Mavic Aksium Vest review

One of the lightest gilets I've had the pleasure of testing, it’s no surprise that the Mavic Aksium vest stuffs down plenty small enough to fit into a jersey pocket, packing into a ball about the size of a clenched fist, a close match to the ultra-packable but much more expensive Huez Starman gilet.

The front, sides, and shoulders are constructed from Mavic’s Wind SL fabric, which does a great job of providing a layer of windproof protection that is the equal of any most other gilets on the market. The taped zip also adds to the protection.

As an added bonus, the Wind SL fabric has been given a DWR (durable water resistant) coating which adds a degree of protection should you be caught in an unexpected shower - a feature more commonly seen on more expensive gilets such as the Rapha gilet. Yes, this isn’t going to keep you dry through heavy, persistant rain, but then that’s not what the Mavic Aksium vest is designed for. Instead the DWR coating is great for light showers, and even better for once the rain has stopped and your main concern is staying protected from the wheel spray from the rider in front of you.

Unlike other similarly priced gilets such as the Madison Road Race gilet and the Endura Equipe Race gilet, Mavic has chosen not to equip the Aksium vest with any pockets, instead opting for two decent-sized openings to allow access to your rear jersey pockets. However we found them to be a little too high up the back, maiking them a little tricky to access on the move.

For more details visit the Mavic website.