Mavic Comete Road Tubular Disc

Mavic Comete Road Tubular Disc Info

Training for a triathlon can be seriously hard work. You’re taking time away from work, family, leisure; a semblance of a normal life. If, on race day, you want to know that you’ve left nothing to chance, then you may want to look into investing in a Mavic Comete Road Tubular Disc Wheel. It very well could be the last piece in the jigsaw that will get you to the top of your class.

Since this wheel is the brainchild of Mavic engineers, you should not be surprised to see how much energy and problem solving they have put into the design of the Comete Tubular Disc. First you must look at the aerodynamics, since that will be the main motivation for having the wheel in the first place. It is important to understand that the walls are asymmetrical. The drive-side wall is flat to accommodate the cassette while the non-drive side is lenticular, which means it is shaped like a lens. At certain yaw angles that set up is so aero that it measures negative drag, sometimes referred to as lift, when the wind is coming from the non-drive side. In other words, it’s working more as a sail to push you along than to slow you down.

The wall material is a unidirectional and honeycomb weave of high modulus carbon fiber. That makes the ride laterally super stiff, but you don’t have to worry about losing control when you come up to sharp corners or need to bomb down a hill because the rim body is so supportive. The rim material itself is made from Mavic’s special Maxtal alloy, which is exclusive to Mavic and offers a greater strength to weight ratio than conventional 6106. The brake track has been reinforced with Mavic’s special secret weapon for braking surfaces: Exalith. Exalith is a treatment that penetrates the alloy to delay rim wear. What you’ll notice first is that the rims don’t look like aluminum and can even be mistaken for carbon from a distance. As you get closer, you’ll see that the braking surface of the rim has a slight textured appearance which requires the use of Exalith rim-specific pads to ensure the level of braking performance that these wheels are designed to achieve. The wheels are delivered with the special black pads. Mavic has tested their wheels with the Exalith technology and discovered that braking distance in wet conditions is reduced by as much as 18%.

To help keep weight low, the rim is treated with their ISM machining. “ISM” simply stands for “Inter Spoke Milling”, and refers to Mavic’s patented concept of machining the lower bridge of the rim where material can be spared. It effectively reduces weight without compromising the durability of the rim. The lighter the rim, the better acceleration you’ll have, and that is always a challenge when dealing with disc wheels.

The hub is equally well thought out. The body is a robust aluminum with an aluminum axle. For the hub innards, Mavic uses their QRM+ bearing system. Super smooth rolling, the cartridge bearings are double sealed and sport a micro-adjustability system. To keep the hub lightweight and responsive Mavic employs what they call their FTS-L system for the freewheel, which is a clever method of securing the pawl to the hub body by using two stainless steel inserts. You may not be able to put your finger on it when you are riding, but the level of rolling efficiency this set-up provides will make this wheel glide so smoothly and effortlessly that you’ll feel like you hardly have to pedal.

Confident that their Wheel Tire System (WTS) is the way of the future, Mavic has designed the Mavic Comete Road Tubular Disc Wheel in conjunction with their proprietary tire in mind. It makes sense so much of a wheel’s performance comes down to the rubber that wraps your hoops. Mavic has taken the guess work out of it by shipping the Mavic Comete Road Tubular with their Yksion Pro PowerLink tire for the rear. Consistent aerodynamics are a part of it. It is also a tire specifically designed for use on a rear wheel and the extra weight it carries relative to the front wheel: you see this in the use of a nylon anti-puncture breaker, and a rubber compound that works well in the rain, since we can’t always order the weather for our races. For rainy weather, its tread is designed to evacuate water to prevent you from wiping out. But in particular the PowerLink tire has been developed to offer excellent energy transfer, reduced rolling resistance.

Mavic wheels come with a two-year warranty against defects. Mavic also has their MP3 Program. Short for Mavic Purchase Protection Plan, this is an extended coverage option. It is not required, but it is a cheap and cheerful way to buy some peace of mind—think crash insurance. You’ll need to buy MP3 through Mavic’s website within ten days of purchasing your wheels, so be certain to get onto the Mavic site soon after you place your wheel order to get the details.  More information will be packaged with your wheels.

Without the tire, the Mavic Comete Road Tubular Disc Wheel tips the scale at 1100 grams. It is shipped with a BR601 Quick Release, a wheel bag, Exalith brake pads, a valve extender, and a multifunction adjustment wrench. Watch your best times tumble once you get the air working for you.