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Hi, I'm James from Tokyowheel, and today I’m going to give you a tour of our carbon wheel factory. You'll see how we make your wheels and everything that goes into the process. We are very proud of our manufacturing and we are excited to show it to you today.
We use Toray T800 carbon for the majority of the aero rim structure and Tokyowheel trademarked Duraheat-R™ carbon on the braking surface for increased stopping performance and durability.
Every Tokyowheel rim is made from multiple densities and tensile strengths of carbon for the different structures in the rim. Over 20 separate pieces are precision cut for each rim.
The carbon prepreg is assembled around a pneumatic core, which will provide an outward force on the rim during carbon curing.
Before we put the carbon layup into mold, the Duraheat-R™ braking surface and the surface layer of the carbon rim - which is effectively cosmetic, - are glued into the mold.
The full layup is placed into a proprietary 10-piece mold, the pneumatic core is pressurized, and the carbon is cured at high temperature for 45 minutes.
We verify (with micrometers and a digital scale) that each rim’s roundness, lateral offset, and weight are within tolerances. We also test the braking surface width to ensure that the braking will be smooth and consistent.
We use a computer controlled drilling machine to customize spoke hole position and angle to improve power transfer to the wheel.
We run the wheel up to 30kph and then we apply a braking force and measure 7 performance variables, such as deceleration, stopping distance, and very importantly average and maximum rim temperature. By measuring these things we are able to continuously improve the braking performance of our wheels and their durability under heavy braking conditions.
We test the stiffness of a section of rim laced to a spoke by applying a 3000 newton force to the spoke and measuring rim deflection in thousandths of a millimeter. This lets us optimize the stiffness of the rims, which results in more power transferred from the rider through the wheel into the road.
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.
We finish your wheels with your choice of 12 different colors, and pack them securely for shipping to your door.
Thanks for letting me give you a tour of the Tokyowheel factory. Let us know if you have any questions, or need anything. Thanks!