Trifox WT11 Review: Affordable and with Potential, but…

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A few weeks ago, Trifox introduced a new wheelset, Trifox WT11. They contacted me and asked if I was interested in reviewing it. I accepted their offer but only under one condition—I would write the good, the bad, or the ugly if necessary. So, in this Trifox WT11 review, you will learn whether these wheels are worth your consideration and how they compare to other Chinese carbon wheels.

My WT100 wheels scoring at a glance:
Crosswind Stability 4/5 | Stiffness 2/5 | Riding Comfort 5/5 | Speed Maintenance 4/5 | Tire On 5/5 | Trueness 4/5 | Spoke Tension 3/5 | Dishing 3/5 | Price 4/5 | OVERALL 3.8/5
More about this road wheels scoring.

Trifox WT Lineup Summary

All wheels are available in 40, 45, 50, and 60mm rim depths. The WT17 are not available in 40mm rim depth. So…

Who are these wheels for?
Based on their price and specifications, they are suitable for beginners or people looking for training carbon wheels. Their weight of above 1550g puts them on the heavier side of the spectrum. This makes them ideal for flats and steady efforts. Climbers should look for lighter wheels.

Unfortunately, Trifox WT wheels are not tubeless tires compatible, so this can be a dealbreaker for some riders. Let’s check their features more in-depth.

Main Features

Here is a quick summary of the features and specs of the Trifox WT11 wheels.

First Impressions and Unboxing

Trifox WT11 wheels came in an unbranded, scratch-free box.

I don’t fully understand why Trifox doesn’t have a branded box. Building a brand is important for success in today’s competitive market. I think this is a (big) missed opportunity. Based on the packing and the included protection, I didn’t expect any issues with the wheels.

But I was wrong. Something caused scratches on the rims. They seemed like scratches from the cardboard or something. Luckily, I could clean them easily, so the rims are intact.

By the way, the wheels came with four spare spokes and two rim tapes:

Here are a few pictures of the details, like the spoke pattern, hubs, and rims.

In-House Tests

Lateral and Radial Trueness

I put both wheels on a truing stand and checked their lateral and radial trueness. Both would deserve more attention from the wheel builder. The rear wheel was relatively true. I noticed just a small deviation in one place.

The front wheel ended up worse. A larger area (3-5 spokes) was deviated by about 0.5 mm. I got similar results from the radial test. So, I couldn’t wait to check out the spoke tension.

Spoke Tension

I started with the rear wheel. The results were relatively promising except for one spoke that didn’t meet the 10% limit (deviation from the average) and a few spokes that exceeded 5%.

Unfortunately, the front wheel ended much worse. The spoke tension was inconsistent and all over the place. One spoke had even a tension that differed by more than 20% from the average.

I guess the wheel builder tried to true the wheels regardless of the consistency of the spoke tension. Maybe the rim was poorly made, so he had no other choice. However, these were the worst results of all the wheels I tested so far. I am not sure how the front wheel could pass the internal quality control.

Riding-wise, this doesn’t have to be such a big deal, but I expected better attention and build quality.

Rim Centering (Dishing)

Based on the results of the spoke tension, I was expecting that the dishing wouldn’t end well either. And I was right. The dishing tool showed that the hubs were not properly centered. Below, you can see the gap (<1mm) between the center of the dishing tool and the end cap. Not great, not terrible. I recorded similar gap with a few other wheelsets.

Difficulty to Put the Tire On

WT11 are not tubeless-ready, so I only tested how difficult it is to put Tufo Comtura 4 TR 28mm tires on the rims without seating them. It was relatively easy, and I didn’t need tire levers. I used tubes, so they seated without issues.

However, I broke out in a sweat when I tried to take them off and change them for Kenda Kross tires. It took me about 15 minutes and a lot of effort.

Riding Experience

I wondered how the wheels would perform after the not-very-well in-house test results. Would I be able to notice any issues?

I am a pretty lightweight rider (my weight fluctuates around 147lbs [67 kg]), so my weight won’t push the wheels to their limits. However, even with my relatively low weight, I noticed they are simply not as stiff and responsive as other wheels I tested (Elitewheels DRIVE, Lún HYPER 2020, etc.).

The higher overall weight (with extra ~200g tubes and ~35g rim tapes) also reduces their responsiveness. I should correctly use standard tires instead of tubeless tires because standard tires are lighter. Tufo Comtura Duo 28mm (a non-tubeless alternative to Comtura 4TR) weighs 250g, which is about 30g less per tire. On the other hand, tubeless tires use tire sealant (~80g).

Considering these wheels are about 100-200g heavier than the ones mentioned above, we get about a +200g difference. The extra 100 grams per wheel is noticeable. Theoretically, they should roll and maintain their speed on flats better than lightweight wheels, thanks to their better inertia. So, what’s the reality?

They remind me of the original YOELEO SAT PROs. WT11 feel more stable in crosswinds but doesn’t feel like they maintain their speed as well. Their stability worsened during speeds exceeding 60 km/h (37 mph). I had to be more careful when descending in crosswinds. I don’t remember this happening on other wheels.

However, the differences with wheels from a similar price range are marginal, and unless you ride them side by side, you probably won’t notice a difference.

I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by their overall riding quality. They can absorb more vibrations and bumps than stiff wheels like Elitewheels DRIVE or Lún HYPER, so they are more comfortable.

I like their hub sound. Maybe it’s because I used YOELEO SAT PROs 2022 wheels before, which have a very loud and shrill hub sound that I don’t like.

So far (after about 500 km), I haven’t noticed any issues caused by the poor build quality. I will update this review if I do. I also took them to terrain (gravel and forest roads) to see how they handle harsher terrain. Again, no issues.

Trifox WT11 Alternatives

Trifox WT11 have multiple alternatives:

• Elitewheels ENT are more affordable and tubeless-ready but heavier. You can read my ENT review here.
• Elitewheels BWT have optionable hubs from DT Swiss and Sapim CX-Ray spokes (use the code CYCLISTSHUB to get 15% OFF). 
• Farsports Kaze are almost fully customizable. The price differs based on the components (use the code CYCLISTSHUB50 to get 50 USD OFF).
• ICAN AERO are well-built and, according to Hambini, belong among the fastest carbon wheels at this price range.
• YOELEO SAT PRO 2022 are a little more expensive but have a unique rim finish and are lighter. I reviewed them here.

You can also check out the wheels in the following table, which shows the individual criteria of all wheels I tested and my rating.

My Verdict

Initially, I was pretty disappointed by the results of my in-house tests because of the build quality of these wheels. Luckily, they ended up much better outside. I like their hub noise, crosswind stability, and overall riding comfort.

On the other hand, they are not too responsive, and I don’t feel they maintain speed as well on flats as the other wheels I tested. I honestly struggle a little with where to put these wheels. They surprised me comfort-wise but disappointed me with the build quality and quality control. Maybe I was just unlucky?

When deciding whether to buy them, remember that you must also pay for the shipping, which is around $80.

The product for this review was kindly provided by the manufacturer. This did not influence my overall verdict or my opinion about the product. You can learn more about how I approach reviews here.