Italian wheelset brands?

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by VTR1000SP2

Hey,

Gathering parts for a full italian old steel build and all I have left is the wheelset. This bike will have modern components and I'm leaning towards mid-depth carbon wheels. In that regard, I've found the following brands as options for the wheelset:

- Ambrosio
- Campagnolo
- Micro Tech
- WR Compositi
- Ursus
- Miche

Any other options I should consider?

Thanks in advance.

Get some Record hubs and I'll find some Ambrosio, FIR, NISI rims and I'll build you a set..gotta use Belgium spokes tho..Sapim..Swiss(DT) inna pinch..

[jemoryl]

I thought FiR went out of business several years ago? Maybe there is NOS stuff floating around. MicroTech is the Basso house brand but I have been told that the wheels are made by Miche (at least the aluminum ones).

[ultraman6970]

FIR is still there, like many italian brands they dont do marketing neither magazines maybe out of italy. They have really nasty looking wheels.

Edco is not italian but they have decent finished stuff aswell.

[mayal7]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

get some record hubs and i'll find some ambrosio, fir, nisi rims and i'll build you a set..gotta use belgium spokes tho..sapim..swiss(dt) inna pinch..

+1

[VTR1000SP2]

This sounds like an alloy wheel build which I already have. Am looking for a carbon set.

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Get some Record hubs and I'll find some Ambrosio, FIR, NISI rims and I'll build you a set..gotta use Belgium spokes tho..Sapim..Swiss(DT) inna pinch..

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by VTR1000SP2

This sounds like an alloy wheel build which I already have. Am looking for a carbon set.

Bora or various Fulcrum

[homagesilkhope]

Originally Posted by ultraman6970

FIR is still there, like many italian brands they dont do marketing neither magazines maybe out of italy. They have really nasty looking wheels.

Edco is not italian but they have decent finished stuff aswell.

The Arrigoni family shut FIR down in 2006 (a couple years after company-founder Giovanni had died) to concentrate on their auto dealership in Bergamo. The Venetian family that owns Gipiemme picked up the FIR brand about five years ago and makes (assembles?) wheelsets in their facility outside Castelfranco Veneto.

Swiss-based Edco provided hubs to FIR in the old days. About the same time as the FIR shutdown, Sapim sold off Edco to a couple of engineers whose Dutch company just went through bankruptcy proceedings earlier this year (hub production was still based in Switzerland). The Dutch company's assets (including Edco) were bought out of bankruptcy last summer, and the new owners have supposedly moved Edco headquarters to Arizona and picked Paul Lew to run the company. Not sure where Edco products will come from in the future, but not thinking Italy.

[owly]

Would a 29er wheelset suit?

GrigioCarbonio rims, with Carbon-ti hubs and Alpina spokes

100% Italy


Edit: GrigioCarbonio tubular road rims. Look at the weight on these puppies!
http://www.dream-bikes.it/shop/en/541-rims

[VTR1000SP2]

Originally Posted by homagesilkhope

The Arrigoni family shut FIR down in 2006 (a couple years after company-founder Giovanni had died) to concentrate on their auto dealership in Bergamo. The Venetian family that owns Gipiemme picked up the FIR brand about five years ago and makes (assembles?) wheelsets in their facility outside Castelfranco Veneto.

Swiss-based Edco provided hubs to FIR in the old days. About the same time as the FIR shutdown, Sapim sold off Edco to a couple of engineers whose Dutch company just went through bankruptcy proceedings earlier this year (hub production was still based in Switzerland). The Dutch company's assets (including Edco) were bought out of bankruptcy last summer, and the new owners have supposedly moved Edco headquarters to Arizona and picked Paul Lew to run the company. Not sure where Edco products will come from in the future, but not thinking Italy.

Great intel! Thanks.

[VTR1000SP2]

Originally Posted by owly

Would a 29er wheelset suit?

GrigioCarbonio rims, with Carbon-ti hubs and Alpina spokes

100% Italy

No but you have me thinking about the Carbon-Ti hubs. I am a fan of their build quality and hub spec.

[sales guy]

Originally Posted by homagesilkhope

The Arrigoni family shut FIR down in 2006 (a couple years after company-founder Giovanni had died) to concentrate on their auto dealership in Bergamo. The Venetian family that owns Gipiemme picked up the FIR brand about five years ago and makes (assembles?) wheelsets in their facility outside Castelfranco Veneto.

Swiss-based Edco provided hubs to FIR in the old days. About the same time as the FIR shutdown, Sapim sold off Edco to a couple of engineers whose Dutch company just went through bankruptcy proceedings earlier this year (hub production was still based in Switzerland). The Dutch company's assets (including Edco) were bought out of bankruptcy last summer, and the new owners have supposedly moved Edco headquarters to Arizona and picked Paul Lew to run the company. Not sure where Edco products will come from in the future, but not thinking Italy.

Originally Paul Lew was just going to be the North American distributor/importer. That changed when the bankruptcy happened.

As for where product is coming from, the rims they use are made by Reynolds in Asia. The more recent ones(last couple years) are older Reynolds ones that are modified on the outer layer of carbon. They are working on new ones more specific to Edco but they will be made by Reynolds.

The hubs are going to be the same, made by the people who make the entry level Reynolds hubs. I don't remember the name but I will ask again. Too many Asian hub companies the all kind of blend together at times.

[sokyroadie]

Originally Posted by sales guy

The hubs are going to be the same, made by the people who make the entry level Reynolds hubs. I don't remember the name but I will ask again. Too many Asian hub companies the all kind of blend together at times.

Not sure now but KT made them for years.

Jeff

[homagesilkhope]

Originally Posted by sales guy

Originally Paul Lew was just going to be the North American distributor/importer. That changed when the bankruptcy happened.

As for where product is coming from, the rims they use are made by Reynolds in Asia. The more recent ones(last couple years) are older Reynolds ones that are modified on the outer layer of carbon. They are working on new ones more specific to Edco but they will be made by Reynolds.

The hubs are going to be the same, made by the people who make the entry level Reynolds hubs. I don't remember the name but I will ask again. Too many Asian hub companies the all kind of blend together at times.

It'll be interesting to see if the Swiss cross (in the branding) survives. Seems the argument for it's getting thinner and thinner.

[VTR1000SP2]

In case anyone is wondering, I was also on the search for Italian made pedals and it seems the only current pedal manufacturer located in Italy is Favero. In an email response from their support team it was confirmed that their pedals are 100% made in Italy.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by VTR1000SP2

In case anyone is wondering, I was also on the search for Italian made pedals and it seems the only current pedal manufacturer located in Italy is Favero. In an email response from their support team it was confirmed that their pedals are 100% made in Italy.

From completely domestic parts and materials? Are all the metals mined and smelted in Italy, all the plastics, carbon fiber and paints made from petroleum pumped and refined in Italy, and all the bearings and bolts manufactured in Italy?

We are living in a highly interconnected world economy, and have been since pre-historical times.