With a 42mm depth and a sub-1600 gram total weight, these wheels look to offer remarkable value
The new wheels blend performance and budget in to an appealing package(Image credit: Mavic)
Iconic French cycling brand Mavic has announced a new addition to its long-standing Cosmic range of road wheels. The Cosmic S 42 as the name might suggest is a 42mm deep aero profile carbon wheelset that aims to blend performance and affordability into a single package.
Retailing for £900 / $999 / €999 the wheels are positioned competitively against the likes of Hunt's 40 Carbon wheels and Zipp’s 303S. The Cosmic S 42 are slightly narrower than the competition with a 21mm internal rim width whereas both the Hunt and Zipp alternatives sit around 1mm wider. In reality, this isn’t going to make a world of difference with a 28mm tyre fitted but if your intentions lay more on the unpaved end of the spectrum with some higher volume rubber fitted it might be something to consider.
The Cosmic S 42 wheelset makes use of a 21mm internal rim width and bladed spokes. (Image credit: Mavic)
Mounted to Mavic's own QRM ID360 hubs are standard bladed J-bend spokes. These solidify the wheelset's aero credentials whilst also retaining an ease of maintenance that is not always afforded to aero wheels. J-bend spokes are easy to find at most bike shops and are easy to install and tension without the need for specific tooling beyond a spoke key.
The theme of easy maintenance continues with the ID360 (Instant Drive 360) hubs, which have been around for a number of years now. The design uses two ratcheting rings instead of a more conventional pawl design, allowing for better engagement with a greater engaged surface area and makes hub services a little easier.
For those who prefer to run a tubeless setup, Mavic supplies the Cosmic S 42 with a pair of UST tubeless valves, and will pre-tape the rims. This means that all you need to do is fit any of the best tubeless road tyres with some tubeless sealant and inflate the tyre.
The 42mm rim depth and sub 1600 gram total weight put these wheels firmly in the 'all-rounder' category. (Image credit: Mavic)
Although not the lightest wheels in this category the Cosmic S 42 wheels come in at a respectable weight with the front wheel tipping the scales at 745 grams and the rear at 850 grams. The total wheelset weight of 1595 grams puts them within a handful of grams of Zipp’s 303S wheelset solidifying their place in the all-rounder category.
For a lot of people deciding to purchase a carbon wheelset comes with some degree of concern. Mavic includes what they call a 2+1 year warranty with the Cosmic 42 S wheels. Mavic also offers crash replacement on all of its carbon rims so if the worst does happen, you won’t need to pay full retail for a replacement.
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Mavic offers the Cosmic S 42 wheelset with a Shimano/SRAM HG freehub body as standard with SRAM XD-R or Campagnolo N3W freehub bodies available for purchase separately. Although the hubs come fitted with end caps for 12x100 and 12x142 thru axles they can easily be configured for quick-release hubs with the provided adapters.
