Mavic

Cosmic Elite Tri Cycling Shoe - Men's

With a claimed weigh that concedes a mere 55g per shoe its more expensive stablemate, the Mavic men's Cosmic Elite Tri Shoes are more than equal to the demands of any self-supported triathlete who spends most of the summer with faint race numbers scrawled on their calves and arms. They feature a wide opening that slips on with the aid of a heel loop and secures with Mavic's oversized Ergo Tri Strap, a design meant to drop precious seconds from transition.

The big difference between the two triathlon models in Mavic's line lies in the sole. The Cosmic Elite Tri features a nylon outsole that's reinforced with fiberglass, surrendering stiffness to the Ultimate Tri's full carbon sole but also providing a bit of engineered flex to help soften the miles in the saddle and ease the awkwardness of transitions. Despite the difference in the sole, the Elite features the same padded, removable, anti-odor insole as the Ultimate.

We think the different outsole materials used in the Elite and the Ultimate are also responsible for the above mentioned weight difference for a few reasons. First, carbon is lighter; second, carbon is stronger, so Mavic is able to completely excavate significant portions of material, increasing airflow and further decreasing weight; third, the Elite Tri's stack height (7.5mm) is 2mm higher than the Ultimate's — a dimensional difference that we once again attribute to carbon requiring less material to maintain structural integrity.