Feature: Revolver Wheels & Products

Ridden by some of the fastest time trialists in the world such as Marcin Bialoblocki and Sarah Storey, Revolver Wheels is a brand that has been growing steadily in the UK since 2014 – we look at Revolver Wheels

Feature: Revolver Wheels & Products

Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Revolver as a brand has been growing steadily in the UK since 2014. This marked the introduction of the TT/Triathlon specific Revolver disc wheel, designed and hand-built by company founder and bicycle aerodynamics obsessive Harry Walker.

Record breaker Marcin Bialoblocki pictured by Bill from Primera Sports on the wheels from Harry at Revolver

This fascination with aerodynamics began over 30 years ago after witnessing Francesco Moser break the world one hour record riding a low profile machine using front and rear solid disc wheels. Harry began designing and making aerodynamic equipment including helmets, pedals and handlebars for use in time-trials and was soon to establish the Guru Dynamics brand as one of the most popular TT aero helmet manufacturers on the UK race scene in the late nineties and into the new millennium.

Harry also developed a limited number of carbon fibre-steel hybrid time-trial frameset modules which he rode to many national championship medals, British records and over 400 individual TT wins. It took big brand manufacturers a decade to catch up and market designs that could even come close to matching the aerodynamic profiling and integration of these TT frame designs.

Now, that passion to innovate is not only driving Revolver to produce the fastest wheels out there, but to also make them accessible to everyone without that prohibitive price tag.

2016 was an exciting time for Revolver for two reasons. The first being the introduction of the all new ‘ASYMM’ 11 speed disc wheel. Their range topping model that uses the concept of asymmetrical design. A world first! Conceived by Harry Walker, thinking outside the box and developed over a twelve month period.

This wheel has been ridden to countless wins, championship medals, national records and culminating in a Time Trial Gold Medal Winning ride in Rio by Dame Sarah Storey.

The second reason was the expansion of the Revolver brand by way of the introduction of their new range of deep carbon fibre wheelsets. These wheels, as you’d expect use the latest wide rim, cutting edge profiles, the world’s fastest spokes and precision, Swiss made hubs. The brief here was simple – produce hand-built high performance wheels that are unbeaten within their price band.

Just some of the star performances on Harry’s wheels:

Anna Turvey
25 mile Championships – Third
10 mile TT Competition Record. 19:08.
10, 25, 50 mile TT Irish National Records.

Marcin Bialoblocki
25 mile TT Champion
50 mile comp record 1:30:31
25 mile TT Competition Record. 42:58
2nd Polish National TT Championships (Pro/Elite).

Beth Crumpton
National Trophy Cyclo Cross wins.
National Trophy Series overall title.

Lucy Charles
1st place- Ironman Lanzarote… Bike split & overall course record.
1st place- Challenge Lisbon.
1st place- Challenge World Champion.

Kit Walker
1st place- Outlaw Triathlon (full) setting New course Record.

Suzie Richards
1st place- Slateman Triathlon 2016 & 2018 (won 4x overall).

Harry Walker 2018
2nd North East 10 mile TT Championships… 19:31.
Fastest 25 mile TT for 22 years… 49:26
Bronze medal – National AG Standard distance Duathlon Championships.
Bronze medal – British AG Standard distance Duathlon Championships.
1st place – Ponteland Triathlon.

Also: Kyle Gordon (RT23) took Gold in the Scottish National 50 Champs and broke Graeme Obree’s 26 year old record in the process – 1:41:16. His teammates Alan Thomson took Silver and Ewen MacGillivray was 4th so they took the Team Championship and also broke the Scottish Team Record by 10 minutes. These guys all use the Asymm FWS Disc and Kronostok FWS 8 fronts. (below)

2017 saw the introduction of the Kronostok ‘FWS’ models. A range that sits above the established Kronostok models in terms of lightness and stiffness through sophisticated manufacturing processes.

A new choice of bolder wheelset decal options as well as their familiar stealth look now becomes available also. All Kronostok models have now been added to the UCI official list of ‘Approved Wheels’. For the competitive rider this stamp of approval allows their use in all UCI road races & ITU/ETU drafting Triathlon events, something that’s now become increasingly important to Age Group athletes when choosing race day wheels.

Disc Wheels
2017 also saw the introduction of the new Kronostok ‘D’ series. A disc hub brake range boasting outstanding braking performance over calliper breaking systems aimed at the new generation of road disc bikes as well as the growing CX (cyclocross) race scene.

Perhaps the most exciting development for 2017 was the introduction of their two new Trispoke front wheel options. The standard ‘3’ model and its big brother the ‘MD3 Concept’. Once again, as with the Asymm disc, it was back to the drawing board looking at things with a different approach.

As a result the innovative ‘MD3 Concept’ was born. A Trispoke-Minidisc hybrid with a performance that lives up to its appearance. A wheel designed for the sharp end of competition that’s unmistakably ‘Revolver’.

Storey Racing
One of the country’s top women’s teams, headed up by Dame Sarah Storey; Storey Racing have a long association with Harry and Revolver Wheels. Barney Storey, a former GB rider and other half to Paralympic legend Sarah, told VeloUK “we have been working with Harry at Revolver since 2015 so it’s been a good amount of time to work with him and help him develop his wheels and his products have been a key to our success.”

“Sarah had the Asymm disc for the Games in Rio and will continue to use them as his products keep developing, keep getting faster, so it would be crazy not to.” Storey Racing at the recent British Time Trial Championships , raced tubular TT wheels from Revolver but admit they’ll be looking at the tubeless versions as well.

The true test of a wheel says Barney, is when you get hold of it, is to check the bearings and how smooth the hubs spin and Harry’s are as smooth as anything. We have had some of his since 2015 and they have not had to have bearing changes or free hub changes and they are still very smooth so they have been very reliable.”

“What Harry gives us is something the giants of the industry won’t or can’t give us and the feedback we give genuinely is taken on board and used to make the products better.”

What wheels does Harry himself choose?
Harry still races time trials (see his outstanding results above) and this year has knocked out some fast times using his own products. So what does he choose to use?

“I’ve designed, built and ridden every disc wheel and wheelset in the Revolver range so on a performance level no one knows them better than me. I’m always chasing PB’s so for general TT events I always go with the Kronostok FWS8 up front and the Asymm FWS Disc rear, both tubeless.

This combination in my opinion is the fastest wheelset available. The front FWS8 handles great in windy conditions for a full depth wheel and the Asymm’s advantage increases with Yaw. Built around DT Swiss hubs using the fastest spokes available ‘Sapim CX Ray’ and brass nipples for durability, our FWS rims are lighter yet 40% stiffer than traditionally constructed rims of comparable depth and are all UCI approved.

In all but the windiest of conditions the Kronostok FWS8 handles great but for the very windy days the FWS7 would be the next choice. When customers ask which is the best all round front wheel we do I’d always recommend the FWS7. If on a budget the regular Kronostok 6 is almost as good.

Kronostok FWS wheels

650c Wheels
Revolver Wheels also produce a new 650c wheelset range – ‘Kronostok FWS 650’ which has a choice of the following options –
4.5 front & rear
4.5 front & 9 rear
9 front & rear
Kronos FWS 650 rear Disc

All are Clincher/Tubeless compatible with a choice of Revolver 301, DT Swiss 350 or 240 hubs.

Arm Rests
Revolver is not just about wheels though. The Revolver Ergo Mantis Tribar Arm Rests come in two models – Regular and New Deep.

“A concept developed by us to allow a rider to adopt the popular aerodynamic ‘Mantis’ position” explained Harry, adding “while maintaining a secure powerful stance at race pace. The raised back and side design unique to us is available in regular and deep versions and allows a rider to focus on effort without straying out of their most aero position.”

Ergo Mantis also eliminates fore aft shuffling that saps watts, this alone a unique power saving trick never tapped into before. Made from 100% Carbon fibre in an ergonomic shape and supplied with their 3D cut foam pads. Accessories include 10, 15 & 20 degree wedge risers and our horizontal sliding bar for those needing more or less reach to achieve the optimal position. Lock in the aero and harness the power.