Eurobike / Markt: In recent years, the Dutch manufacturer FFWD Wheels has made a name for itself among lovers of high-quality carbon wheels for road and cross. In the coming year they dare to take the step onto the trail and present the first wheelset for MTBs with the Outlaw.
FFWD Wheels 2017: New MTB wheelset Outlaw
After more than ten years during which the Dutch manufacturer FFWD Wheels concentrated on wheels for asphalt and cyclocross, the time had come in 2016: With the new Outlaw, the first wheelset for mountain bikes was presented at the Eurobike. Of course, as usual from FFWD, this comes with high-quality carbon rims and hubs from DT Swiss. In addition to the selection of high-quality wheel components, they still want to distinguish themselves through a high-quality construction close to perfection, which is done by hand in the Netherlands for each individual wheel.
There will be two variants of the new FFWD Outlaw, which differ in terms of application and rims. While the Outlaw XC model, as the name suggests, is designed more for marathon and cross-country use, the more powerful AM variant is aimed at trail riders, alpine crossers and all-mountain pilots. Both variants have in common the structure with the high-quality and proven DT Swiss 240s hubs and Straight Pull spokes. Both variants are also available in 27,5 and 29″. The main difference is in the rim width, although the difference here isn't groundbreaking: just 2mm separates the 24mm wide XC set from the 26mm of its AM counterpart. The slightly wider rims are of course also reflected in the weight, even if the 40g additional weight (at 27,5″ – 1.445g / 1.485g) should be negligible.
The price for the FFWD Outlaw is €1.998 for both variants. In return, in addition to the wheels, you also get high-quality wheel bags, pre-assembled tubeless tape including the appropriate valves and 6-hole adapters if you don’t want to use center-lock discs. The new wheels will be available from October 2016.
FFWD Wheels 2017: New colors for F3R and F4R
When it comes to road wheels, not much will change at FFWD in the coming year. There will only be a few new color variants - while the all-black F3R Stealth is aimed at those who want it to be as simple as possible, the F4R Celeste is aimed at Bianchi fans: With the decals in what is perhaps the most famous color in the bicycle industry the aero wheels are an excellent match for the traditional Italian racers.
