Leading French cycling brand Mavic has announced a new addition to its longstanding road wheel series, Cosmic. The Cosmic S 42, as the name implies, is a 42mm deep aeroprofile carbon wheelset that aims to combine performance and affordability in one package.

Priced at £900/$999/€999, the wheels will compete with Hunt's 40 carbon wheels and Zipp's 303S. The Cosmic S 42 has an inside rim width of 21mm, slightly narrower than its competitors, while the Hunt and Zipp are about 1mm wider. In fact, a 28mm tire would not make a significant difference, but if you are driving on dirt roads, you should consider fitting a higher-volume rubber.

Mavic's proprietary QRM ID360 hubs are fitted with standard bladed J-bend spokes. These spokes enhance the aero performance of the wheelset, while at the same time providing an ease of maintenance not found on aero wheels; J-bend spokes are easily available at most bicycle stores, require no special tools other than spoke keys, and are easy to install and adjust for tension.

The theme of easy maintenance continues with the ID360 (Instant Drive 360) hub. This design uses two ratchet rings instead of the traditional pawls, allowing for better engagement with a larger engagement area and making hub service a little easier.

For those who prefer a tubeless setup, Mavic has equipped the Cosmic S 42 with UST tubeless valves and pre-taped the rims. In other words, all you need to do is install tubeless sealant on the best tubeless road tires and inflate the tires.

While not the lightest wheel in its category, the Cosmic S 42 weighs in at 745 grams front and 850 grams rear, for a total wheelset weight of 1595 grams, just a few grams less than Zipp's 303S wheelset, thus This solidifies its position in the all-rounder category.

For many, the purchase of a carbon wheelset comes with a certain amount of uncertainty. Mavic offers a 2+1 year warranty on the Cosmic 42S. Mavic also offers crash replacement on all carbon rims.

Mavic offers Shimano/SRAM HG freehub bodies as standard on the Cosmic S 42 wheelset, and SRAM XD-R or Campagnolo N3W freehub bodies may be purchased separately. The hubs are fitted with end caps for 12x100 and 12x142 thru-axles, but can easily accommodate quick-release hubs with the included adapters.