and their geometry lends itself well to 700c wheels.  Some bikes this small ride and/or look funny with 700c wheels instead of 650c, but we've had great response from the shorter riders.

Have to love the classic hooded Wright-style dropouts.  The welds are top-notch as always, even on an "affordable" hand made frame from Lynskey.  Don't let their pricing fool you, their products are incredible.  Finish is always the best and the ride is dialed.

I may be wrong, but the matte satin appears a little different than it did when we started with Lynskey.  From our early days with them, we strongly recommended the upgraded finishes, but the matte satin that's rolling out these days has been getting rave reviews.  I've had a number of customers who've recently seen this finish comment that it's their favorite.  It's very similar to another titanium builder out of Steamboat Springs, CO.

Easton EC70 fork really helps the ride of this bike and helps to keep the price under control with it's alloy steerer rather than the carbon one that's becoming more and more popular.

Mavic Aksium wheels and matching Mavic tires complete the rolling stock on this bike.  Incredible durability and great performance for the price many brands try to get for just a rear hub.

Shimano shifting, especially the front, is the best in the business.  105 doesn't disappoint with light-action and accuracy day after day.  For someone who is using their bike for training miles, 105 is the go-to gruppo.

NEW BIKE DAY! Lynskey R230 with Shimano 6700 Ultegra

Lynksey has hit another home run with the R230.  Lynskey describes the R230 rider:

I want my bike to be instantly responsive, but also ride comfortably and smooth. Even though I race on the weekends, I still enjoy the occasional century ride with my local club. I’m aware that tube shapes mean increased performance, but I still like something conservative. The R230 is the perfect choice for me.

This bike is stiff without being harsh.  It can be raced or ridden 150 miles at a time.  It's not as stiff as a carbon race bike, it's not as light as a carbon race bike, but it's stiff enough to be sprinted on and will be the smoothest bike in your stable most likely.

With as many as we have built, our customers are trying to find ways to make theirs a little different without moving away from the classic design of a bare titanium frame.  This particular build went for an extremely subdued look, maintaining all of the class of a handmade frame.

Shots from above aren't easy to capture with an XL frame!  Shimano Ultegra shifts as well or better than just about anything out there but costs a fraction of the highest-end gruppos.

The fantastic hand-brushed finish on this titanium frame is set apart with etched logos that are incredibly subtle.

The brake bridge on Lysnkey's frames has a beautiful touch with this clover taken from the Lysnkey family crest, which happens to double as the head tube badge.

Beautiful brass badge with the Lynskey script is classic and perfectly suited to their frames.

The etched logos do add a $250 premium over basic decals, but they are done beautifully, and really finish off a handmade with another touch of class.

Shimano Ultegra cassette is nearly as light as the Dura-Ace version while being a fraction of the price.  We rarely spec the Dura-Ace version because Ultegra is just so good!

No one rivals Shimano's front shifting, and Ultegra is no exception.  Mechanical Dura-Ace and Ultegra both shift as well or better than even their Di2 counterparts in the front.

The Ultegra rear derailleur is an exercise in function.  While I do love the new gray finish, this derailleur was designed to shift first and be sexy second.

Another spot where Shimano shines: their braking.  For 2013 they've changed their design, which is why I predict we'll be selling a lot of these 6700 and 7900 Dura-Ace brakesets for a long time to come.

Ultegra shifters have the same ergonomics as Dura-Ace, and the same shift quality, but only give in to Dura-Ace on weight.  At close to half the price of Dura-Ace, Ultegra is a very enticing offering.

NEW BIKE DAY! Lynskey Helix with Ultegra 6700

We never tire of building these bikes.  Lynskey is one of those companies that can be so easy to deal with, or so tough.  Depending on their current work load and schedule, you can sometimes get your bike in 2 weeks.  Other times though, if you catch them at the wrong time, it can be 12 weeks.

Luckily this time around, we called at the right time.  This large Helix was ordered as a part of their special for a complete bike with Shimano Ultegra 6700 for about $5000 a mere 16 days ago!  This frame had been produced and was waiting for it's brushed finish and white decals then it was ready to roll.

Lynskey has a whole pitch on the Helix tubing and it's advantages.  I'll divert to their expertise on the actual tubing, but after spending more than a year on one I can tell you it's super stiff but retains the magical Ti ride.  It's extremely compliant on rough roads but still very snappy.  It doesn't have the low-speed, high-torque sprint of an oversized carbon bike, and it's slightly heavier, but since I rarely race on the road those qualities all sit fine with me.

Nice touches on the bike, like this brake bridge, are something many custom builders are known for.  Lynskey doesn't stop there, though....

They also use these beautiful Ti dropouts with the Lynskey clover and bullets ending the stays.

The Lynskey headtube badge is also available separately as a key chain for the Lynskey-lover in your life.  It's a nice touch as a gift as well to remind someone how much they love their bike.

Welds are top-notch as always from Lynskey.  I always expect to find something less with their pricing level, but they continue to impress.

Decal application is always perfect from the factory.  I've had to install a few replacement decals over the years, and it's shockingly difficult.  The decals are terribly thin and fragile until applied.

ENVE fork is always a staple on a new custom build.  I was happy to see Felt placing ENVE forks on their high-end framesets such as the F1x as well.

Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheelset makes for a killer training and racing wheel.  Not the more aero, but incredibly durable!

Shifting that's head and shoulders above all else, Shimano hollow front chainrings are the best in the business.  Until you've used it, you just can't know.

Review: Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLE Exalith Wheel System

Our boy Gavin spent a little over a week on our demo Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLE wheelset to help us add some dimension to our product reviews.  Gavin is the perfect guy to test wheels for us, really.  He's got the ability to really put a lot of watts through wheels, he's been riding for quite some time, and since he doesn't own the wheels we can trust that he'll be more objective.  He was also given free reign to ride them as he saw fit on whatever ride he saw fit.  Here's what he came away with:

First ride - small group ride, tempo pace mostly with one good sprint, ~35 miles. Weather: not friendly. It started pouring about 10 minutes into the ride - the kind of rain that when you're driving, you pull over because the sheets of water are pounding the windshield and you can't see anything. We rode anyway, and I figured this would surely be a good test of the Exalith braking surface and Mavic's brake pads. The braking can really only be described with one word, and that word is 'great'.  Really, just as good in a downpour as when dry.
 
At the designated sprint point, they held up well - they are just as stiff as my everyday Ksyrium ES wheels, no flexing to rub the brake pads under a 1250W effort. 
 
The only downside was a flat rear I picked up at around 25 miles. Small piece of glass I probably picked up in the gutter from all the rain runoff, unfortunately it made a fairly large cut just off center on the tire… I probably wouldn't use the GripLink and PowerLink as regular training tires, but maybe I'm just used to running one set of GP4000s for the last year and a half with no flats. Water does tend to collect in the tires as well; probably from the valve stem cutout. I did go through standing water that was deeper than the rims, so I wasn't too surprised. The only way to get the water out is to let the air out and put the tire off.

 

Second ride - solo, regular North Shore route. Seemed a bit easier to hold speed - as far as aero-ness, they're certainly better than my everyday set when rolling along at 22mph+ in a group or not. They are a bit on the heavy side, so require a bit more effort to spin up, but once you're cruising, they just want to keep rolling.

Third ride - group of 15, rotating paceline, long portions maintaining 25-27mph. Coming from non-aero wheels, the ease of holding a high pace in the group was a different feel. I did a lot of coasting and soft-pedaling when a few wheels back from the front. I did get constant comments on what the braking sounded like, from "bottle rocket" to "plane landing" so there's that.

Pros - Great braking in all conditions, black braking surface looks cool, stiff, more aero than box-section wheels
 
Cons - Braking noise is odd, a bit on the heavy side, may collect water under severe conditions

There you have it.  For $1700 you get the Exalith treatment on your Cosmic Carbone SL wheelset which turn it into the SLE.  For $1000 less than the SLR, you gain a little weight and lose the carbon spokes.  Gavin's take on Exalith mirrors mine so far, the braking performance is unparalleled.

First Rides: Mavic R-SYS SLR Wheelset

I have to admit to these wheels sitting around for the first couple of weeks I had them to test.  It's not my fault, Lumberjack 100 is right around the corner so I've been on my mountain bike.  But, it's about time to log some faster miles to feel better about myself.

 A few rides and I'm starting to form an opinion on these wheels:

First, they are a time-trialists worst nightmare.  They spin up fast and gain speed like crazy, but the boxy rim and fat carbon spokes are about as aerodynamic as a CTA bus.

Second, the Exalith braking surface is incredible.  Out of the box with Exalith-specific pads they whistle like crazy.  Super loud.  I've swapped to stock Shimano alloy-specific pads and the whistling was greatly reduced.  The pads do wear faster on the machined braking surface, but the performance is unreal.

As you can see from these shots, I've taken the wheels out in some wet and on less-than-ideal roads.  Braking performance is perfect, even in the wet.  The brakes aren't grabby and have a really steady power curve.

Third, the tires are holding up well for me.  Chase on the other hand destroyed one on is second ride to a big cut, I'm hoping that's just bad luck.  The tires aren't my favorite, though.  The rear PowerLink tire is made to roll faster, the front GripLink made to, surprise here, grip.  I haven't pushed them too hard into corners, but so far the front seems ok.  The rear on the other hand offers very little grip in the wet.  So little grip in fact that it actually makes me a little nervous to ride in the wet.

Fourth, the rear hub, or more specifically it's engagement.  It works fine, it's been flawless, but the engagement is slower than the Chris King R45 rear hub I'm used to.  It's fast enough, but when you get used to King it's hard to settle for less.  I also like the "buzz" of the King, Mavic freehubs are pretty quiet.  Personal preference here, not a big deal.

Fifth, they are beautiful.  That's a fact.  Not really a fact, my opinion, but they really do look great.

Finally, let's cover stiffness.  Laterally, they are stiff.  Really stiff.  I did a couple of low-speed, big-gear sprints really wrenching on the bike and the wheels just don't flex side to side.  Vertically they ride nicely, but I won't say they are better than a pair of hand-built wheels.

So far, so good.  I like this pair of R-SYS wheels, but I'm not sure I like them $2000 worth.  When in a group ride, I won't ever win a sprint.  The only way I can get some "fame" is to get into a breakaway and try to ride away with a group.  This is not the wheelset for that.  If you like to sprint or treat your wheels like crap, this wheelset may work for you.

More to come....

XS Lynskey Helix, Coming Soon.....

A sneak preview of a build coming next week.  X-small Lynskey Helix sporting some beautiful etched logos.  This is a killer upgrade that adds some stealth and durability.  The stock decals seem to hold up fine, but nothing compared to an etched set of DNA logos.

1-1/8" steerer tube and external headset, standard fare which will be plenty stiff for such a small rider.

Beautiful Lysnkey tubing, twisted for this Helix and finished with etched DNA logos.

ENVE fork, can't go wrong with this one.  It has quickly become that standard that builders reach for.

68mm threaded bottom bracket with asymmetrical  chain stays.

One more beautiful detail of a Helix, the clover dropouts.  These are made by Lynskey and reserved for their top models.  Want excellent shifting?  Try a titanium derailleur hanger.

Another nice little touch on the rear brake bridge: a clover carried over from their logo.

This Helix will be rolling on some 2012 Mavic Ksyrium SL wheels and Continental GP4000s tires.

A nice detail shot of the finish on this beautiful frame.  Not only is it durable, but we can care for it in house if something does somehow scratch the finish.

Great detail shot of the Lynskey DNA etched finish.

You know where this one came from.

More information and pictures coming next week....