From raw materials to a rideable wheel in less than 2 hours: how recyclable carbon wheels are made at CSS Composites

Cycling Weekly visited Utah-based Forge + Bond to see how recyclable carbon wheels are made

Ready to go Forge and Bond rims
(Image credit: Tyler Boucher)

Two hours south of Salt Lake City lies the small town of Gunnison, Utah. Home to vast swaths of farmland and cattle pasture, Gunnison is also the headquarters of CSS Composites, the parent company of Forge + Bond, which designs and manufactures thermoplastic carbon fiber wheelsets

CSS shares its campus with ACT Aerospace, a composites facility that has been manufacturing aerospace parts since 1985. The expertise, and the significant funding behind CSS, which uses novel thermoplastic composite techniques in place of more commonly used thermoset (epoxy-based) manufacturing, comes from the long and successful history and wealth of experience of ACT. 

Forge + Bond's 25 GR recyclable carbon gravel wheelset
£1,899 at forgeandbond.com

Forge + Bond's 25 GR recyclable carbon gravel wheelset

Starts at $1,899, custom builds available

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Tyler Boucher
Freelance Writer

Tyler Boucher is a former (and occasionally still) bike racer across several disciplines. These days, he spends most of his time in the saddle piloting his children around in a cargo bike. His writing has appeared in magazines published in Europe, the UK and North America. He lives in Seattle, Washington.