Difference to expensive wheels

#1

Hello, I am a newbie to cycling equipment. I’ve been riding my stock bike for a couple of years now and I feel like I want to have carbon wheels for some extra speed. But I think a big part of the reason is because I want that look haha Carbon wheels just look amazing.

Anyway, my question is. I’ve been looking at a few different brands and the prices vary a lot.

What makes an expensive wheel more expensive? Will an amateur rider like myself notice those differences? How can Tokyowheel be priced so low?

I’m doing triathlons btw, hoping to do a half Ironman at the end of the year

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#2

HI there DjDean,

I have the same experience a couple of years back. To answer your question and only my opinion, see below:

  1. The wheelset or rim is more expensive depending on the how it’s made. Logically, Carbon Fiber is more expensive than its alum or allux competitors. It’s built with quality and undergone strenuous tests to provide better stability. stiffness and more aerodynamic. Bottom-line, it’s sensibly lighter and your best buddy in crosswinds and routine rides - less stress you may call.

  2. Like me and an amateur as well. After putting Tokyowheel wheelset on my bike. I felt the difference in terms of weight and less cadence as I used to. Also, like what you’ve mentioned “haha”. Truly a head-turner. Gives a decent price when selling bike too. Why I’m getting my 2nd set from Tokyowheel.

  3. The price tag sometimes depends on the brand name. Also the fact that they’ve been there for a very long time. The reputation and quality are very important for them the same as Tokyowheel. However, (I’m not against pricey ones ok) Just sharing. I have my friends having Zipp and Hed carbon wheelset and most of them are in wiggling state now, whilst my Tokyowheel remains pristine. Maybe how they use it but, we all go the same route and I have not seen unusual riding style from them.

Moreover, maybe the fact that Tokyowheel is new in the market is another factor and getting more and more attention now. Even though, they have a great quality wheelsets and best after sales support.

Hope it helps.

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#3

Thanks for the question. Maybe other forum members have other opinions, but I’ll let you know my mindset on price.

One of the most fundamental factors in the purchase price of a product is called ‘Keystone Pricing’. This is basically the way that a product gets ‘marked up’ by 15% for the distributor to make a profit and another 40% for the bike shop to make a profit. You could basically think of it as: products in a bike shop need to cost 2x more than ones sold online. This markup also must happen to products bought online, from brands that are anchored into the keystone pricing model (All the major brands), because if they sold cheap online then their retailers (bike shops), would be angry.

So at Tokyowheel, we can basically sell for half price, by selling direct online. Also, our mindset is that we actually want the price to be as low as possible, as opposed to wanting the price to be high.

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