First Look: Gulo's New Wheels Have Carbon Spokes - Pond Beaver 2020
Gulo Composites have given us a preview of their new GMX-25 and GME-30 wheels that use carbon rims and spokes, which they claim provides a reduction in weight along with an increase in strength and ride quality. The spokes are triaxial braided carbon, which Gulo claims hasn't been used in this application up until this point. They're laced into a rim designed by Gulo that allows the spoke to enter straight in instead of at an angle.
Gulo is a brand of KEIR Manufacturing Inc, a company that has been working in manufacturing composites for the industrial world for over ten years.
The photos here are of an early production wheelset and there are some changes on the final product in finishing and where the spoke threads into the hub. I'll be testing the more refined final version over the coming months.
G1 Spoke Details
The center of the system and obvious point of interest for everyone here is the carbon spoke. Gulo claim that it took hundreds of test runs to settle on their production spoke. The result, which Gulo is calling their "Gulo Integrated Spoke" is a triaxially braided composite made up of a blend of different materials. In developing the spoke, the team at Gulo claim there were two main goals, low weight and impact resistance. The G1 spoke was formulated to absorb large impacts without failure, yet retain tension for longer than traditional spokes, which weigh significantly more.
The spoke starts out as multiple reels of fiber on Gulo's triaxial braiding machines that are made into spools of spoke braid and then molded into the final spoke shape. The aluminum ferrule end pieces are then attached using aerospace grade bonding agents to create a complete spoke. Gulo claim that the spokes can take multiple harsh impacts without losing tension or structural integrity.
Wheelsets
There will be several different wheelsets offered, both road and mountain. We'll focus on the two mountain wheelsets here, the GMX-25 and GME-30.
The GMX-25 is designed for XC racing and is made to be lightweight and strong. The 25mm internal width rim utilizes an asymmetric offset and 24 spokes. The wheels have Gulo's ETI system hubs with 6.66-degrees of engagement and can run either XD or Shimano Microspline. The spokes on this wheelset weigh 2.6 grams each. The wheelset has a 100kg weight limit and weighs 1,300g with rim tape and valves installed.
The GME-30 is designed for trail and enduro use. The wheelset has a 30mm internal width rim, and use a Gulo system hub with 6.66-degrees of engagement and 2.6g spokes. The wheelset weighs 1,475g with valves and rim tape installed.
Now, these wheels are some of the more interesting ones we've seen lately and they tick the boxes of light weight and a high level of engineering. How do they hold up? Time will tell - I have a set of their GMX-25 XC Race wheels in hand and will be putting them through the paces in the coming months, with a full review to follow.
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75 Comments
30 is $2360, the 25 is $2525
So I'm sure you can find lots of frames that cost more than those these days!
Definitely orthodontist money.
Dentist makes more than a psychiatrist. Hell most MDs don’t make as much as a dentist. I’m a radiologist and they probably make more than me. And dentists spend more money on bikes than any doctor I know because they actually have time to ride. 4 day work weeks, business hours, only with no call. It’s a sweet gig if you don’t go insane staring into peoples mouths all day.