WHAT WE'RE MADE OF
What we're made of
on a TV screen?” “Yellow and black.” This is how Mavic got its colours: a conversation between founder Bruno Gormand and a cameraman.
EVERYTHING
BEGINS
WITH PASSION
FOR THE SPORT.
WHAT MAKES US PIONEERS
1934
It’s 1934. Antonin Magne is training in total secrecy. On his bike are the first-ever rims made from duralumin, an alloy of copper and aluminium.
To keep this brand-new technology under wraps, the rims are painted to look like wood.
They’re called Dura rims. They’re our invention. And they weigh 750 grams rather than the usual 1.2 kilos.
HOW NEUTRAL
ASSISTANCE
WAS BORN.
In 1972 a team manager had a problem with his car while following the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré.
Our chairman at the time, Bruno Gormand, lent his own car to the manager so he could finish the race.
The idea that Mavic should be the brand that helps riders was born. Whoever they are. Whatever bike they’re riding.
THE FIRST
YELLOW CAR
It appeared just ahead of the peloton in the 1973 Paris – Nice. It supported the breakaway riders and relayed messages between people using radio.
And since 1985, the yellow cars have also provided support to the biggest amateur races around the world.
NEVER.
STOP.
INVENTING.
WHAT MAKES
US CREATIVE
1934
We created the ‘Apron Mudguard’ to save our riders from wet feet and muddy shoes.
1973
We invented the first fiberglass lenticular wheel. We did it before it was even officially authorised. And ten years before our competitors.
1975
We anodised our rims with colour
treatments to stop
them rusting.
1975
The rim with double 'hook' bridge to seat a high-pressure tyre is developed with Michelin and its Elan tyre. With this patented concept, Mavic created a new generation of rims for narrow tyres.
1979
‘Le Tout Mavic’ gives you a complete, simple system. Ultra reliability. Incredible performance.
1997
We launched super lightweight Helium wheels, so riders could make it up mountain stages quicker. The red rims and hubs soon become iconic.
1999
With Crossmax and Ksyrium we reinvented the wheel with our Fore process. We used high-speed drilling to drill the rim without losing any material. It made the wheels lighter. More resistant.
2012
With our CX01 Technology, we united the wheel and tyre into one seamless system. It reduces turbulence and improves laminar air flow – which makes for a smoother, faster ride.
RISKS. Sometimes our ideas are so different the pros don’t want to hear about them.
But they always change their minds when they see those ideas made real.
“When we told Team Garmin we’d built the fastest wheels in cycling, they weren’t convinced.”
“When we told Team Garmin we’d built the fastest wheels in cycling, they weren’t convinced.
So we flew to San Diego and showcased our technology.
They then decided to ride our CXR wheels. Since then they’ve won some of the biggest time trials.”
That avant garde attitude is part of our DNA.
THE HOME
OF
CYCLING.
WHAT IT MEANS
TO BE FRENCH
1818
The first velocipede was shown at the Jardin du Luxembourg.
1860
The first pedal was invented in Paris.
1872
The first cycling associations started in Toulouse, Rouen and Paris.
1903
The first ever Tour de France.
FRANCE
IS THE HOME
OF CYCLING.
FRANCE
IS THE HOME
OF MAVIC
2012
“The riders taking part in the fifth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré set off from our factory in Saint-Triviers- sur-Moignans. ”
DIVERSITY
We value life and people’s diversity. If innovation is our beating heart, cycling is our lifeline.
Gender equality index: 88/100
IT’S
ALL ABOUT
THE RIDERS.
WHAT MAKES
US YOUR TRUSTED
PARTNER
EVERYONE’S
WELCOME.
We always have a stand at races. So riders can chat with us, or ask us to fix their bike for free. It’s a great chance for us to talk. And hear what they think of our products.
At the biggest races, we even give people a ride in our yellow cars. So they get an insider’s view of the race. Nobody else gets this close.
“The next year, he showed up with a little yellow car he’d made for us. We were really touched – you could see he’d spent a lot of time on it, that he hadn’t forgotten what we did. ”
"I remember a little boy on the Roc d’Azur race. He was about seven or eight, and he was in floods of tears because he’d broken a wheel on his mountain bike and didn’t think he’d be able to start the race. We changed his wheel so he could take part and he stopped crying.
The next morning, he came back to show us the cup he won, and a drawing he’d done for us to say thank you.
The next year, he showed up with a little yellow car he’d made for us. We were really touched – you could see he’d spent a lot of time on it, that he hadn’t forgotten what we did.
And now, every year, he comes to say hi to us before the race.”
“The most important thing for us was
that he made it.”
"There was this rider doing an amateur event between Barcelona and Andorra. He’d stopped on the edge of the route.
The snow was really coming down – snowflakes as big as your fist. It was getting heavier and heavier. And his bike was a write-off. So we lent him a yellow bike so he could finish the race he’d been training for for months.
We waited for him at the finish line till 8pm, even though it was four hours after the last rider came through. But the most important thing for us was that he made it."
A NAME THAT SMACKS.
COLOURS THAT BANG.
WHAT MAKES US THE BRAND OF CHOICE FOR THE MOST INTENSE CYCLING MOMENTS
Olympic champion.
PERFORMANCE
AND
RELIABILITY.
WHAT MAKES OUR PRODUCTS UNBEATABLE
When it comes to reliability and performance, no-one else can touch us.
And the tests back that up.
(Even blind one.)
A flash of yellow on a jersey, on a wheel, is a rallying cry, a symbol of belonging for true cyclists.
WE TEST OUR PRODUCTS. RELENTLESSLY.
First we check our science :
Wind tunnel tests. Computer simulations. Reams of data.
We push our prototypes to the limit, putting them through three years’ worth of use in three days
Then we check performance :
We get both professional and amateur riders to test our prototypes. And we take our time.
Sometimes we’re testing for more than two years.
MAD MOMENTS
Our riders expect their equipment to stand up to the most extreme punishment.
So don’t be surprised if you see one of us deliberately hurtling into a manhole at 70km/h.
It’s all for the sake of reliability.
