Product Review - Mavic Cycling Shoes (Chasm & Zxellum)

I have now been wearing these shoes enough to pass on my comment. Firstly a bit of a back ground on me, enduro racing and mtb shoes. In my first 24 hour solo race, I killed the nail on my big toe on my right foot. This was caused by a combination of things but mainly due to shoes that became to tight under the conditions (very hot and riding for a stupidly long period). I had numbness in my toe for 4 month, and ever since I have had a second pair of shoes in the pits just in case my first pair get uncomfortable. Since starting to ride in the Mavic Chasm mtb shoes I have noticed what a difference a great fitting shoe makes. Don't get me wrong, I have always used good quality shoes, but these just seem to give a superior fit both on the solo of your foot and across the top of the foot. I'll start with the sole. It is made of a full piece of carbon fibre, this gives them a great amount of stiffness. The grip on the sole is supplied by rubber (not plastic like most shoes). This makes the very forgiving when walking in them. It also provides better grip on rocky terrain. The upper portion of the shoe is made of a very soft synthetic material. They have a cool looking leather finish with plenty of breathable mesh sections.

I have found the top to be so comfortable that I am wearing a half size smaller shoe to give me a good snug fit and better power transfer. The harness system (very similar to my old Adidas Adistar shoes) is excellent. The top strap has ratchet adjustment for ease of use on the fly and the bottom two steps are fool proof velco. Another handy addition is the supplied brass plates that sit between the cleat and the solo. There is two different thicknesses to suit all pedals and give a perfect connection. They also act as protection against wear on you sole from rubbing on the outside of the pedal (especially good for egg better uses). Bottom line is these shoe a great. They have everything you would want in a race shoe or even an all day trail shoe. I even think I will stop taking a second set of shoes to races they are that good. I forgot to mention they are light, very light.

I would also like to touch on the Zxellium Road shoes also. These are not for the person who doesn't want to be noticed (I believe the yellow version is only a limited edition, there are also some more subtle models available in the Mavic like up). I have never used a product that has drawn as much attention as these shoes. I have found them to be as comfortable as the mtb shoes. The are stiff, light and seem to have a great power transfer. All day rides on the road bike now give me no foot discomfort whatsoever.

o as far as I am concerned they are a fantastic shoe. Also worth a mention for both models is the handy inclusion of lines on the sole to make setting cleat up a cinch. I don't think they are in many shops yet, but if you go to your favorite bike shop they should be able to order a set in for you.