Road Cycling - Mavic Cosmos wheels

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking around this forum for a little while (and found some great information) and this is my first post. I'm a keen recreational rider, do about 120km a week and plan to start racing next summer.

I've just bought myself a new old stock Bianchi road frame - lugged steel and absolutely stunning (tubing is 'Dedacciai Inox AISI 304 Zero Tre 25 CrMo4 Micro alloyed', colour is Celeste of course) which weighs just a bit over two kilos.

The shop I got the frame from offered me a very good package deal on a Campag Centaur groupset with Mavic Cosmos wheels. I had originally planned to go for Campag Proton wheels, but the deal with the Mavics was really good. Does anyone here have any experience of the Cosmos wheelset and how they might compare to the Protons. (What I really want to hear is that the Cosmos are great although a little heavier at 1800g compared with 1640g).

cheers,
Ant

All of the wheelsets that mavic produces get my seal of approval. They do a solid job of building great wheelsets for all price ranges and performance levels. I have several customers who ride the cosmos and are very happy with them. While the protons are slightly cooler than the regular looking cosmos the cosmos are still a great functioning wheelset. Very durable and you cannot beat those Mavic hubs - smoooooooth.

-Ryan

I do not know about the protons but my cross-bike has cosmoses
(plural for cosmos) and I have been on some pretty brutal trail rides and have not had to true them at all but they are a little heavy.

I'm currently looking seriously at purchasing some Mavic Cosmos (with blue anodised finish) to replace some old Mavic CXP11 wheels on a '99 Cannondale R300 Triple. I'm pretty confident these would be a worthwhile upgrade - but i'd also be interested in any one's comments about these wheelsets.

They are a great wheelset. However take note they are heavier and more rigid than the Protons.

In my experience, a good wheelset. I think you'd be fine racing on them, too. Not the lightest or trickest wheels out there, but my front wheel has yet to go out of true, which impresses me since I'm around 200 pounds. Rear is the same way, though I did have some spoke eyelets and nipples start to crack after a few thousand miles. Still, though, great wheelset.

Thanks guys,

The Cosmoses are 160g heavier than the Protons (1800g and 1640g). Is this difference significant? I guess it depends on whether the weight is in the rim or in the hubs. I'm reluctant to go for a heavier and stiffer wheel, since at 55kg, I'm not really looking for great strength in my equipment and any weight saving has to be from the bike.

cheers,
Ants