Inside the Wheel Factory Supplying Cycling’s Biggest Names…
Trace Velo
August 15, 2025
I buy ALOT of wheelsets from China, so when I got the opportunity to tour a Chinese carbon wheel factory, how could I refuse!
NTP composites located within the costal city of Xiamen in China, are an OEM manufacturer, making some of the fastest, lightest, and most exclusive carbon wheelsets, for some of the worlds biggest cycling brands.
I got to see the entire process, from frozen sheets of raw caron fibre pre-preg, through to cutting, layup, baking, and lacing the final wheel. It was absolutely fascinating from start to finish, and there were several steps that were completely new to me.
So join me as I uncover the secrets of carbon fibre bicycle wheel manufacture within one of China’s best factories.
NTP composites:
Website - https://ntpcomposites.com/
Email - koko@ntpcomposites.com
Phone - 0086 156 5978 9571
Panda Podium:
https://www.pandapodium.cc
Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
01:12 – Sheets of frozen carbon
01:40 – Cutting carbon sheets
03:10 – Carbon layup process
05:47 – Baking the carbon
07:39 – Extracting and finishing the wheel
08:41 – QC (quality control)
09:23 – Product development
10:23 – Joe’s Arcaris wheelset
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/tracevelo/
Email:
tracevelouk@gmail.com
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NTP Composites
The video provides an exclusive factory tour of NTP Composites, a Chinese OEM manufacturer specializing in carbon fiber bicycle wheelsets. It reveals the detailed manufacturing process from raw carbon prepreg sheets through cutting, layup, baking, and finishing, highlighting their technical capabilities and quality control measures. The video shows they produce wheels for major Western cycling brands and have recently collaborated with Panda Podium on the Accaris climbing wheelset.
Key Facts
- Factory location: Coastal city of Xiamen, China
- Business model: OEM manufacturer producing wheelsets for other brands
- Materials used: Toray carbon fiber prepreg sheets (unidirectional and woven), heat-activated resin
- Manufacturing steps: Refrigeration of prepreg, cutting with oscillating blade CNC ply cutter, hand-rolled bead hooks, layup molds separate from baking molds, baking via hot oil circulation system (not autoclave), automated spoke hole drilling
- Quality control: Each rim tested to 160 PSI, weight and dishing checks, external finish inspection, batch testing of incoming carbon fiber, destructive wheel testing exceeding UCI standards
- Testing standards: Wheels tested to exceed UCI standard of 40 joules impact resistance (one wheel failed at 130 joules)
- Mold lifespan: Baking molds can be used approximately 2,000 times
- Safety measures: Massive dust collection machines throughout factory to manage carbon fiber dust
- Product development: Testing different layups and spoke configurations with client brands
Brand Highlights
- +Factory previously never allowed filming until this video
- +Produces wheels for major Western cycling brands (though specific names not disclosed)
- +Uses industry-leading Toray carbon fiber (also used by Airbus and Boeing)
- +Developed the Accaris climbing wheelset with Panda Podium (884.8g per pair)
- +Baking process uses hot oil circulation system rather than traditional autoclave, with water cooling for faster production
- +Destructive testing shows wheels exceed UCI impact standards by over 3x
Products Mentioned
Developed with Panda Podium, weighs 884.8g per pair, some of the lightest climbing wheels available, uses NTP Composites rims and Hworks hubs