Token C50 Carbon Clincher Wheels Having had an opportunity to try out a variety of carbon offerings from the ??ajor??producers, I was intrigued when I was offered a chance for a long term test of Token?? C50 carbon clinchers. On paper they looked good: A 50mm all carbon clincher rim laced 20 front (radially) and 24 rear (2-cross) with Sapim X Ray spokes to Token?? own proprietary hub running on ceramic bearings. Weight was right on at 1500 grams with the provided rim strips. The wheels also arrived with skewers, brake pads, and some nicely machined pad holders. When checking them out on the truing stand (dead straight) I noticed another nice feature: a raised brake strip. This should add to the life of the wheels and will move heat away from the tire bead. Another quick spin on the stand showed the ceramic bearings produced very little drag, the bladed Sapim spokes slicing through the wind. Stopping the free hub barely slowed the wheel, producing a subdued click. Mounting a pair of new Michelin Pro Race 3 tires showed the rims to be tighter than some aluminum rims, a tire lever was needed but I??e worked harder on other rims. The brake pads went in easily, and with a quick adjustment we were ready to roll. Initial braking was poor, after several hard stops and the brakes improved considerably. After a full day of riding brake performance was impressive, I was easily able to pick the rear wheel up under hard front brake application. You??l notice two things right away: these wheels are fast and stiff, definitely biased towards the high performance rider, as deep carbon wheels should be. On my criterium bike they cornered with absolute confidence, and sprinted without a hint of flex. While slightly heavier in weight compared to some tubulars. of similar dimension, they climbed with a high degree of competency and snap. Over the course of a racing season I won numerous races on them, from hill finishes to flat sprints, proof in the pudding so to speak. So they are fast, but what about tough? In the heat of battle I managed to hit two gigantic potholes in two different races, double flatting hard and destroying the tires both times. The resulting damage to the wheels was one tiny chip in the rim, under circumstances that would (and did) break at least one other company?? offering. And they remained true. After six months of hammering there were no maintenance issues. If you??e looking for negatives on the wheel, they are few. A set of valve extenders would have been great; for people who like all black wheels, the Token graphics are under the laminate of the wheel and can?? just be peeled off. And the brake pads required several hard stops to bed in. Otherwise this is an absolute top notch wheel for competition or everyday use, at a competitive price point especially considering the build. Kurt R. Bickel 2008-10-27
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