Edco’s Julier Special Edition will be a U.S. only version of the Julier Light that switches to Sapim Super Spokes and a modified, higher modulus carbon mix to save weight. It’ll end up as a sub-1000g tubular and 1,100g clincher climbing wheelset. Shown here is the Julier Light, as they’ll look very similar and the special edition versions were not on display.
The special wheels were built on request of Paul Lew, who joined the company a couple months ago and is already putting some major projects on their roadmap. He walked us through these along with a few other updates and some tech talk on why they make their own bearings…
The recently updated Aerosport lineup will come as complete wheels. Price for those and the Julier Special Edition is $2600 for any depth so you can mix and match front and rear.
Not shown, the Prosport line will be rim only in U.S. for $600 each, and they’ll sell the Super G and Super S hubs (above) on their own, too.
New Super S Flip flop track hubs get a cover for the unused (non-drive side) threads so it looks like a normal hub. A Shimano freehub tool removes the cover. The threads are the same, so you can put a free or fixed cog on either side, letting you wear both sides of the tire evenly since you’re only riding in left leaning circles. Shown in the pic further up, there’s a matching front hub, too.
They can be laced to tubeless ready alloy clincher and carbon tubular rims. €499 for alloy clincher, €2,099 for carbon tubular with Gesero Light 65mm deep rims.
For most wheel brands, even if they’re making their own hubs, they’re likely ordering off the shelf bearings. Lew says Edco assembles their own bearings so they can put a full seal on the outer-facing side that needs the extra protection and a non-contact seal on the inner side. The non-contact seal has less drag. They’re also loaded, so they won’t feel quite as smooth in your hand, but once pressed into the hub, they don’t get loaded by the assembly process, avoiding being thrown out of alignment. That also lets them design it with no play and keep it that way inside the hub. Bearings inside the hub that don’t need to be sealed against weather get non-contact seals on both sides.
Unofficially and unannounced, they might be working on an even lighter version of their one-piece machined cassette. Do you see any blocks of material that could be removed? We do…
Watching all the new tri bikes trickle out for Ironman? The Ventum isn’t new (though they have updated it), but it’s out in Kona decked out with fancy paint and Edco wheels.