Taking cycling lightly

By Christopher Drexel

Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008 | midnight

When people think about businesses in Las Vegas, cycling technology is not one of the first practices that comes to mind.

But thanks to Summerlin resident Paul Lew, Southern Nevada is responsible for manufacturing some of the lightest cycling wheels in the world.

Lew started his business, Lew Racing, out of Summerlin in 2006. In just a year and a half, the company has sold thousands of wheels to customers around the world.

"We're second to none in terms of low weight, durability, stiffness and performance," Lew, 45, said. "We're not marketing to the masses. We're marketing to a very elite customer. It may be a professional cyclist. It may be a very competitive amateur. It may be someone who just enjoys riding the most technical, high-end equipment."

Lew Racing constructs a number of models of wheels, many of which are tailored to fit an individual riders' weight.

Dubbed the "pro VT1," the product weighs 850 grams — 350 grams for the front and 500 grams for the back wheel. Two pounds is about 908 grams.

The wheel set is available online and in most major cities in America and Europe for $5,495, although individual rims that can be used with traditional steel spokes may be purchased for less.

Riding with a wheel set that weighs less than two pounds offers cyclists a number of advantages, Lew said. The biggest is easier acceleration.

"Light wheels have a two-to-one benefit over something like a bike frame that is not rotating," Lew said. "You get improved acceleration because you're decreasing the weight of the rotating mass. It also helps cyclists turn corners quicker and maneuver the bike quicker, especially if the cyclist is going uphill because it reduces the power requirement."

Lee Vaccaro, the CEO for Lew Racing, said about 70 to 75 percent of the company's business is done with customers outside of America. That can be attributed to the popularity of cycling in Europe.

But Vaccaro added business has picked up everywhere in recent months, as the company has gotten more publicity after two riders used Lew Racing wheels during the Olympics in Beijing, including seven-time Olympian Jeannie Longo of France.

"We had editors world wide contact us wanting to get more information on the type of wheels we used and the technology we put into the wheels," Vaccaro said. "The timing was perfect because the Olympics comes around once every four years. We were really putting on a good showing with a product we had a limited time to build."

Lew has been an accomplished amateur cyclist all his life. He started Lew Racing with the determination to build the lightest wheels in the world.

"Cycling is a passion of mine. I ride every day," he said. "I have the best job in the world because I get to submerge myself in what I love."