Aivee

Aivee may be a new name to most, but with more than 30 years of experience in the machining sector, they are certainly not a new player in the game. Aivee is a French company responsible for creating some beautifully simple hubsets fit for any application. With a tight line up of mountain and road bike hubs boasting high durability and surprisingly low weight, Aivee make crafts a budget hub that will likely be one of the longest lasting components you have.

With their manufacturing facility in Sainte Florence, France, the production process for their flagship SR5 road hub begins with some of the finest tooling and machining. As most hub manufacturers of this high calibre, Aivee begins with a solid bar of 7075 T6 aluminium and slowly machines that bar down to a beautifully minimalist hub shell, tying together low weight and extreme durability.

 

Bringing performance into the mix, Aivee spins in a nitride steel 30 tooth drive ring, and couples it with a 3-pawl cassette body for fast engagement and longevity. Wrap all of this up with sealed EZO bearing made in Japan, and you’ve got a great budget hub guaranteed to effortlessly carry you over thousands of kilometers.

Supported Rider - Stan van der Meer

A little while back I announced an opportunity to be a "sponsored" rider through Parallel Handbuilt. Well, at first "sponsored" was the wrong word to use, and secondly, it's a lot harder to organise than I gave it credit. In any case however, it's all coming together now and I happy to announce the first of a select few Supported Riders from Parallel.

Supported riders exist to help me as a builder learn even more quickly about individual products and their characteristics. These riders are sent out into group rides, criteriums, cyclocross circuits, all with the goal of putting real world use behind the numbers of wheelbuilding. Additionally through this relationship, these cyclists have a wheelbuilder standing behind them at every turn of their progression, making sure their equipment is high quality enough to support them, and that it is always in perfect shape.

Stan lives and studies in Delft and currently races with WTOS, with the goal of stepping up to the Elite level for road in the coming year. Stan is now running a set of 55mm deep Duke Baccara's on his Trek Emonda. Stan's currently busy getting everything back in a line while recovering from some knee troubles, but make sure to follow his wheel when you see him on the parcours later this year.