CeramicSpeed debuts £660 derailleur pulleys at NAHBS
3D-printed titanium with novel hollow cross-section
Just when you thought boutique bicycle components couldn’t get any pricier, Danish company CeramicSpeed has gone and utterly shattered the glass ceiling with a pair of outrageously expensive titanium derailleur pulleys developed in collaboration with the Danish Technological Institute. The price tag is a whopping US$1,000 (£660) – but hey, at least you get two.
CeramicSpeed builds the pulleys using a 3D printer, which allows for a hollow structure that otherwise wouldn’t be possible with conventional manufacturing techniques. In addition to supposedly being lighter than CeramicSpeed’s standard aluminium or titanium pulleys – saving a whopping 2g or so – the company also claimed a three-fold increase in durability. Naturally, the wheels spin on CeramicSpeed coated ceramic bearings.
The novel hollow structure is produced via 3D printing
That said, CeramicSpeed fully acknowledges that its new 3D-printed hollow titanium pulleys aren’t exactly going to be a high volume item. In fact, the company is only making ten pairs for now, with each pulley having an individual serial number and the set presented in a needlessly fancy case.
CeramicSpeed says that it has learned quite a bit from the exercise, however, and the company plans to apply those lessons to future projects. In the meantime, 10 well-heeled customers are going to end up with some very, very exclusive (and shiny) derailleur pulleys. Don’t expect a review of them here any time soon.
Every pulley features its own serial numbers
For more information, visit www.ceramicspeed.com.
