San Diego, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/17/2014 -- Hermes Sport, based in San Diego, California, has unveiled the new VK-series road bike wheels, designed in-house and made predominantly of US-manufactured parts. This is the end of an 18-month absence from producing wheels for the aftermarket during which time they engaged in OEM wheel sales and contract wheelbuilding. The new wheels have also been designed during that long hiatus, with hubs designed entirely in house and rims developed in conjunction with two major US-based brands. The new line of wheels, consisting of the carbon-rimmed VK51 and aluminum-rimmed VK11 are the first parts designed in-house by Hermes Sport.

The VK-series wheelset project also represents an effort to insource production to the United States, whereas previous wheel models bearing the Hermes Sport brand were built from parts designed and made overseas. The project began in 2012 as an effort to design a new bicycle hub, however as Hermes Sport's design evolved, it became apparent that the ideal hub design precluded the use of existing rims. Consequently, the project expanded to become a complete system wheelset design.

About Hermes Sport
In their absence from the aftermarket, the firm has spent a great deal of effort to develop efficient, precise wheelbuilding procedures and attracted top wheelbuilders to the firm. They have become a custom wheel supplier of choice to some of the country's top framebuilders, among them Firefly Bicycles and Calfee Designs. Hermes Sport plans to continue to put this expertise to use and build all their new system-designed wheels by hand, without automation. Brad Hunter, former CEO of Velomax Wheel systems, being familiar with the intracacies of high-quality hand built production wheels, has acted as a mentor during this transition. Said Hunter, "Building wheels at this level is significantly more difficult than people imagine, and attention to the smallest details is essential. Hermes is asking all the right questions and has demonstrated maturity by knowing when to draw upon prior knowledge and experience."

The VK51 will retail for $1995, and the VK11 will retail for $995. Both wheel weights are projected to be around 1450g. Both will feature wide rims (24.5mm for the VK51, 23mm for the VK11), and be available to ship to dealers this fall.

Contact:
Alex Webster
1466 F Street
San Diego, CA 92101
951-217-6078
alex@hermes-sport.com
http://www.hermes-sport.com