Jack Bauer, the UCI and the Mavic Cosmic CXR 60
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October 13, 2015 – The list of cycling technologies Mavic has pioneered is mind boggling – Duralumin, electronic shifting, tubeless, etc… Mavic’s latest innovation in the wheel world is creating tires and wheels that work together to create a system. We never truly understood how Mavic tires worked more closely with a Mavic wheel than another tire, so we questioned the validity of this system approach. That was until we rode the Mavic Cosmic CXR 60 with a set of Yksion CXR tubulars and the CX01 blades.
peloton
The CX01 blade is a small fairing that slots into the space created between the rim’s outer diameter and the tire’s side wall. The result is a 60mm deep, 27mm wide rim that combines with the tire to create an absolutely seamless airfoil. The air is guided across the tire and rim as if it’s a single entity and the result is the fastest 60mm rim/tire system in the world with exceptional cross wind performance.
This Cosmic CXR 60 is the wheel the big men of the Cannondale-Garmin squad reach for when they know it will be a long day on the front. Jack Bauer told us, “I always choose the CXR60 for flat stages, for most rolling/lumpy stages, anything really that isn’t a mountain top finish. I love the way the wheel is stable in all wind conditions, light enough to tackle medium mountains and yet incredibly fast and aerodynamic at high speed. The CXR60 accelerates very quickly and easily for a wheel of its depth and weight. It is easy to wind up out of corners with the CXR60 which makes it super versatile”
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We all remember stage 15 of the 2014 Tour de France, when Jack Bauer escaped with Martin Elmiger. After all day in the break, riding a set of Cosmic CXR60’s, Bauer was caught 25m from the line and broke down in tears. You may be asking, “If the wheels are so fast why was he caught?” Well, blame the UCI. They have classified the blade as a non-structural faring and outlawed it, removing some of the wheel’s cutting edge speed and undoubtedly robbing Jack Bauer of the few precious seconds he needed.
Weight: 1590grams Price: $2750 More: Mavic.com