The Venetian brand Ursus is one of the few companies producing wheels design and manufacture your own hubs in Italy. This has always allowed them to develop innovative solutions, as the new U-Press system, a technology that allows disassemble and reassemble the hubs in seconds, with simplicity and precision. But without lowering the bar on quality, quite the opposite.
The hubs with U-Press system have in fact been tested all season by Team Picnic-PostNL (the team of Rachele Barbieri and Eleonora Ciabocco, in which she will also race from 2026 Mattia Gaffuri) with excellent results.
Quick maintenance without tools
Ursus's idea behind the system was to simplify the hub mechanics, without compromising precision, of course. The revolution of U-Press lies in the fact that it is possible to disassemble the hubs with a few simple steps and without the use of special tools as extractors or presses, as normally happens. With this new technology, The caps and bodice can be removed by hand thanks to a calibrated pressure conical closure, thus making maintenance much easier such as greasing or replacing bearings.
This solution not only speeds up and simplifies access to the gears, but It also ensures micrometric tolerances and perfect coaxiality between the internal elements. The U-Press system therefore presents itself as a perfect novelty for newbies, yet its reliability has passed the most important test that could be subjected to it: theWorldTour mechanics' opinion.
A year of probation (passed) with the pros
As mentioned at the beginning, Ursus wanted to test the U-Press hubs directly with the Picnic-PostNL Team of which it is partner since last year. Runners and technicians have tried the new technology all season and in the stressful situations typical of top-level cycling.
How did it go? Piet Rooijakkers, the team's R&D expert, explained it himself: «We use the U-Press system when an athlete decides at the last minute to change gears or wheelsThe system allows us to intervene quickly and precisely, without the use of specific tools, adapting the bike setup in a few moments, even during races or the tests."
That's about practicality. But does the quality remain the same? Rooijakkers continues: "The system is fluid and linear: The insertion and removal of components is always precise, without any play or resistance. The main advantage is the significant time savings, but also ease of maintenance and replacement, which reduces the risk of errors or damage to components and makes work smoother and more predictable."
