History

Two brothers, Léon and Laurent Vielle, created a 'nickel-plating' business in 1889. A little later Charles Idoux and Lucien Chanel ventured into the 'manufacture and the sale of spare parts for bicycles'..

While the Vielle brothers founded Etablissements Métallurgiques du Rhône (EMR) with the brand name AVA, the latter created MAVIC, Manufacture d’Articles Vélocipédiques Idoux et Chanel (Idoux & Chanel’s Manufactory of Articlesfor Velocipedes). The common factor between these two businesses was their President, Henry Gormand.

The logo was in a then-fashionable:circle with decorative typo

Mavic expanded into the manufacture of much-appreciated pedal cars for children in the thirties.

The Company made two models that were outstanding for the period with spoked wheels fitted with decorative hub-cabs, chain drive to the back axle, hood and trunk.
In a catalog of the period Henry Gormand’s children could be seen at the wheel.

Only a small number were made; they are rare if not impossible to find today. Just one "Championship" model was found in a Paris collector's house and is today back home with Mavic.

The "Apron Mudguard" was one of the jewels in the company's crown

In the 1934 Tour de France, Antonin Magne tested these new rims in the utmost secrecy–they were banned by the rules, and so were painted in wood colors. Antonin Magne won the yellow jersey...
Dura rims weighed 750 g compared with 1.2 kg for steel rims.

Les jantes pèsent 750 g contre 1,2 kgpour les jantes en acier.

A Duralumin dished rim, with a sort of 'tube' arrangement called eyelets carried the stress of the spokes on the lower and upper walls of the rim.

An Italian, Mario Longhi, perfected the same technique at precisely the same time and registered his patent on January 5, 1934–two hours before Mavic!

The Italian allowed Mavic to exploit the procedure under license until 1947.

In 1945 the logo changed. The circle ended, the diamond shape started.

The Products are becoming associated with Races and Champions.

Aerodynamics inspired the first Mavic wheels. Wheels became Mavic’s main concern, inspired by the first aerodynamic studies. In 1973, the Study Bureau examined a glass-fiber lenticular wheel. This was the first Mavic-signed wheel. Although track–and road-tested it was against the rules and was never used in a race. Aerodynamics however was in the air and Mavic continued its research.

Mavic starts an assistance service for racing cyclists. At races, Mavic makes available to all competitors a ‘neutral and free’ assistance. Mavic’s two key ideas are: a well-equipped car in front of the main body of riders to give immediate breakdown assistance to the leaders, and a complete radio liaison service between the vehicles (organizers, doctors, sports managers, journalists, etc.). The first Mavic assistance race was Paris-Nice. It was when he lent his car at the last minute to a Sports Manager whose vehicle had broken down during the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré in 1972 that Bruno Gormand had the idea of making available a completely innovative ’neutral’ assistance, better suited to both racers and organizers.

A yellow diamond inside a red rectangle with rounded corners. This is the logo that was affixed to the Mavic assistance vehicles.

First anodized rims. This treatment increases rim wall hardness and protects against corrosion. For the first time colored rims appeared on the market – silver, gold, and blue – the famous SSC blue. Never seen before in races. Creation of the first ever sealed bottom bracket named 600 RD, a one piece pedal assembly body with perfectly-aligned, sealed radial bearings.

The 500 hub, the leading high-quality bearings on the market.

This time Mavic innovated in bearings and created the 500 hub with sealed radial bearings, flanges adapted to accept shape of spoke heads and elbows. It was soon to become “adjustable-removable” and was named the 500 RD.

Mavic bearings are exceptionally high quality-a strong point of the range, and a feature for the name.

Module E, a tire rim with hooks, enters the cycling history book.

The first rim with double 'hook' bridge to seat a high-pressure tire developed by Michelin: the Elan.

With this patented concept, Mavic started developing a new generation of rims for tires that rapidly benefited from all of Mavic's technological innovations. In the cycle-racing world the use of tubular tires gradually declines in favor of tires.

The 'Tout Mavic' put the company name into cycling's hall of fame. Mavic was already making hubs, pedal assemblies, headsets, pedals and chain ring cranks and now developed the famous ‘Tout Mavic’ units. The 1000 Special Service Race unit thus brought together the Gray SSC Paris-Roubaix and G40 hubs, with which Sean Kelly won the 1984 Paris-Roubaix

For some time company thinking had been turning toward wheels as complete creations rather than assemblies. TTM 560 hub derived from the famous 550 Service Courses. Just about then some young sensation-seeking Californians knocked over traditional cycling and launched the BMX (Bicycle Motocross) and the Mountain Bike. Mavic swiftly realized that these off-the-beaten-track disciplines that were not just passing fancies. The Company adopted them.
 
The first Mavic wheel to be marketed:
the TTM 504 for BMX with 20-inch TTM 4 rims and TTM 560 hub derived from the famous 550 Service Courses.

Passion for passions. Mavic Air Department was created to market ultra-light motorized planes (ULMs) ready made or in kits. Two models were available: the Avid Flyer, of American origin and the French-designed Airplume. The French planes were assembled in Villeneuve, near Saint-Trivier-sur-Moignans but only a few units were sold. The sudden death of Bruno Gormand in December 1985 put an end to this activity.The Cessna plane acquired by the Company however continued to assure radio links over races until 1986.

A new sport and new products, this time rims for mountain bikes.  First cross-country rims: the Rando M4 and M5 – “hard coat” treated.

In France in October, Mavic provide the assistance at the 2nd Roc D’Azur, a mountain bike festival on the South Riviera.”

Marketing of Comete carbon fiber paracular wheels and light alloy Challenger wheels. The following year the Comete ‘+ and –’ appeared: 12 cells situated around the edge that can hold steel weights of 130 to 780 g. The riders add more or less ballast to the wheel depending on the event

Mountain bike assistance during the Paris-Gao-Dakar. In the following years Mavic assisted cyclists in the Mountain Bike World Cup, and in triathlon competitions.

In 1988, the Mavic name was placed in a parallelepiped with a yellow background.

The italic lettering gave added movement.

The same logo was now used on all ours supports: vehicles, catalogs, parts etc.

In 1989, Greg Lemond won the Tour de France with 'Tout Mavic'. An unhoped-for victory that added a page to the Tour's glorious history: he was just 8 seconds in front of Laurent Fignon.

3G wheel with 3 profiled spokes for front or rear, with interchangeable cartridge-hubs. It was the hot talking point at the Barcelona Olympic Games with Chris Boardman’s ride

Mavic developed an electrically-controlled derailleur that was tried out by the Once and RMO teams in the Tour de France. A new French revolution!

The following year Mavic launched the ZMS (Zap Mavic System), the first micro-processor driven rear derailleur. Two strategically-placed buttons on the handlebar to change gear-up or down-then with a feather-light touch the microprocessor in the handlebar sends the information to the electromagnets in the derailleur, all in real time. 

Mavic backs passions and challenges.

Christian Taillefer, Anne-Caroline Chausson and Eric Barone dream of pulverizing all speed records beyond 200km/h by hurtling from the top of an almost vertical track. Mavic wheels. Studs are compulsory .

The wheel as a "global system" With this approach and more work on aerodynamics the Cosmic wheel came into being, and was marketed in two versions: the aluminium Cosmic and the Cosmic Carbone.

Sixteen stainless steel streamlined spokes at front wheels, crossed on the back wheels. They had different numbers, shapes and positions depending on the version. Trough research and patenting, Mavic innovated in spoke heads and shafts, their positioning and their attachment to the rim and the hub, thus constantly improving wheel behavior.

End of the rectangle, the beginning of the ellipse.

Helium wheel, red rims and hubs.

First ultra light complete wheelset, thought specificaly for mountain stages.

The Crossmax wheel–specifically designed as a global ‘system’.

The lightweight resistant ‘outlaw’ wheel with an oversized profile and ultra-thin rim wall, rear FTS hub and rapid blocking system.

26 spokes for the front wheel, 28 at the rear, crossed by 3s on the free wheel side and radial on the opposite side. It was used in the Atlanta Olympics

Mavic presents the Mektronic, the first wireless electronic transmission groupo.

Birth of Mektronic - another step forward in electronic derailleurs. No more wires; transmission was now by digitally-coded radio waves. Many control points were built into the hand-grips and a multi-function onboard computer attached to the handlebar shows speed, distance covered, elapsed time, sprocket positions, etc.

Next Mavic got the tire world's big two-Michelin and Hutchinson-round a table to talk about an objective: Tubeless.

Result: the Crossmax UST Tubeless.
On the profile of the rim, a channel receives the tire's beads during fitting. During inflating, the beads press against the groove walls then climb up and lock into place behind the raised ridges of the rim. Being able to ride with lower pressures and without blowouts caused by pinching considerably improves tire grip and road-holding in bends.

Mavic's overall system approach rewrites standards, leads to the development of the Fore concept, a technological innovation dorn of aeronautics, and Crossmax and Ksyrium wheels. The result is no more rim piercing, guaranteed airtight fitting, no need for rim tapes, fewer spokes, a lighter wheel, improved rigidity and resistance.

Mavic files the patent ISM (Inter Spoke Milling), thus protecting the process of milling the upper surface of the interior of the rim in-between the spoke holes. 

This innovation reduces rotating mass (thus reducing inertia) and reduces the weight of the rim by between 10% to 20% without affecting strength, hence improving performance.

Mavic innovation is presented in the form of the cycle computer Wintech, which in its launch year, was awarded the first prize for innovation in USA.

Its unique feature: the sensor is housed inside the quick-release lever of the front wheel and the digitally coded data is wirelessly transmitted and unaffected by interference.

Birth of the R-SYS, the third generation of wheels with tubular carbon spokes using the concept TraComp. TraComp technology inhibits the de-tensioning of spokes and maintains lateral rigidity of the wheel when it is subjected to high stresses.

The tubular carbon spokes, immovably bound to the rim and hub, limit the deformation of the wheel, keep the wheel in true and minimises material fatigue (product longevity). All of this allows maximum weight reduction and maximises the performance characteristics of the complete wheel.

A range of road pedals sees the light of day.

This range of Mavic pedals follows on from the innovative 646 LMS of 1990, and comprises of three models dedicated to the road. On these models the focus is on energy transfer, the fluidity of bearings, and cleat resistance. The highlight of the range is the Race SL Ti with a titanium axle bringing the weight down to just 110 grammes.

Mavic launched a complete range of cycling specific shoes, clothing and accessories.

Mavic took another step in its progression with the launch of a complete range of shoes, textiles and accessories. This extensive range of innovative items responds perfectly to the needs of the most exacting cyclists. Improvements have been introduced at all levels with innovations in material, technical features and function. The products are dedicated to all aspects of cycling including road, triathlon and MTB and meet the needs of both male and female cyclists.

For the first time, wheel sets are now designed with the integration of their specific tyre.

By developing wheel and tyre technologies together Mavic can improve the wheel's responsiveness and reach a new era in wheel system design.

Leveraging our in-depth knowlege of cycling and cyclists, we introduced a complete range of helmets utilizing the latest technology in achieving a lightweight, aero and safe product offer. Proven at the highest level of racing to be among the best.

Yellow is part of Mavic's history and logo. It represents strength, passion and victory.

First reliable road tubeless based on the Universal System Tubeless standard. Optimized design for comfort and performance, legendary Ksyrium reliability and two tire options for the right solution for any conditions.

MAVIC celebrates 40 years of partnership with the Tour de France. Since 1977, riders of the world's biggest cycling race have benefited from our yellow neutral assistance cars.

Totally connected to the bike Carbon shell with minimum material flex, 19% increase in range of motion and ultra low 4,5 mm stack height= 15% energy saved.

UST® - The only standard in road tubeless. Easy. Safe. Fast. By combining our knowledge of wheels and tires we were able to perfect the symbiotic relationship between the tire bead and the rim hook to offer a system that is not only fast on the road and easy to maintain… but also 100 % reliable so you can focus on one thing: your ride.

Implemented on every MTB wheelsets in 2019 (except Deemax DH). The new Instant Drive 360 freewheel technology is super light and fast to engage with only 9°. A large contactless rubber seal provides low friction, while a wide array of end caps makes it super versatile

Mavic has returned to being a family-run SME with agile and autonomous governance, refocusing on the products that have made the brand successful.

This is the first "real" tubeless wheel without a rim tape. Mavic is the only brand to offer an anchoring point for the spokes that offers such rigidity on such a light rim.