Description
Go ahead. Embarrass the competition.
Mavic's Zxellium Ultimate Shoes build upon the foundation laid down by their former top-end Zxellium Shoes. Mavic's reasoning for the Ultimate was that many of their Pro riders asked for a more stable, stiffer upper than what they'd previously offered. This more substantial upper is the result of the addition of their Energy Frame +, an injection molded thermoplastic truss that wraps from the full carbon sole over the forefoot on the medial side. It complements the Energy Frame that does the same thing, but on the lateral side of the foot. This complete system holds your foot firmly and comfortably in place with the Ergo Lite Ratcheting buckle.
Mavic's Energy Full Carbon SL sole is the stiffest sole they offer. It resists flexing during even the most brutal efforts against the pedals. And since you'll lift each shoe 90 times a minute while you ride, you'll be glad to know that it's also Mavic's lightest sole. While it doesn't get discussed much, sole thickness, or rather thinness, is also important. The carbon sole of the Zxellium is merely 5.5mm thick. That puts your foot 7mm from the top of the cleat. The closer you are to the pedal, the less energy you lose to "rocking torque."
Mavic ensures that your heel is as secure as your forefoot with the Energy Lock carbon heel counter. It keeps your hindfoot in place by cradling the calcaneous bone. Up front the two Velcro Ergo SL Straps complete the job of securing the two sides of the seamless Ergo Lite upper. They use small Kevlar cords for a stretch-free system that allows a perfect adjustment every time you slide into the shoes. The middle strap also incorporates a toothed adjustment to allow you to customize the fit to accommodate the particular volume requirements of your forefoot.
The nicely appointed upper is complemented by the Ergo Fit 3D insole. It has three densities of padding, along with a nice heel cup and metatarsal pad. The insole is covered in an anti-bacterial material that resists stink. The tongue overlaps itself for protection and is lightly padded, with just enough material to spread out the pressure and still allow the foot to breathe. Actually, the padding in the heel, tongue, and insole are called Auto Fit because they'll mold to your foot without the need for heat.
The Mavic Zxellium Ultimate Shoes are available in Black and come in whole and half sizes from 5 - 12.5. Weight (for a size 8.5 shoe) is 270g per shoe.
- Ergo Fit 3D ergonomically contoured and vibration-absorbing footbed reduces fatigue so you can go longer, faster
- Injected TPU Energy frame eliminates stretch for more direct power transfer
- Mavic's lightest carbon fiber soleplate is ultra-stiff
- Carbon heel counter reduces heel slip and transfers energy better by eliminating heel flex
- Advanced, lightweight closure system for a custom fit and greater ventilation for any foot
Terms And Conditions
This Usage Agreement (the "Agreement") governs your conduct while using various services on the web site Backcountry.com and its affiliate web sites (collectively, the "Site"). All references to "we," "us," and "our" shall mean Backcountry.com and all references to "you" and "your" shall mean the user of the Site and Site Services. This Agreement applies to various services and activities on the Site as well as to gear review and product ratings (collectively, "Site Services"). Please read this Agreement carefully.
BY ACCESSING, BROWSING, AND USING THE SITE, ANY SITE SERVICES AND OTHER SERVICES THEREIN, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THIS AGREEMENT AND ITS TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY SUBSEQUENT MODIFICATION THEREOF, DO NOT ACCESS, BROWSE OR OTHERWISE USE THE SITE OR SITE SERVICES, INCLUDING THE SUBMISSION OF ANY REVIEWS OR COMMENTS.
Your use of the Site is governed by this Agreement and any other agreements and/or terms of use adopted by Backcountry.com and/or its affiliates. This Agreement shall govern in the event of, and to the extent of, any inconsistency with the Site. For more information on our privacy practices, read the Privacy Policy to understand our practices regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personal information on the Site and with respect to Site Services.
Any comments, reviews (including gear reviews and product ratings), posts, feedback, questions, answers, notes, messages, images, video, audio, materials, documents, data, graphics, ideas, suggestions or other communications (collectively, "User Content") you submit on the Site are not private or proprietary. By submitting User Content on or through the Site, you grant, assign and transfer to Backcountry.com all of your rights, title and interest, including without limitation, all intellectual property rights and moral rights, in and to such User Content. To the extent the preceding assignment and transfer is ineffective, you hereby grant Backcountry.com an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual right and license to use, copy, modify, adapt, display, publish, archive, store, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works based upon such User Content, in any form, media, software or technology of any kind now existing or developed in the future.
By submitting such User Content on or through the Site, you are confirming that (a) you are the sole author of the User Content and the User Content originated with you and not copied in whole or in part from any other work; (b) you have obtained all necessary permissions associated with the User Content, including without limitation permissions relating to copyrights, trademarks, rights of publicity and/or rights of privacy; (c) the User Content does not contain hate speech or profanity and is not unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortuous, defamatory, vulgar, libelous, obscene, racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable, an invasion of another's privacy, or otherwise in violation of this Agreement; (d) that you are not a minor and have the legal right and capacity to enter into and comply with this Agreement; (e) such User Content does not and will not, in any way, violate or breach any of the terms of this Agreement; and (f) Backcountry.com shall not in any circumstances be required to pay or incur any sums to any person or entity as a result of its use or exploitation of the User Content.
With respect to your conduct on the Site or while using the Site Services, you agree not to: (a) attempt to disguise the origin of any User Content transmitted to the Site Services whether through the Site or any third party site; (b) act in any manner that negatively affects other users' ability to use the Site and Site Services; (c) impersonate any person or entity, including without limitation, a manufacturer or owner of any product, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity; (d) interfere with the Site or Site Services, or servers or networks connected to the Site or Site Services, or disobey any requirements, procedures, policies, or regulations of networks connected to the Site or Site Services; (e) upload, post, or otherwise transmit any User Content that with respect to the Site Services: (i) is not relevant to the product, service, person or entity being reviewed; (ii) you do not have a right to transmit under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships (by way of example but not limitation, inside information, proprietary and confidential information learned or disclosed as part of employment relationships or under nondisclosure agreements); (iii) contains software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment; or (iv) is unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes," or any other form of solicitation.
By submitting any such User Content on or through the Site, you grant Backcountry.com permission to use your name, alias and any other information (as provided by you) to attribute such User Content to you. Without limiting the generality of the previous sentence, and subject to our Privacy Policy, you authorize Backcountry.com, its affiliates, and sublicensees to share the User Content across all affiliated Web sites, and to use your name and any other information in connection with its use of such User Content, as they may choose. You also grant Backcountry.com and its affiliates the right to use any material, information, ideas, concepts, know-how or techniques contained in such User Content. We are not responsible for the similarity of any of our Content or programming in any media to User Content submitted by you. Any and all rights granted in this section are granted without the need for any compensation to you in any form.
User Content does not reflect the views of Backcountry.com, and Backcountry.com does not represent or guarantee the truthfulness, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, integrity, quality or reliability of any User Content, nor does Backcountry.com endorse or support any opinions expressed in any User Content. In no event shall Backcountry.com have or be construed to have any responsibility or liability for or in connection with any User Content, Any gear reviews and/or product ratings submitted on the Site, if displayed, are displayed for entertainment and informational purposes only. Under no circumstances will Backcountry.com be liable in any way for any User Content, including but not limited to, any errors or omissions in any User Content, or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any User Content posted, emailed or otherwise transmitted via the Site or Site Services.
If Backcountry.com determines, in our sole and absolute discretion, that you or any User Content you submit violates this Agreement, we reserve the right, at any time, without notice and without limiting any and all other rights Backcountry.com may have under this Agreement, to: (a) refuse to allow you to submit further User Content; (b) remove and delete your User Content; (c) revoke your registration and right to use the User Content Submission Features; and (d) use any technological, legal, operational or other means available to enforce the terms of this Agreement, including, without limitation, blocking specific IP addresses or deactivating your registration, access to the Site and Site Services using your e-mail address, and your user name and password. Without limiting the foregoing, once User Content is submitted to the Site, Backcountry.com may take any or no action with respect to such User Content, including without limitation, deleting, editing, modifying, rejecting, or refusing to post such User Content, but is under no obligation to offer you the opportunity to edit, delete or otherwise modify User Content once it has been submitted. Backcountry.com shall have no duty to attribute authorship of User Content to you and shall not be obligated to enforce any form of attribution by third parties.
If, despite the foregoing assignment and transfer of rights in the User Content, it is determined that you retain moral rights (including the rights of attribution or integrity) in the User Content, you hereby declare that: (a) you do not require that any personally identifying information be used in connection with the User Content or any derivative works of or upgrades or updates thereto; (b) you have no objection to the publication, use, modification, deletion and exploitation of the User Content by Backcountry.com or its licensees, successors or assigns; (c) you forever waive and agree not to claim or assert any entitlement to any and all moral rights of an author in any of the User Content; and (d) you forever release Backcountry.com, and its licensees, successors and assigns from any claims that you could otherwise assert against Backcountry.com by virtue of any such moral rights.
You are prohibited from violating the security of any system or network compromising the Site or the Site Services, including but not limited to the following: (a) unauthorized access to or use of data, systems, or networks, including any attempt to probe, scan or test the vulnerability of the Site or Site Services or to breach security or authentication measures; (b) unauthorized monitoring of data or traffic on the Site or of the Site Services; (c) interference with the Site or Site Services including without limitation, any type of flooding technique or deliberate attempt to overload the system such as denial or service attacks; (d) forging of a message header or any part of a message header; or (e) using manual or electronic means to avoid any use or access limitation placed on this Site or the Site Services. Such violations may result in criminal or civil liability.
Backcountry.com reserves the right to report any activity or persons that Backcountry.com suspects has violated any law or regulation to appropriate law enforcement officials, regulators, or other appropriate third parties (including the disclosure of appropriate subscriber information). Backcountry.com may also cooperate with appropriate law enforcement agencies to assist in the investigation and prosecution of any illegal conduct. Indirect or attempted violations of this Agreement and actual or attempted violations thereof by a third party on behalf of any user shall be considered violations of this Agreement by such user.
BACKCOUNTRY.COM DOES NOT ENDORSE THE USER CONTENT, IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE USER CONTENT AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY TO ANY PERSON OR ENTITY (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, PERSONS WHO MAY USE OR RELY ON SUCH USER CONTENT) FOR ANY LOSS, DAMAGE (WHETHER ACTUAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR OTHERWISE), INJURY, CLAIM, LIABILITY OR OTHER CAUSE OF ANY KIND OR CHARACTER BASED UPON OR RESULTING FROM ANY USER CONTENT PROVIDED THROUGH THIS WEB SITE.
Share your thoughts
What do you think of the
Mavic Zxellium Ultimate Shoes
? Share a...
This product description is for the 2012...
JImmy Powell
Member since
This product description is for the 2012 model, but the shoes being offered for sale here are the 2011 model.
Great Shoes.
drr5339963
Member since
Awesome shoes, very comfortable. I usually wear an 11.5 US mens size (sometimes 12 depending on shoe). I ordered the 12's and they fit perfect. They give me just enough room for foot swell in the heat. I really like the looks of these shoes and the construction is top notch.
They have a ton of air flow to keep your feet cool, so pick up a set of toe warmers for cooler weather riding.
Marcus Burghardt descends in his Zxellium during the 2011 Tour of Oman
Zach Pina
Member since
Great Quality
ema5156540
Member since
Nice pair of shoes, great price! Height around front chin area is really high and dug into my foot causing chin pain. As soon as I loosened the top buckle pain let up.
Fit is right at DMT's which I have worn for 5 + years, weight is exactly the same. I'm very pleased, very stiff race shoe... nice look also!
Very impressed.
jed4145
Member since
My first pair of riding shoes were some cheap Shimano's... fit good and worked, but were one of those super ventilated shoes. They were not ideal for cold riding at all. I figured it was time for an upgrade on shoes and started shopping online.
I had ordered some DMT's prior to these... ones with the ratched/cable system. They were beautiful shoes, but the most uncomfortable shoes I have ever tried (including motocycle racing boots). The fit was terrible for my foot. I began to lose heart and considered going to a LBS. But that meant spending 2-3x the money.
I broke down and ordered (2) pairs of Mavics (something I saw another reviewer do); one of the Zxellium Ultimate in 9 and one of the Zxellium in 9.5. I liked both of the shoes, and I figured I would let fate decide which I kept. It turns out that the Zxellium Ultimate in the 9 was perfect for me. My feet are pretty 'regular', maybe a little on the slim side. For reference, I wear a 9 in Redwing work boots, and a 9.5 in Sketcher shoes. My Shimano road shoes are also a 43, so the 9 sizing seems very true. Keep in mind the velcro portions are also adjustable (the little flap can be moved to 3 different settings, besides the velcro adjustability), so unless your feet are quite wide, these should be fine.
I have worn these shoes on a couple of 25-30 mile rides, and have been nothing but impressed from the beginning. They seem to need very little breaking in for comfort and are noticeably stiffer than my cheaper Shimano shoes. I have ridden in 35 F with very thin shoe covers with no problems at all.
If you are unsure on your sizing, I would recommend ordering a couple of sizes and returning the ones that don't fit... saves a lot of time and frustration.
Heartily recommend
jef4889408
Member since
Excellent. Upgraded from Chasm with spd to ultimate with time RXS. Instant improvement in efficiency and power transfer. My usual 20 mile ride that I complete in 1 hr 7 min I completed in 1 hour 2 min 30 sec. Much stiffer better more consistent pedaling rotation. Also the shoe insulates better in the cold ... 30 degrees with covers on and smart wool socks were no issue. I love these and highly recommend them at either price/BT or RC. go up in size. I wear an 11.5 dress shoe and purchased the 12. The complaints about the mavic being too small or too tight are simply due to buying the wrong size, this shoe is like butter
Look great, but didnt fit me :-(
kbb4771944
Member since
I purchased these shoes about two weeks ago. They look amazing and are very light and stiff. Unfortunately, they seemed to run a bit narrow squeezing my foot and causing some discomfort.(This may only be a personal problem) I am returning these hopefully to give the Sidi Ergo 2s a try.
