Alongside the new wheels, Mavic launched new top-level gear including the Comete Ultimate Helmet, Cosmic Ultimate SL road shoes, and an ultralight jacket and vest system for wet, chilly days. While that’s meant to keep you warm and dry, the helmet and shoes are meant to keep you cool and dry, and the shoes have a welcome tweak to them compared to their other lightweight offerings. Let’s start at the top…
Mavic Comete Ultimate aero road helmet
The Comete Ultimate is their new superlight racing helmet that’s cool, comfortable and aerodynamic. In their wind tunnel tests, they say it produces 3 watts less drag compared to the Course Pro, which is good for 14 seconds per hour at 40km/h. It follows trends with other modern aero helmets gaining more and better vents, using large front ports to bring air over the 37.5-infused brow pad. The branded, charcoal-infused threads have a cooling sensation that helps you feel cool on hot days by quickly moving moisture away from the skin. It’s a unique feature, but what really separates the Comete Ultimate Helmet from other aero offerings is their new EPS 4D construction.
Rather than use a solid EPS foam shell, they designed small pad pedestals into it, which are angled and designed to crush and flex more easily. It’s a technology shared with sister company Salomon for their snow helmets. This slows the impact, absorbing and deflecting the energy better so less force reaches your head. The side benefit is that there’s less material touching your head, too, so it should allow better air flow.
OK, so there’s one more really clever and unique feature: The Adaptive Fit straps are rounded and thin to easily wrap under your ears without needing bulky adjustment hardware. In several days of riding in various conditions, the helmet remained comfortable and cool. As a bonus, the limited amount of traditional soft padding meant it didn’t hold a lot of moisture after getting caught in a brief rain shower.
Available in black, white and yellow, and the MIPS will have a dark blue to match their latest bib/jersey riding kits. Retail price will be €250 for the standard version and €270 with MIPS.
The version shown here is the CE-approved model for Europe. The U.S. will only get a MIPS equipped version with a CPSC approval. Does it need MIPS to pass CPSC? No, but it seems that’s all anybody wants these days, so that’s all we’re getting Stateside. The CE version has a claimed weight of 215g for Medium (spot on at 215g on our scale) and figure about 40g more for MIPS.
Mavic will be providing all of the helmets for the neutral support medical service at the Tour de France, where they say there are new protocols in places that require them to replace any helmet where they suspect a rider may have damaged their helmet.
Mavic Cosmic Ultimate SL Shoe
At the other end of your body are the new Cosmic Ultimate SL road shoes. Co-developed with Frank Schleck’s input, they’re designed as a climbing shoe, so it’s really light and has a very stiff sole. But one of the main goals was also to make it comfortable. Some ultralight shoes can use a stiffer upper material without softer linings or extra padding. Here, it has a soft interior and flexible upper, plus a little more volume in the toe box…something new for Mavic.
The design uses a full wrap with stretchy panel on the inside to connect the tongue all the way around your foot. It uses a single BOA cord and dial to cinch them tight, pulling the outers together along the side of the top of your foot. The angle prevents any bunching or hot spots, too. Speaking of hot spots, the sole does a good job of supporting your foot without creating hot spots underneath, either. Plus, there are plenty of mesh vents top and bottom to keep you cool.
They have a low profile collar to keep ankle movement completely free. The BOA closure is a new feature for them, based on customer demand.. Before, they’d used their own dial, but the BOA allows you to adjust it both ways, or pop it loose to get the shoe off quickly. I rode them for a couple of 75-80 mile days and they disappeared under me. Not once did I notice them for any of the wrong reasons, and that’s fresh out of the box. Adjustments are easy while riding, so I could loosen or tighten them in seconds while coasting. And they dried very quickly after that rain shower, too.
They get an all-new full carbon energy SLR outside that’s 10g lighter than prior versions, but is their stiffest yet. The upper has a TPU frame with ultralight mesh panels ending in a shaped heel cup with anatomic foam. The concept is similar to their carbon-wrapped Comete Ultimate shoe, but with a more flexible, more comfortable upper that adds a bit more volume.
Claimed weight is 199g for a UK8.5. My size 47 test shoes measured 238g and 235g on our scale.
Available in White, Black and Yellow for €380, with a women’s version in white only called Sequence Ultimate.
Cosmic Ultimate GTX Jacket & Insulated SL Vest
Coming between the two are the new Cosmic Ultimate GTX Jacket and Insulated SL Vest. Designed to protect from cold, wet and wind by using a layering system starting with a Gore Shake Dry-equipped jacket on top and the ultralight puffy vest. The idea was to offer something that you could start with on a cold morning, remove easily while riding when you hit the climbs or things heat up, then just as easily slip back on (possibly while riding depending on your comfort level with that) before starting the descent.
The jacket is both waterproof and breathable, and it differentiates itself from Gore’s own jackets by adding Mavic’s burlier zipper, plus a 360º reflective black elasticized bottom hem. Inside is 5mm tape across all of the seams, and the shape was co-developed with another sister brand, Arcteryx, so it provides good mobility while still being cut slim for the cycling position. Sleeves are inset and articulated at the elbows, ending in slim, shaped cuffs that keep it aero, but is still able to be slid off over gloves. You’ll find reflective hits there, too. It comes with a small pouch stuff sack, or just roll it up and it’ll easily fit inside any standard jersey pocket with room for a mini pump next to it. Claimed weight is just 95g, price is €300.
The Cosmic Ultimate Insulated SL Vest is equally compressible and light. Inside is a siliconized polyester yarn, which is very slippery, helping it slide over itself for better compression. It uses Coreloft 40 insulation and has a DWR treatment on the exterior. There’s an interior rear zippered pocket that’ll fit a smart phone and doubles as it’s own stuff sack. Claimed weight is just 80g, and retail price is €170.
Buy them separately, or look for a special combo kit for €600. Only 50 kits will be offered, coming in a custom box and including entry into Mavic’s Tour de France 2018 village.
