I have an opportunity to get a great deal on Mavic tires. There dont seem to be many reviews or opinions on the tires, so I was hoping someone here has ridden them and could chime in. I am particularly interested in the tubuars, but I'd love to hear opinions on the clinchers as well. Thanks!!

They are probably heavier than stated , especially if you put them on an italian bike , like a Bianchi......

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All this from an old bloke who wishes he was faster and could climb better...... enjoy the ride!

i have ridden both the clinchers and the tubulars - clinchers came on a set of r-sys slr wheels, i got a set of tubulars so my wheels would, hopefully, all act pretty much the same.
boy was i wrong.
i LOVE the clinchers - really great tires/control/feel/etc. first i'm pretty loyal to conti not out of anything other than familiarity (i have ben riding them for so long i know exactly how they will act in every situation) and the mavic clinchers are the first i've ridden that are as predictable and comfortable as i find the contis (hey, personal opinion here, not making a quantitative judgement, just a qualitative).

the tubulars, not so much.
they felt very squidgy, never seemed to hold air well, and generally didn't transition into and out of hard cornering as well as the clinchers - basically everything you expect a tubular to exhibit better than a clincher they were worse.
i actually thought my madfiber wheels were 'soft' but i ended up switching to 25c conti comps over the off season and what a huge difference.

anyway - for me it's a no on the tubulars but a resounding yes on the clinchers.

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thanks,
nick

Thanks! I'll order some clinchers and stay away from tubulars. I assume you were using the Griplink / Powerlink clinchers not the Yksion's?

it's just hype so Mavic can charge $200 more for a wheelset while only adding about $20 to their costs...

Not impressed

Griplink and Powerlink clinchers - I'm a fan in dry conditions. The Powerlink slid out on me on a damp road.

Griplink was very nice - smooth, cornered well, predictable.

Only issue was wear...they wore quickly. Didn't cut too much, just developed a flat spot in the rear.

I really liked the Griplink and Powerlink clinchers too!
But rode them only 3/4000km until the winter roads started to kill them rapidly

I really like(d) my mavic clinchers tires. Seemed to grip well (have had a dry winter so no extended experience with them in the wet) and roll well. My griplink weighed 207 grams and the powerlink 219 grams. I punctured the powerlink a couple weeks ago and there was a large enough hole in the sidewall to ruin the tire. To be fair, I suspect most other tires would have suffered the same fate. The front seems to be wearing fine but I've only had about 500 miles on it.

i also got to test ride these tire...or got a set for free...they are still working out the bugs in my opinion, they flat easily, don't have very good protection, ride quality was decent, but also could be improved, an ok tire but wouldn't pay for them, they're going in right direction but still not there, tire not good enough to train or race on

I'm a self professed tire snob. I was skeptical when I got my new wheels but figured I ride them till they needed to be replaced and switch back over. Both tubies and clinchers have worn well, ride well, and nice tires. Mavic is open about the manufacturing. It's their rubber and their casing and either Michelin or Vittoria makes them. Doesn't matter much as both make high quality stuff. My issue with them is I don't see a lot of people buying them to put on anything but mavics. It just seems weird. Sorta' like running campy wheels on a Sram Red bike.

starnut

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"Don't pedal harder, pedal faster!"
Q-FACTOR IS A RED HERRING

BB30.COM

I raced and trained on them all of last season after getting them for free from our shop sponsor - and they held up great and were nice on the road. I have nothing really negative to say about them. I did flat once - and for the first time in my riding career I was able to patch the hole with Vittoria Pitstop.

This year I've got another pair with the Cosmic Carbone Ultimates and will definitely be racing them.

The tire from 2012 has a black, latex clad basetape whereas the 2011 tires had a white cloth basetape without latex. The 2011 tires were definitely Lion/Vittoria, unsure of the 2012s but perhaps as STARNUT says they are the Michelin version.

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12 Canyon Aeroad CF 9.0 ETE
12 Canyon Ultimate AL
11 Cervélo P2

reminds me of my favorite weird build - fulcrum wheels with a campy grupo

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it's actually possible to come to the conclusion even before realising it makes no sense at all
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tymon_tm

Wanted to check in after these have been out for a bit and see some longer term reviews.

How many miles are you guys getting out of them? I have about 350 so far and the rear is already developing a flat spot?

I can't comment on the durability as I don't have enough miles on them yet, but I'm very impressed by the feel & grippiness of the Powerlink/Griplink tubulars that I have on my 50mm Chinese wheels. They lay over well, and hold the line perfectly. The front does have a tiny lump in the tread that I'm going to keep an eye on, though.

I didn't like the black basetape--it makes glueing them a bit more of a hassle.