I Heart Mavic Even More

About a year and a half ago the folks at Mavic in France sent me a bunch of goodness to ride, and my main aim was to get hold of a pair of Alpine XL shoes which weren’t available here. I ended up reviewing them in Issue 50, and they pretty much set the bar as the best MTB shoe I’d ever worn. Well, given that flying Spoke to Mavic’s launch earlier this year was never going to happen, Mavic figured that I could have my own little launch, all by myself with a Red Bull or two, here at Spoke HQ.

First up out of the box was easily the most anticipated item and that was a pair of Mavic’s new Crossmax shoes. They’re based around the same sole as the very popular Alpine XL but is a little stiffer for the rigours of hardcore Enduro racing (Jerome, Fabien and Anne Caro all use this shoe) and features a different closure mechanism. As you can see it’s a combination of the pull laces on the Alpine XL and a new ratchet; oh and it’s Mavic yellow, which kind of means I’ll have to ride faster and act a little more pro. I’ve tried them on in the office and they fit amazingly well. I can’t wait to get them out on the trail!

The Notch helmet has been available here this year already, but you may not have seen it as most Mavic dealers have been more focused on road. It’s a pretty resolved helmet, fitting in with the current crop of all-mountain lids out there, with plenty of rear coverage, big vents and light weight at 310 grams. Now you too can look like Rod Bardsley (actually his is the white one)!

But if you want to look like Jerome or Anne Caro you can wear this Notch long sleeve jersey (it also comes in black and white). Fit is looser than your standard Mavic top but it’s not boxy like some other long sleeves out there, fitting in well with the whole Notch all-mountain vibe. It’s made from a super breathable fabric that wicks away sweat efficiently and will strike fear into others on the start line at your local enduro race.

And to cap it all off are these superbly shaped Notch shorts. They are the perfect length short (not too long, not too short) and feature a nice high in-seam so they won’t catch on your seat when you get rad! Jean-style pockets look after storage and if you feel like loading up even more, there’s two more cargo pockets lower down and a zippered pocket on the rear. The Notch short also comes with a removable inner short that features Mavic’s high performing insert with two densities and two different thicknesses of perforated foam for maximum comfort, support and moisture management.

Now the best bit is that all this stuff will be hitting New Zealand this summer in a much stronger way than before. The Alpine XL and the Crossmax shoes will both be available and the full Notch set as well. I’ll try to update this post with New Zealand RRP next week but for now you can just drool over them on the Mavic site here www.mavic.co.nz.