We Make Wheels, Not Parts.

As we have mentioned before, there probably aren’t many cyclists out there who aren’t trying to tweak their equipment to make themselves faster in one way or another.  But in order to do that the bicycle needs to be looked at as a system, made up of various sub-systems that must all work together in the most efficient manner possible.  Nobody would run SRAM shifters with Campagnolo derailleurs and a Shimano cassette.  Perhaps you think Campy makes the best derailleurs, and maybe they do, but it doesn’t mean it is designed to work with your bicycle.

The same is true for wheels.  Generally speaking, the wheel system includes the rim, hub, spokes, and lacing pattern.  There are many individual components out there that, when tested on their own, perform very well.  But these tests do little to represent their value as part of a wheel system.  Just like the Campy derailleur that performs very well until you try to operate it with a SRAM shifter.

This is our focus at Alto: not to design and manufacture any one part as a stand-alone item, but to create a wheel system that works perfectly within itself and the bicycle.  The laminate design, lacing patterns, bracing angles, and every other variable have been optimized, not as the “best xyz variable in the industry,” but as the absolute best combination of variables to create the fastest, most idealistic wheel set in the world.

Bobby Sweeting
Bobby Sweeting