Upgrade Alert: Why you don’t need a Kolossos Pulsar

If you’ve been following along with our latest news, you know we just unveiled the Kolossos Pulsar, our lowest friction, full ceramic oversized pulley system.

Now, if you already own a Speed or Aero Kolossos, you might be looking at your bike right now, looking back at our launch announcement, and wondering: "Do I really need to buy a whole new cage to get in on this?"

Short answer: Nope.

Because the Pulsar is built on the exact same cage architecture as the Speed and Aero Kolossos already hanging off your derailleur, you don’t need to replace the entire system. We’re offering the Pulsar full ceramic pulley wheels as an aftermarket upgrade kit for your existing setup.

If you’re trying to figure out whether dropping a set of Pulsar wheels into your current cage makes sense for you, here are three classic scenarios where making the switch is a no-brainer.

1. You Have an "A-Race" on the Calendar

We all have that one event circled on the calendar in permanent marker. The target event where you’ve dialed in your sleep, counted your macros, shaved your legs to the hip, and spent six months obsessing over gear ratios and tire width.

When you’re chasing peak performance, whether that’s Tulsa Tough, an IRONMAN bike leg, a state time trial championship, or breaking a personal record on an iconic alpine climb, marginal gains stop being marginal. They become essential.

Because Pulsar wheels run dry on full ceramic balls and ceramic races, they bypass the viscous drag created by grease and heavy seals. Swapping your hybrid ceramic or stainless pulleys for Pulsar wheels right before your target race is one of the easiest ways to strip measurable friction out of your drivetrain without changing how your bike handles or shifts.

2. Your Current Pulleys Have Seen Some Things

Bicycle drivetrain components are wear items. Even high end oversized pulley wheels eventually show their age after thousands of miles of grit, chain wear, and power washings.

If your current Kolossos pulley teeth are starting to look like shark fins, or if your bearings are feeling crunchy after many brutal seasons of riding, it’s time for a refresh anyway. Instead of simply replacing like for like, rebuilding it with a set of Pulsar full ceramic wheels gives your trusty cage a second life, and upgrades your drivetrain to our fastest platform in the process.

3. The "Summer Bike / Winter Bike" Strategy

Back when I was living and racing in Belgium, everyone had a system for dealing with the weather. You had your bulletproof winter setup designed to survive months of Flemish rain, road salt, and mud, and you had your summer setup reserved for crisp, dry, high speed days.

You can run your Kolossos with the exact same philosophy:

• In the winter: run the stainless steel or hybrid ceramic wheels with standard grease and full seals. They’re built to take a beating, resist corrosion, and require minimal fuss when the roads are wet and dirty.
• In the summer: pop in the unlubricated full ceramic Pulsar wheels for maximum efficiency, zero drag, and effortless speed when the weather clears up and the roads dry out.

It gives you the best of both worlds: maximum protection when conditions are foul, and absolute minimum friction when it’s time to go fast.

Getting the Right Set

The Pulsar upgrade kit comes in four fitments, and the tooth counts tell you which one is yours. The upper wheel identifies your drivetrain and the lower wheel identifies your cage:

Two housekeeping notes before you order. The Pulsar bearings are full ceramic and need no lubrication at all, so leave the grease gun in the drawer. And we do not recommend Pulsar for off road use, which is why the kit is offered in road fitments only.

Ready to Spin?

Upgrading your current Kolossos to Pulsar specs takes about ten minutes on the workstand with basic tools. If you’re ready to shave every last fraction of a watt off your drivetrain, the Pulsar aftermarket pulley kits are ready to roll.

Still deciding between a set of wheels and a whole new cage? We wrote a whole piece on that call: The Upgrade Dilemma: Pulleys vs. The Full Kolossos Cage.

Ride on,

Ard