This article was produced in collaboration with Ursus and was first published in Rouleur Issue 144
Sometimes revolutions begin with simple ideas. That is exactly what happened in 1966, when Sergio Ferronato patented a quick-release system for saddles that would go on to change the world of cycling. At the time, adjusting saddle height required tools to loosen a clamp secured with bolts. Ferronato replaced the system with a hand-operated lever, making saddle adjustment quicker and easier.
It was the era of Italy's economic boom: rapid industrial growth and rising consumer demand were reshaping the post-war country, while the Veneto-based entrepreneur began supplying his system to the many small companies entering the folding bicycle market.
The success was enormous and quickly spread around the world. For his company, Ferronato chose the name Ursus, inspired by the gladiator from the film Quo Vadis, one of the great historical epics of the post-war era. Set in ancient Rome, the movie's hero fights a bull bare-handed in the arena, becoming a symbol of strength and perseverance. The character quickly captured the public imagination and went on to star in a series of films dedicated to his heroic exploits.
Rouleur is in Rosà, at the foot of the Venetian Prealps, just a few kilometres from Bassano del Grappa, one of the main gateways to the Monte Grappa massif. We sit around a long wooden table in the company's communal area, where employees lunch or make coffee.
"This is the original patent, and the interesting detail is that it says 'Ursuss', with two S's. When my father founded the company in 1967 and called it Ursus, another business with that name already existed. That's why a second S was added. It was only later, after he acquired that company, that he was finally able to use the name Ursus," explains CEO Mirko Ferronato.
Ursus is based in one of Italy's most developed manufacturing regions, where specialised expertise, suppliers and industrial know-how are deeply embedded in the local DNA. For the cycling world, the area also serves as a natural testing ground, with ideal terrain for road, gravel, triathlon, mountain bike and downhill riding.
Ursus is the story of an Italian brand with a strong international outlook: today, 85 per cent of its turnover comes from abroad. The company benefits from close integration between design, production and logistics. One of its defining characteristics is its ability to operate simultaneously across the bicycle, industrial and automotive sectors, transferring expertise between different fields.
In addition to ISO certifications for quality and environmental management, Ursus also holds IATF 16949 certification, one of the most demanding standards in the international automotive sector. This expertise allows the company to transfer processes developed for applications where precision, durability and safety must meet extremely rigorous requirements to the cycling industry.
"We have introduced quality control processes derived from the automotive sector, allowing us to maintain very high standards in the bicycle industry as well," Ferronato explains.
Resting on the long wooden table is a copy of the 2024 Sustainability Report: around a hundred pages printed on recycled paper outlining Ursus' commitment to environmental sustainability, circular economy principles and the responsible management of raw materials.
"We like to say that we manufacture using 'the energy of the Italian sun'. A significant share of our energy needs are covered directly through photovoltaic systems, and that percentage is set to grow further. In addition, 100 per cent of the energy used by the company comes from renewable sources," Ferronato explains.
"90 per cent of our production is carried out with suppliers located within a 50-kilometre radius. It is certainly a sustainable choice, because it reduces transportation, but for us it is above all a competitive advantage. If we need to test new finishes or coatings for a hub, we can produce prototypes and make changes extremely quickly. In a traditional system, with manufacturing partners located far away, you would need to send files, wait for samples from abroad and manage long revision cycles. We can do in a few hours what would normally take weeks."
The Ursus range includes 17 aluminium and carbon wheelsets for road, gravel and mountain biking, alongside hubs, handlebars, kickstands and other components.
For its aluminium models, the company primarily uses recycled material. Ursus purchases raw materials directly in order to control their quality and characteristics from the very beginning, adapting manufacturing processes to the selected materials. Even minimal variations in alloy composition can affect the final result: knowing the origin and properties of every batch in detail allows the company to maintain exceptionally high quality standards.
Research, development and engineering are all managed in-house. Products are designed directly on site through continuous collaboration between departments to refine new solutions, as we are able to observe while visiting the production facility, located less than a minute's walk from the offices. From raw materials and design to prototyping, testing and the creation of the tooling required for manufacturing, the entire production chain is managed within Ursus. This approach offers an additional advantage: having the tooling department in-house makes it possible to develop solutions that are often unavailable on the market.
The process includes manufacturing, quality control and assembly, through to packaging and shipping. Even seemingly minor components, such as screws and rivets, are produced in-house according to Ursus specifications. This level of integration allows the company to maintain high quality standards across products designed both for urban commuting and professional cycling.
Within the research, development and engineering department, every detail is studied, tested and refined to achieve high levels of efficiency, durability and comfort. "Proxima is our benchmark family for road, gravel and mountain bike racing," explains Marco Giacomin, product manager for wheels and hubs. "At the top of the range is Arya, designed for riders looking for even more advanced technical solutions. Both on the road and in gravel, Arya introduces innovations aimed at riders seeking maximum performance. The Pura family, meanwhile, is designed for those who want a high-performance product with greater attention to budget. We step down slightly in certain features, while still maintaining high standards."
The Arya family has also been shaped through work carried out in the WorldTour alongside Team Picnic PostNL. Arya R wheels were used by Oscar Onley during the toughest stages of the 2025 Tour de France en route to fourth place overall. The Arya G50 made their debut at this year's Paris–Roubaix, used as a further testing ground to evaluate stability, vibration absorption and responsiveness across the race's most demanding sectors.
"Roubaix was the first race where these wheels were used," Giacomin says with pride. "We chose the toughest possible test, and the feedback was extremely positive. Achieving that result was a design objective for us, but once we reached it, it also became a great source of satisfaction.
"One of the key advantages of the Arya G is its ability to absorb vibrations while maintaining comfort and control even on the roughest terrain. In a race like Roubaix, where riders need to produce power in extreme conditions, that really makes a difference."
The Arya G50 also features Sapim RC-1 spokes, a patented technology constructed from 16,000 PBO filaments, a composite material also used in the aerospace industry. Integrated into the OmniTune System developed by Ursus, these spokes work dynamically under tension, absorbing vibrations and impacts from the terrain without compromising the wheel's responsiveness and precision. According to internal testing, the system significantly reduces the vibrations transmitted to the rider.
We are shown the wheel and run a finger across the spokes: the high pitch sound resembles that of a guitar string. It is the tension achieved once the wheel is assembled that guarantees stiffness, responsiveness and precise handling. Individually, however, the spokes appear surprisingly flexible before being fixed to the rim. Some are shown to us in their retail packaging, and one is cut open with a small knife to reveal the ultra-fine golden filaments inside, resembling a tiny lock of blond hair.
Among Ursus' proprietary technologies is U-Press™, an integrated system that allows the hub to be quickly disassembled without the need for specific tools, simplifying maintenance operations.
"It is a rear hub design developed to allow anyone to carry out maintenance quickly and easily," explains Giacomin. "Not because the hub requires frequent servicing, but when intervention is needed, for example to lubricate the moving parts, everything can be done without dedicated tools. It is an advantage both for professional team mechanics, who confirm how fast the process is, and for everyday riders, who can carry out the work independently at home as well."
Ursus has also developed Y-Stars™ Lacing, the proprietary lacing system introduced with the Arya R and later adopted on the Arya G as well. The patented design reduces the number of spokes, improving lightness, hub accessibility and the wheel's dynamic behaviour. The distinctive three-dimensional spoke pattern also makes the system immediately recognisable from an aesthetic point of view.
"Despite being a smaller company compared to the major international players, we maintain direct control over every process, from product concept and design through to the development of prototypes and components," Giacomin explains. "That is what allows us to remain competitive even at the professional level, while maintaining a direct relationship with the people who use our products, from amateur riders to top-level teams. It is an approach that also guarantees support and a tangible presence in after-sales service."
What becomes clear when visiting Ursus is the combination of a family entrepreneurial culture and an advanced managerial vision, enabling the company to approach the market effectively while offering an opportunity for suppliers and customers seeking high quality standards, production flexibility and direct collaboration in product development.
At Ursus, direct relationships with customers are part of the development process: partners can work directly with a product manager to shape and develop their ideas. As Mirko Ferronato understood early on, the company's role is to become not only 'the hands of its customers', but also 'the head', thanks to its ability to propose innovative solutions to its partners.
The company is able to produce thousands of wheels for a single client while also creating highly customised solutions for individual athletes. In a sector generally divided between large-scale manufacturing and artisanal production, Ursus succeeds in combining both worlds: the flexibility of tailor-made products and the ability to manage large-scale production efficiently.
"Some carbon parts and certain spokes come from international partners, while the hub section is entirely made in Italy," says Ferronato. "What matters to us is that every stage of the process is conceived, developed, tested and controlled within Ursus. That is why we like to say 'Made in Ursus'. We are based in Italy, and that is certainly part of our identity, but what truly matters is that every product is made properly, by us. It is a quality our partners recognise, especially in the OEM sector, where we manufacture wheels for major bicycle brands: we believe in doing things properly."
This year, Ursus has refreshed its logo to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its first patent. The new mark was designed using the same software employed to develop the company's products and conceived to be manufactured directly with the machinery used in component production, reflecting the identity of an advanced metalworking company focused on innovation and premium quality.
