Token debuts new gravel wheelset and Shuriken Zenith

New carbon Roubx wheelset and oversized pulley system debut at Taipei Show

Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media

Published: March 28, 2019 at 10:55 am

Token has added a smart new carbon wheelset to its road line, and this one's aimed squarely at the all-road fraternity.

The new Roubx wheelset, in either standard freehub or XD drive, is built around Token’s D1 hub and is laced up with 24 spokes front and rear.

The rim is 33mm wide externally and 33mm deep with a generous 25.3mm internal diameter
The rim is 33mm wide externally and 33mm deep with a generous 25.3mm internal diameter - Warren Rossiter/Immediate Media

The rim is carbon and uses Token’s own continuous fibre construction, so the fibres run around the circumference of the rim, which itself is a hookless design and tubeless ready. It measures 33mm deep and 33mm wide externally, and the internal dimension of 25.3mm is one of the most generous gravel rim widths currently available.

Weight wise, the Roubx looks on the money, with the front a claimed 671g and the rear 823g (1,494 a pair). Unfortunately, no pricing was available at the show.

The tubeless-ready rim is also a hookless design
The tubeless-ready rim is also a hookless design - Warren Rossiter/Immediate media

Token Shuriken oversized pulley system

Token also showcased the new ‘Zenith’ version of its oversized pulley system the Shuriken.

The Shuriken combines two oversized jockey wheels with the top wheel and a more normal 12-tooth with a gargantuan 19-tooth on the bottom. It's compatible with Shimano Dura-Ace R9100, R9500 (Di2), Ultegra R8000 and R8500 (Di2).

The Shuriken pulley system combines highly cnc'd lightweight oversized jockey wheels, ceramic bearings and plenty of carbon fibre
The Shuriken pulley system combines highly cnc'd lightweight oversized jockey wheels, ceramic bearings and plenty of carbon fibre - Warren Rossiter/Immediate media

The heavily machined wheels run on full ceramic bearings and the cage is carbon fibre. The claimed weight of 69.5g makes it lighter than the cage it would replace, but you will need a longer chain.

By fitting the Shuriken you can use cassettes up to 34t (only usually available on Ultegra) and the capacity rises to 16 teeth for the chainrings (the difference between them) and 23 teeth on the cassette.

That all makes it very light at just 69.5g
It's very light at just 69.5g - Warren Rossiter/Immediate media

We’ve had good results using oversized pulley systems in the past, so the Shuriken does look interesting, sadly, though, this upgrade doesn’t come cheap with pricing for the Shuriken starting at a pretty pricey £289.99.