Mavic is best known for its wheels, with details of the 2009 line-up revealed earlier, but from next year Mavic is keen to be known for its range of shoes and clothing too.
Until 2005 Mavic was part of adidas-Salomon AG. In late 2005, that group sold off the Salomon bit of itself to Finnish sports group Amer. Alongside Mavic in the Salomon brand grab-bag were outdoor gear manufacturers Arc'teryx and of course Salomon itself. Despite no longer being part of adidas, the Salomon group continued to license the adidas name to apply it to bike kit. That arrangement has now come to an end, and clothing will shortly be coming out bearing the (rather more familiar to cyclists) Mavic branding.
So for 2009 Mavic is to debut a range of clothing that looks to be far more interesting and technically advanced than anything that wore an adidas label. Mavic's range of five shoes is a good example of this clear intention to offer a serious rival to the more established clothing brands.
Sitting at the top of the pyramid is the 193g D'Huez, a weight which puts it easily at the lighter end of the scale. Even the quoted weights for less high-end models in the region of 250g and 300g are seriously competitive. And Mavic have clearly done their homework to ensure the shoes fit well, are comfortable and meet all the performance criteria demanded of a high-performance race shoe.
Thin 4mm carbon fibre soles transfer power efficiently and have been thoroughly tested to ensure durability. Energy Lock is a carbon heel boot that wraps around the rear of the shoe to provide the perfect fit and prevent the heel slipping. The Ergo Strap closure system uses a combination of a buckle and Kevlar cables to lock the shoe into place, with the buckle mounted to an Energy Frame providing a solid platform. Comfort is important, and here Mavic have created a series of Ergo Fit insoles made from multiple density and pre-shaped foams.
That's the shoes covered. Mavic also has your bum covered too, with a range of bib shorts. There's an impressive choice of price points and different chamois, with the top Ergo 3D pad featuring six layers of foam and constructed in a 3D shape. Mavic have gotten rid of the typical silicone gripper hem, and a double-layer elastic mesh with silicone printing is said to provide a seamless fit.
Mavic have your top half covered too, with a range of jerseys and jackets. Jackets feature Gore-Tex Paclite and Windstopper fabrics and the jerseys cutting-edge Altium materials and such things as full-mesh sleeves.
With Mavic's comprehensive move into clothing we're looking at more than just a simple add-on to its well regarded wheels, for its done its homework and rolled out technically advanced and impressive products that will make the competition stop and take notice. We certainly have, and we'll have more information and prices soon. Expect availability September.
www.mavic.com
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