Tokyowheel - The next Zipp?

Wheelset: Epic 88s with Silver Mirror Accents

Bike: 2012 QuintanaRoo CD0.1

Tires: Continental 4000s 700x25

Previous Wheelset – 2011 Bontrager Aeolus 6.5 (bought used for $1,300)

Additions: Lighter Ceramic Upgrade, Sapim CX-Ray Spokes and SILS Nipples,  WheelBuilder Disc Cover

https://www.tokyowheel.com/

Quick Review:

A wheelset that stands out in price, performance, and looks. With more marketing in the USA, don’t be surprised for this company to be a head turner. Stiff, fast, and light with great aerodynamics. Sound familar? If you can get over the "Zipp" fantasy, Tokyowheel will be just as fast!

Longer Review:

I got the 88 set about 4 months ago and wanted to really test them out in multiple environments – trainer, sunny, rain, wind, hills and flats. If you aren’t one to enjoy long reviews – then stop reading. If you love in depth reviews, keep reading.

I ordered the 88s and, being from the States, I thought it was going to take forever to ship. This wasn’t the case at all. It wasn’t more than 5 days before I got the new wheel set! The tracking was spot on, there were no customs issues, and better yet the box was somehow flawless. They truly mean fast shipping!

Upon opening the box, I found the set very well and securely packed. These guys aren’t messing around. The top layer features a “shelf” like hard cardboard piece protecting the top of the wheels. Here you’ll see two sets (yes, 8 brake pads!), the skewers and information about the wheels.  After taking off the top layer of cardboard, the wheels were packaged with bubble wrap, cardboard surroundings, and placed in cardboard slots to prevent movement in shipment. After taking the wheels out, there were no fingerprints on them –I found this pretty impressive.

The Silver Mirror color pops very nicely. It gives it a little punch and looks exactly the way it does online. It takes up a lot of the wheel – but the font makes it look pretty dang sweet.

After self-installing the cassette, and changing out the brake pads – I through the wheels on the trainer. I wanted to get that initial feel for the wheels out of the way. I gave it a good push to see how long the wheel would spin before it stopped.  There was no issue in getting the wheels up to speed and it took approximately 30 seconds for the wheel to stop spinning on the trainer.

Performance Review 1:

Weather: Sunny and in the 80s.

Wheel set up: 88 front, 88 back with disc cover

Effort: Recovery ride with some pushes

Roads: Flat roads with minor climbs. Mixture of finely paved roads, continual bumps and potholes

The first test ride outside was nothing short but a little terrifying. It was a VERY windy day and I had gone from 60mm wheel depth to 88 in the front and a “disc” in the back (the 88 with Wheelbuilder Disc Cover). I found myself getting pushed a lot (I’m 150lbs) and kept getting out of the aero position to regain control. The wheels responded very well, they were stiff, and FAST.  By the end of the ride, I had found myself controlling the bike in the windy conditions and was able to hit the 50mph range.

Going at about 20 mph on a flat road, I was able to roll for nearly a 300m before I found myself needing to pedal again. The ceramic hub with the 4 bb’s rolled smooth!

 

On the same hills I rode with on my 60mm depth wheels and 88s, I found there was no real power difference. There was maybe a +5 wattage difference – nothing to truly note since they’ll end up being faster an any other part of the course.

The braking surface needed some breaking into (do not forget to take off the braking warning stickers off the braking surface!). Once the pads broke in, I found they take a little longer to stop than my past Bontragers. This isn’t really an issue since the time it does take to stop is minimal, but should be noted for potential weekend rides or T2. You’ll also notice that the breaking surface will quickly fade and will have a “stressed black/silver” look. To me it looks pretty awesome, but if you are the type that wants the surface to remain BLACK, then this could be a potential nuisance.

Performace Review 2:

Weather: Rain – drizzle, steady, and down pouring at parts

Effort: 70.3 race

Roads: Hills (3000ft of climbing in 56 miles), smooth, bumpy and no traffic

Wheel set up: 88 front, 88 back with disc cover

I recently raced Challenge Knoxville which featured a decent amount of climbing for a tri. This provided some great thoughts on feedback or these wheels. The weather conditions were very very wet – pouring at times.

I found the wheels were able to brake just as well in the rain as it does in dry conditions which was very satisfying since I’d have be breaking down some technical hills. After long descents, I also found the wheels didn’t overheat (could have been the cool temperatures as well). In addition, I found that I could brake harder after “riding” the brakes for a long period of time.

Over long periods of climbs, I didn’t find the 88s drastically different than my  Bontragers. In fact, I was climbing just as fast, if not better, than my previous wheelset. The power I was able to push was better received on these wheels.

 

The overall feeling of the wheels during bumpy roads was also surprising. I could feel the difference and the bike road much smoother.

Overall Feeling:

For $1100, these wheels are a FANTASTIC deal! They are light, fast, look good, and the warranty is the best in the industry. There is honestly no surprise why there is nearly a 5 star rating on them. If you are thinking about upgrading your wheelset – think Tokyowheel!

Stars: 5