Mavic Cosmic Ultimate shoes review

Last year, Mavic updated its Cosmic Ultimate shoes to the new Cosmic Ultimate SL version. It’s made changes to the upper’s closure, replacing the two Ergo Dial closures with a single Boa IP1 low profile dial, positioned on the outer side of the upper. There’s no separate tongue, with the asymmetric uppers wrapping over the foot. Mavic has also reduced the weight of the carbon sole.

The upper is still made with a laser welded construction with mesh inserts between the TPU structural components. That saves weight over a stitched upper and is a feature too of Mavic’s ultra-spendy £900 Comete Ultimate shoes. The large mesh areas in the uppers make for good airflow when riding in hot weather too. As a result of the redesign, Mavic has shaved over 80g off the weight of its previous generation Cosmic Ultimate footwear.

Under your feet, there’s a new, lighter all-carbon Energy SLR sole, with a 6.5mm stack height, which Mavic says saves 10g over its previous sole unit. It incorporates a titanium cleat plate, saving a bit of weight over steel. There are also lots of ventilation slots built into the sole to help keep your feet cooler on hot climbs.

Mavic makes the Cosmic Ultimate SL shoes in half UK sizes between 3.5 and 13 and in black, white or Mavic yellow. It has different lasts for its performance shoes like the Cosmic Ultimate and its lower priced shoes. But Mavic has also changed the upper’s shape to make the toe box more rounded. The design also ensures that the heel is well supported, to help avoid heel lift.

Whereas their predecessor rather constricted my toes, I found that there was almost too much room in the forefoot of the Cosmic Ultimate SL shoes, particularly if I wore thin socks. This meant that tightening the Boa dial resulted in more pressure over the mid-foot, rather than it being more evenly distributed across the top of the foot. Mavic has adjusted the fit again in the £99 Cosmic shoes, which I’ve also tested recently in the same size and which fit considerably closer, resulting in more even foot support.

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The revamp from the previous generation Cosmic Ultimate shoe has been accompanied by a price increase for the Cosmic Ultimate SL shoes, but although £340 is a lot of cash, it’s not out of line with other premium cycling shoes. And the Cosmic Ultimate SL shoes are impressively light and with their stiff soles you can feel the efficient power transfer to the pedals.