FAQ

Since 2010. If you're interested, please take a look at the company time-line we publish on our About page.

Yes, you can pay in stallments using "SHOP PAY" during checkout.

We offer a 65 day test ride with 110% paid returns. So if you would like to do a test ride, you can place an order for the wheels of your choice, and try the wheels for up to 65 days. If you want to return them we’ll pay the return shipping costs, give you a full refund, and pay you an extra 10% for your time.

We focus on selling direct to consumers. This enables us to keep costs down as bike shops typically add 30% or more to the price you pay for wheels.

Most customers choose to transfer the cassette from their old wheels onto their new wheels, which requires a few specialty tools. Many of our customers choose to do this themselves. If you don't have the tools or inclination, it's a 5 minute job for a bike shop.

Every wheel sold comes with titanium quick release skewers (for QR models), brake pads (for rim brake models), valve extensions, a spacer (for rear wheels), and nylon rim strips (for clinchers). Every rim sold comes with nylon rim strips, brake pads (for rim brake models), and valve extensions. The only additional parts you will need are the inner tubes, tires and rear cassette. Decals are already by us too.

T800

Yes, if you select the cassette compatibility option ‘Campagnolo’ we will include Campagnolo compatible brake pads.

Braking with carbon rims is not the same as metal rims. If you’re new to carbon, you’re going to need to adjust your braking technique to maximize the life of your rims. Excessive braking on long descents can cause overheating that might damage the rim and braking surface. This is true of all carbon, and all carbon rims (despite what salespeople might tell you). Bottom line: you can’t sit on your brakes for extended periods on long downhills like you might with metal rims. Luckily, there are some easy ways to side-step the heat build-up issue during heavy braking. Studies have shown that releasing the brakes, even for short periods of time, can greatly increase the rate at which heat is able to dissipate.

To facilitate this:

1. Modulate your braking by feathering the brakes (compressing then releasing).

2. Alternate between front and rear brakes whenever you can (especially during periods of hard, continuous braking). You want to distribute braking force as evenly as possible between your front and rear brakes.

All our rims are 100% carbon. We don’t offer any wheels with aluminum braking surfaces. Our Duraheat-R™ Carbon braking surface rivals the performance of aluminum. It's also much lighter, which results in faster acceleration and better climbing. In the past, aluminum was used on carbon wheels to minimise any durability loss brought about by high heat from braking friction. Advances in braking materials technology have improved the performance of carbon braking systems in recent years. The popularity of aluminum/carbon hybridisation has declined as a result. Tokyowheel is continually researching and developing carbon braking technology.

No - just 700c wheels.

We don't offer color options.

No we don't. We don't hold stock at our office locations. We do offer a money-back guarantee though, for those who like to try before they buy. We don't get many returns - something we're very proud of.

Most road riders are using 23-28mm tires these days - all of which run great on our rims.Gravel riders can go much wider if they want to of course.

All our hubs are compatible up to 11 speed. That means that they are also 8, 9, 10 speed compatible. We include a small spacer for use with non-11 speed cassettes.

By default we lace our rear wheels 2x on both drive and non-drive side.

Tokyowheels actually have pretty high rider weight limits. Limits are different for each wheelset and range from 209lbs/95kg ~ 243.5lbs/110kg. Wheelset rider weight limits are listed in the Quick Specs box on each individual product page. You can increase the effective limit for each wheelset by including the Sapim CX-Ray Spoke upgrade in your build (this adds maybe 22lbs/10kg). When talking about rider weight limits, we’re generally talking about avoiding broken spokes. The Sapim CX-Ray spokes are stronger and the SILS Polyax nipples allow for a more efficient force transfer through the spoke to the nipple and into the rim.

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Yes, you can order spare brake pads

Yes, all Tokyowheel Epic wheels are 2-Way Tubeless Clincher compatible. You can use normal clincher tires and tubes or tubeless tires and no-tubes.

No, we haven’t had any reports of our wheels not fitting any frames, including all Cervelos. The shape design of our rims is such that they are 25mm wide at the braking surface, then bulge out to become slightly wider toward the center of the rim. This shape allows for them to fit into a wide range of frames. The only fit issue is with some specialty brand brakes. If your brake callipers don’t offer 25mm of clearance with brake pads installed, then you will need to sand down your brake pads to allow the rim to fit. This issue doesn’t exist with Shimano, SRAM, or Campagnolo brand brakes, but has been reported with smaller specialty brand brakes.

No, we don’t offer any custom design or graphics services. We offer 10 different decal color options, including a No-Logo version. All our decals are removable so you could either remove the decals from the wheels or order the No-Logo version, and apply your own decals.

All our new products ship with a minimum 12 month local repair warranty. If you have any problems with your wheels during your warranty period, we'll pay for a bike mechanic at your local bike shop to take a look - they can usually fix issues with a bit of tinkering in our experience. We'll send spare parts out as needed. We'll replace wheels when needed too. Obviously, all shipping costs are on us. Resolving issues in a timely fashion is seriously important to us and our Community Managers will be available for advice and support throughout.

Tokyowheel has a few guarantees designed to take anxiety out of purchasing, and eliminate the chance of a rider having a negative experience buying Tokyowheels. We have 3 main guarantees:

110% Guaranteed No Customs Taxes

65 Day, 110% Moneyback Test Ride

110% Speed Guaranteed

If you'd like to learn more about these you can do so here

We use vinyl decals. They can be removed/replaced should the need arise.

It depends on your riding style (& budget) but we generally recommend use of the following criteria: If you are trying to get the best value in a great all-around wheel set, choose the standard (Tokyowheel Vapor) hub. It's a great hubset that's very durable and performs well all-around. It’s much better than most entry level hubs you’ll find. If you are going to use your wheels for Triathlon racing, then we recommend you purchase the ceramic bearing upgrade - the reduced internal friction and better rolling resistance will help your Triathlon times. If you are road racing, doing a lot of climbing, or riding in competitive group rides choose the DT Swiss 240s hubset. This hubset has a very strong ‘star ratchet’ system in the free hub mechanism and results in better power transfer during aggressive high force riding (and the spoke upgrade rocks too). If you still can’t decide, contact us and we’ll happily give you a personalized recommendation.

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The new Epics have different rim shapes, are position optimized (have different rim shapes front and rear), different rim depths, and different layup. They are faster and perform better in crosswinds than the old Epics.

We recommend the Epic 7.10 as the best wheelset for triathletes and endurance riders. We recommend the ceramic bearing hub upgrade to reduce rolling resistance.

We recommend the Epic 3.4 wheelset with either the ceramic bearing & Sapim spoke hub upgrade or the the DT Swiss 240s hub upgrade. The Epic 3.4 is a light and fast wheelset that handles great in close proximity to other riders. Both hub upgrades feature the added stiffness and aerodynamic advantage of Sapim CX-Ray spokes. If you can afford it, consider going with the DT Swiss 240s hubset which has a unique ‘star ratchet’ mechanism for better power transfer and durability.

We recommend the Epic 5.6 wheelset for all-around riding. They climb and handle well but still provide a noticeable aerodynamic performance gain.

We use the same materials and manufacturing processes as the big brands but our overheads are much lower. We ship direct from the point of manufacture to our customers. We don't need to store wheels or hold stock. We don't sell through a long list of middle men - each taking a percentage. We don't spend a fortune on advertising, or marketing. We don't need all the staff that go along with these processes, we don't need the offices to house the staff, or the equipment to allow them to do their jobs. In short, we're small and agile!

The max pressure for our clinchers is 140psi. There is no limit on tubular pressure. Most people use 120psi or lower - especially given the fact that the rims are wide (the same rolling resistance can be achieved at a lower psi).

Yes. You can lightly sand the area with ultra fine sandpaper to smooth the rims surface out. This won't negatively affect the performance, durability or safety of your wheels.

No. We use a specific wheel-building process that decreases the need for truing maintenance over the life of the wheel. The process replaces the 'break in' period that you would experience with a new wheel, and allows our wheels to stay truer for longer.

Yes, you can return your wheels for a 110% money-back refund anytime within 65 days of purchase. We will pay the return shipping, and any customs fees at our end. We want you to be happy with your experience, and will do whatever it takes to make that happen, even in the event that you want to return your wheels. Check out our full Terms and Conditions for more details.

We include the correct length valve extenders for every order. If you prefer to not use extenders and go with longer tube valve stems please be aware that the exact valve length required can be affected by your pump head. With most pumps you should be safe with 15mm of valve left showing out of the rim and some work with as little as 12mm.

We'd love to be able to guarantee delivery dates but once your wheels leave our facility, and are in the hands of a shipping agent, there are too many variables beyond our control in play. The shipping estimate we provide following checkout is accurate 95% of the time.

We 110% guarantee that you won’t go out of pocket to have your wheels delivered. In the event that you do have to pay fees, we'll refund you 110% of the cost.

If you're asked to pay less than $100 USD please just pay it and send us a photo of the receipt. We'll reimburse your credit card immediately. If you're asked to pay more then this, please email us at questions@tokyowheel.com. If you need support at any time, drop us a line, but the process is usually super simple.

Our wheel building process is as follows:

We lace the spokes to the rim and true the wheel at low tension.

We exercise the spokes so that they can be ideally positioned for further tensioning. We then bring the spokes up to equal tension and measure with a micrometer and tensionometer.

Next we stress relieve the wheel by applying a sideways force on the hub with a machine. This essentially replaces the 'break in' period that you would experience with a new wheel and allows our wheels to stay truer throughout the life of the wheel. After a final truing they are ready for finishing.

Our Epic 3.4, 5.6 & 7.10 wheelsets are all UCI certified.

If you want to go tubeless, you need a tubeless kit - valves, tubeless rim tape and sealant. You can order these online, or source them from a good local bike shop.

We are happy to accept a Bank Transfer, as long as the customer agrees to pay any extra charges associated with the transfer should we ask them to (these charges are why we like to use credit/debit cards).

The short answer is no - not all discs are compatible. There are only really a couple of types though. We can accomodate both but you need to know the answer to the following two questions before you order:

Are your current hubs quick release or thru axle?

Are your current discs ISO 6 bolt or centre lock?

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es we do (if you're buying more than 3 wheelsets). The discount depends on the size of the order. Please email us at questions@tokyowheel.com to find out more.

At the moment we don't offer a lefty hub option on our Core wheels.

Tires

Clincher

Continental GP 5000

https://www.continental-tires.com/bicycle/tires/race-tires/grand-prix-5000

Tubeless

Schwalbe Pro-one

http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/racing_tires/pro-one

Inner tubes

Continental Race 28 (700c) light

http://blobs.continental-tires.com/www8/servlet/blob/88968/002f3f05359400c1488ace146807e168/tubes-download-data.pdf

Brake pads (SwissStop)

SwissStop Black Prince

https://www.swissstop.com/tech/compounds/black-prince/

Tire levers

VAR Tire lever

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/var-tyre-levers-prod27539/?geoc=th