Oquo unveils its first road/gravel wheel range

“The best bikes deserve the best wheels”: it is with this strong message that Oquo was born, a brand that today launches a road/gravel range designed to enhance the cycling experience by offering the best materials, designs, and customization possibilities combined with cutting-edge engineering. Oquo presents two distinct ranges: “Road Performance,” focused on lightness and aerodynamics for high-performance bikes, and “Road Control,” designed for Gravel and endurance with an emphasis on comfort on rougher roads.

#OquoWheels

Behind Oquo are innovators, creators, and dreamers. While they declare themselves manufacturers, designers, and builders, they are first and foremost cyclists who live and breathe cycling. Their passion, experience, and know-how allow them to understand that the best bikes require the best technologies, the best materials, and the best customizable wheels. Oquo is Orbea’s wheel brand, and it is not limited to road cycling. Its very first range was launched for mountain biking, and today it also adds a specific range for electric bikes, named Power.

This new brand employs the most advanced industrial processes in the name of maximum precision, while remaining convinced that the human touch remains essential for perfect accuracy. Added to this is the desire to test each of its wheels, both in the laboratory and in the field, in a tireless quest for perfection. Oquo thus promises to perfect the experience of even the most demanding cyclists.

The perpetual cycle of continuous improvement

At its manufacturing site in the Basque Country, Oquo designs, tests, and produces its wheels with innovation, cutting-edge technology, and the highest quality as its watchwords. “Perfecting each wheel for each use involves considering rim profiles and spoke count from A to Z, optimizing materials to the maximum, and meticulously fine-tuning the production process,” emphasizes the brand.

Oquo relies on processes that allow every pair of wheels leaving its factory to be manufactured with absolute precision. This is made possible thanks to a patented manufacturing process that combines the precision of industrial robots with the accuracy and attention to detail of expert assemblers. Oquo thus ensures that every wheel meets its high quality standards, every time.

Furthermore, each wheel is subjected to the industry’s most rigorous testing protocols. If it passes, it is then delivered to the “Wrecking Crew,” the brand’s ambassador cyclists, who are tasked with pushing the products to their limits to identify any potential weaknesses. Only when a model has survived this entire process is it commercialized. Should a customer still have an issue with a wheel, it is fully covered by the warranty program “Keep On Rolling Programme.”

What makes the Oquo Road range unique?

Oquo offers two distinct series: “Road Performance,” focused on lightness and aerodynamics for high-performance bikes, and “Road Control,” designed for Gravel and endurance with an emphasis on comfort on rougher roads.

Internal width: For Road Performance (RP) wheels, Oquo uses an internal width of 21 mm to broaden tire choice. This allows cyclists to choose wider, more comfortable tires with lower rolling resistance. As for climbers, they can mount a narrower tire to lighten the overall system weight. This allows for the widest choice of tires for today’s high-performance road bikes. Road Control (RC) wheels are designed to tackle tougher roads and Gravel. Their internal width of 23 mm allows for mounting wider tires for better comfort and grip.
Mini-hook technology: Oquo has optimized a “mini-hook” design that increases rim safety and strength while improving the transition between tire and rim for better aerodynamics. For high-performance wheels such as those in the RP and RC ranges, the mini-hook system offers the best balance between tire compatibility, inflation pressure range, and tire choice. These numerous options allow cyclists to set up their bike according to their practice while also allowing for the possibility of reducing the overall system weight.

Optimized spoke lacing: The type of spokes and their tension greatly influence a wheel’s feel and performance. Tighter spokes improve power transfer, while looser spokes allow for more flexibility and comfort. Highly precise assembly processes, combining robotic technology and the human touch, allow for perfect control over spoke tension.
Aero / weight: Oquo offers three different rim depths to meet the needs of every cyclist. The 57 mm profile maximizes aerodynamics for greater efficiency at high speeds and will be the ideal choice for time trial or aero bikes. The 45 mm profile offers a clever balance of aerodynamics, lightness, and control and is sure to be very popular. As for the 35 mm profile, it guarantees the best performance in windy conditions and remains the lightest in the range.

The best ingredients: Oquo uses the highest quality Sapim aero spokes as well as the most performing hubs from the Zipp brand, namely the Cognition and ZR1.
Customization: Cyclists will soon be able to customize their Oquo wheels by choosing colors that match their bike.
Keep On Rolling: Oquo uses the best materials and testing processes in the industry, but what happens in case of breakage? The Oquo warranty covers manufacturing defects during the warranty period, and a damaged wheel will be repaired or replaced free of charge. The “Crash Replacement” program is intended for carbon wheels: in the event of an accident, the wheel can be returned to an authorized Oquo dealer, who will send it to the service center for replacement or repair.

The Range

Oquo has created a wide range of wheels, 8 in total, to allow cyclists to choose the tires best suited to their practice. The Oquo road range includes the following models: RP57 LTD, RP45 LTD, RP35 LTD, RP45 TEAM, RP35 TEAM, RP35PRO, RC25 TEAM, RC25 PRO. Here is a small guide to better understand the denominations:

The first two letters designate Road Performance or Road Control. They are followed by a number indicating the rim depth, either 35, 45, or 57. For the Road Control range, the number refers to the internal width of the rim, just like Oquo’s MTB wheels.

The last three letters indicate the wheel’s level. LTD – High-end wheels, meaning carbon rims, Zipp Cognition hubs, and Sapim CX-Ray spokes. TEAM – Mid-range wheels with Zipp ZR1 hubs associated with the same rims as the LTD models. PRO – Entry-level wheels with aluminum rims and Zipp ZR1 hubs.

Price: Prices range from 1999 € for LTD models to 1299 € for Team models and 599 € for Pro models, for both the RP and RC ranges.

Starting in July, Oquo teams will officially ride on the wheels after having tested them for 18 months already. The WNT Ceratizit team will notably be at the start of the Tour de France Femmes on July 23rd, while the wheels will make their debut with the Euskaltel-Euskadi team during the Clasicá San Sebastián on July 29th.

The oquowheels.com website will be updated with all essential information on the new road range, models, and customization options. It will also include a directory of authorized dealers so you can order wheels directly and benefit from a “Click and Collect” system.

Already a benchmark

Customization is a paramount factor in the Oquo range and, as mentioned above, you can customize and order wheels that match your bike. But Oquo goes even further. Indeed, the Orbea MyO customization tool integrates the Oquo customization option. This means that when you customize an Orbea bike, you can add customized Oquo wheels and choose from 14 different colors.

3bikes.fr has already had the opportunity to ride with LTD and Team 35 mm wheels on mountainous routes, and the initial impressions are more than encouraging. We will tell you more in a few weeks.

Contact: oquowheels.com