Text: Jeroen van den Brand // Photos: Arjan Kruik
From metal shavings to spoke nipples
Arjan and I got out of the car in an industrial park in Zwolle and looked at each other questioningly. “Are we at the right address?” It was a question asked in jest, of course, as the large letters ‘FFWD’ on the façade of the building in front of us left no room for doubt. FFWD stands for Fast Forward. It’s a name that makes promises, and in the cycling industry it quickly evokes associations with slick marketing stories about aerodynamics and marginal gains. The rather prominent lettering on the exterior further reinforces that image. But anyone expecting that in Zwolle is in for a surprise. Not because the products don’t deliver — they certainly do — but because, at FFWD Wheels, the team is a lot more down-to-earth than you might expect based on the large letters on the façade. And that’s exactly what makes this brand so refreshing.
Once inside, the building unabashedly reveals its past: There are thick steel trusses that once hoisted heavy loads via an overhead crane. There are traces of paint on the walls where the paint shop of the former metalworking company used to be. The rough metal has given way to a finer kind of steel: spokes. As well as brass spoke nipples, carbon and aluminium.
The spacious industrial building is easy to navigate thanks to the abundant natural light. We are welcomed by Rik van Putten, the marketing manager. Even before we can really get into our conversation, however, our attention is drawn to the countless wheels stacked on the storage racks in the hall. There can be no doubt whatsoever about what they make here. We also catch a glimpse of the production area, where a large cube housing the offices stands in the middle of the hall. The whole place has the vibe of an oversized loft. This feeling is further enhanced by the bicycles scattered around. The fitness equipment in a corner of the hall also contributes to the loft-like atmosphere.
Rewind to 2006
The story of FFWD Wheels began in 2006 with an opportunity that others had passed up. Henk Schipper, who had already been active in the bicycle industry for years as a distributor for brands such as Ritchey and Lake, saw an opportunity to take over the production of disc wheels. Not ‘disc’ as in disc brakes, but the discs of fully sealed wheels used by time trialists and triathletes. While these are not a priority for most wheel manufacturers, for Henk they were the starting point for his own wheel brand.
Now, twenty years later, FFWD has ten employees and an extensive range of wheels. Henk is still involved with the company, albeit more in the background. His sons, Idsart and Jurre, are there every day. Recently, his youngest son Lieuwe also joined the company. However, it is Rik, assisted by Niek Geerts, FFWD’s product manager, who shows us around the Zwolle-based company. Together, they guide us through the facility, explaining the philosophy behind the wheels and the production process.
The niches that others don’t consider to be worth pursuing
Anyone looking at FFWD’s product range will naturally see wheels for road bikes, gravel bikes and mountain bikes. However, they also offer disc wheels for track cycling and triathlons. It’s a deliberate choice for FFWD to target these niche markets as well. This is similar to their approach with road bike wheels for rim brakes. Rik tells us that, even in 2026, they are still selling quite a few of these wheels in the UK. In a world that has largely transitioned to disc brakes, it seems that there are still many cyclists in the UK who slow down by pressing pieces of rubber against the rim. For major wheel brands, this market segment has long since ceased to be interesting, but for FFWD, it’s reason enough for specific product development. New rims for these wheels have recently been developed.
There are also less extreme options. For example, the Drift gravel wheels are also available with Boost mounting standards. Boost is rare on gravel bikes; the first-generation Focus Atlas gravel bike had it, but it didn’t become a widespread industry trend. However, according to FFWD, the Boost-equipped Drifts are mainly finding their way to beach bikers, who prefer the wider, taller rims of mountain bikes for aerodynamic reasons.
Robust design choices
FFWD has something for everyone. Well, maybe not literally everyone, but certainly many people. It’s especially popular with cyclists who just want to rack up the miles without a care in the world. That’s exactly the guiding principle behind everything they develop and build in Zwolle. “Smaller bearings and aluminium spoke nipples to save a few grams? That might look good on a spec sheet, but it’s not worth much in practice,” says Niek. “Small bearings simply break down sooner. And aluminium spoke nipples? If you need to tighten a spoke after a season or two, you have to question whether the aluminium nipple hasn’t already corroded onto the spoke.” Among all the design choices they face, FFWD consistently opts for the ones that will still be functioning in three, four or ten seasons’ time.
That is precisely why they use DT Swiss hubs. This Swiss company’s products have long since proven themselves. DT Swiss works with strict tolerances and all parts are readily available. FFWD also uses its own hubs in various wheel sets, allowing them to position certain wheels at a slightly more competitive price point in the market. The same design philosophy also extends to these hubs: all parts must be interchangeable. Even when designing something new, it is essential to ensure compatibility with parts from previous models — from cassette drivers and freewheels to bearings and axle end caps. At FFWD, the aim is to provide replacement parts hassle-free, even years after a wheelset has been purchased. “Sorry, your left bearing is worn out, so we’ll have to build a new hub” is not an option here.
Warranty without the fine print
The conversation about wear-and-tear parts quickly turns to the warranty. Here at Velozine, we always mention the warranty terms whenever we write about wheels. This is precisely because the warranty can be an important factor in the purchasing decision. Anyone who buys a set of FFWD wheels receives a two-year warranty. Registering the wheels with FFWD gets you an additional year. On paper, this may seem rather limited for wheels in this price range, as we also mentioned in our review of the FFWD Outlaw mountain bike wheels. In practice, however, it rarely turns out to be a problem. FFWD rarely receives warranty claims, they say with justifiable pride. Even though it’s marketing manager Rik who says it, based on their design philosophy, we have no reason to doubt the statement.
Rik explains why they keep the warranty terms so concise despite this: “If we were to spell out our warranty policy in more specific legal terms, there would be so many caveats and exceptions that it would become almost unworkable. That’s why we just keep it nice and simple. Do you have a problem? Get in touch and we’ll work on a solution.”
Dealers cite this attitude as the reason for carrying FFWD. The aftermarket for wheels is oversaturated. Every brand promises lightness, strength, stiffness and reliability. FFWD doesn’t just add another string of marketing superlatives; it provides an email address that gets a quick response and a phone line that actually gets answered. Therefore, the warranty terms listed by FFWD are only part of the story; how they are actually handled is the second and most important part. When asked why they don’t explicitly highlight their pragmatic approach, Rik acknowledges that it is a consideration: “We are indeed pragmatic and always help customers get back on the road quickly. It doesn’t happen often, but maybe we should highlight that more on our website… Or let the media tell that story.” Uh, right, so be it…
The philosophy lies in the details that you can’t see but can feel.
As we stop at a workbench with a test setup, the conversation shifts back to the development process. FFWD develops its own rims. To achieve this, they collaborate with renowned Asian manufacturers. A rim is simply a carbon hoop with holes for spokes. You can just pick one from the manufacturer’s catalogue, add a logo, and you’re done. Right? Well, not exactly. You could do that, of course. But that’s not how FFWD wants to operate. The rims that FFWD uses are made exclusively for them.
When Niek showed us a cross-section of a rim, two interesting features stood out. Firstly, the rims are thickened internally around the spoke holes. They are thick and strong where it counts and thin and light where possible. While this isn’t unique to FFWD, it is a step that manufacturers often cut corners on. While some manufacturers deliberately place the reinforcement on the outside of the rim for visibility, FFWD’s approach is more down-to-earth. This also means that the production mould does not have to be as complex, which definitely improves quality.
“All our rims are precisely matched to the hub, spokes and spoke nipples we use. This enables us to guarantee maximum durability for our wheels.” – Niek Geerts, product manager FFWD.
Another point to note is that all the spoke holes are drilled at two different angles. This ensures that the spoke nipple aligns precisely with the angle at which the spoke runs from the hub to the rim. Not approximately, but precisely. Some manufacturers do not drill the holes at an angle. Others drill them at fixed angles, but this does not account for the way the spoke actually runs. This is particularly true of rims that you buy yourself. After all, the manufacturer does not know what kind of hub you will be using.
For FFWD, ‘approximately’ is not good enough. “The spoke nipple always wants to align with the bore, and if those angles differ, it creates extra stress or even a clear kink in the transition between the spoke and the nipple,” says Niek. “In both cases, the risk of a spoke or nipple breaking is very high,” says Niek. He continues: “All our rims are precisely matched to the hub, spokes and spoke nipples we use. This enables us to guarantee maximum durability for our wheels.”
Partly machine-built, but always finished by hand
As we walk past racks of hubs and spokes, we reach a machine that assembles wheels semi-automatically by joining the spokes, rim and hub together. Anyone who has ever built a wheel knows that threading the spoke nipples through the holes in the spokes and tightening them by hand is fiddly. This machine takes care of exactly that.
FFWD uses the fully automatic wheel truing machine from Holland Mechanics to tension the spokes. This impressive piece of precision engineering is made in the Netherlands and used by countless manufacturers worldwide. It is capable of fully tensioning and truing wheels with great accuracy and at a relatively high speed, resulting in a superbly riding final product. However, FFWD doesn’t leave it to the machine alone. Because at FFWD, they have Fero. Fero is FFWD’s wheel builder with over 100,000 wheels of experience, and he does it better. At FFWD, they take ‘putting the finishing touches on a product’ literally: Fero’s hands. His craftsmanship results in even more precise tolerances. These tolerances, together with the thoughtful design and material choices, mean that once the wheels leave the Zwolle facility, they almost certainly never return.
“FFWD doesn’t leave it to the machine alone. Because at FFWD, they have Fero.”
Fast, but above all Long Forward
As Arjan and I get back in the car, we go over the day’s events. We quickly get to the heart of what FFWD means in our view, namely that the practicality of the design process stems from our passion for cycling. At FFWD, they are cyclists who fully understand the importance of choosing a set of carbon wheels — the biggest investment for many riders after the bike itself. That’s exactly why they’re committed to ensuring that, years and thousands of kilometres later, this upgrade still feels like a good decision. Spokes that can still be tensioned as needed. Replacement parts that are readily available. And a warranty policy based on trust, not legal loopholes.
Passion and pragmatism may seem like opposites, but at FFWD, they go hand in hand. They are two sides of the same coin. The question they ask themselves is: what does a cyclist really need? That’s the question they ask themselves here, from the first design sketch to the final adjustments Fero makes to a wheel before it is packed. These are the choices that you might not see in a spec sheet, but that you can definitely feel. This approach is undervalued in the broader market, where the focus is often on achieving something that’s ‘good enough’ during the sales pitch and in spec sheets. At FFWD, however, the focus is on creating products that are good at what they’re actually supposed to do. FFWD can be proud of the fact that they have firmly embedded this approach in the company for twenty years. And it’s something you, as a high-mileage rider, can benefit from. In that regard, the company might as well be called LFWD – Long Forward.
More info: ffwdwheels.com
