A Swiss cycling company has acquired FASTER cycling performance center in Scottsdale, it announced via press release Monday.
The U.S. branch of Edouard Dubied & Company (EDCO USA) picked up the shop and wind tunnel to serve as its location for operations including warehousing, service center and warranty repairs.
“I am so proud of what FASTER and our staff accomplished in a very short period of time, along with the contribution we have been able to make to cycling,” said James Kramer, FASTER’s founder. “Paul Lew and his EDCO USA team share the same passion that I have for the sport of cycling and FASTER.”
EDCO was created in 1867 in Couvet, Switzerland. The Swiss cycling company expanded into cycling components in 1902, with Presta valves being one of their first cycling product. In the 1990s, EDCO created bottom brackets with industrial bearings, high-quality headsets and hydraulic brake levers with index-shifting.
The company has expanded with new offerings like a cassette rotor which fits sprockets of all systems and a one-piece steel cassette that transforms a 10-speed wheel into an 11-speed wheel, and a full-line of carbon wheels.
FASTER was established in 2011 as the world’s first low-speed wind tunnel built specifically for cyclists and cycling manufacturers as a facility with readily available access to the public.
“James Kramer is a visionary who has enriched the sport of cycling, and he has helped cyclists perform,” said at Paul Lew, CEO of EDCO USA.
Lew will oversee the facility and will be joined by Aaron Ross, FASTER’s wind tunnel engineer, and now taking a joint role as EDCO USA’s and FASTER’s general manager. Lew and Ross plan to review, revise and improve the wind tunnel hardware, software and testing technology to establish FASTER as a premium performance cycling facility, according to the press release.
The company will continue to operate the FASTER cycling center operations’ wind tunnel and motion capture bike fit studios. Outsourced services include metabolic performance testing for VO2 max, sports massage, chiropractic therapy, physical therapy, professional nutritionists, bike rental and coaching.
As for the FASTER racing team, Kramer said the core will be the on same team, but whether it is called the new company or a new name is yet to be determined.