Written by Phil Mooney 

I recently built up my new team bike, a Cervelo R5 Disc with a Shimano Di2 drivetrain, and it’s a beautiful machine. One of the most unique and striking parts of the bike is the completely blinged out gold and carbon fiber oversized pulley system on the rear derailleur. It’s big. It’s flashy. It’s definitely a conversation starter. It’s called the Token Shuriken.

The Shuriken was designed for speed, and boy oh boy it looks fast and it looks big. The oversized pulleys are there for a reason. When you increase the diameter a pulley, you reduce drivetrain friction by allowing the system to rotate at lower RPMs and reduce the articulation angle of the chain. Free speed? I’ll take it. Another bonus is that the oversized pulley system allows you to add drivetrain capacity to a short cage derailleur, enabling you to run a larger cassette with an expanded range of gears. With my short cage derailleur on a Shimano drivetrain, the largest cassette that could fit was a 28 tooth. With the Shuriken, I can run a 32. Jackpot.

Installation was a breeze. I had been putting off the install because I had never tinkered with swapping parts on a derailleur. Installing the Shuriken was much quicker and easier than expected, and the thorough instructions included in the package were easy to follow. Installation will take you less than 15 minutes. Tools needed. 1) chain removal tool. 2) 2.5mm hex key. 3) chain tool. After removing the chain, you unscrew a little screw in the bottom of the cage. This allows the cage to move inward towards the midline of the bike. It will slide out, and you’ll see a spiral tensioner on the cage. Take this off, swap it over to the Shuriken, and twist it back onto the cage. Tighten the little screw and you’re done! No need to adjust cable tension for proper shifting because you haven’t moved anything laterally. Easy as can be.

After that, there’s not much more to say. My Shimano electronic drivetrain shifts just like before with no additional noise or play in the system. The only difference I feel is the subconscious knowledge that I’m saving watts by running the most efficient drivetrain possible!

The Token Shuriken is currently only compatible with Shimano drivetrains. It retails for $330. It looks cool and makes you faster. It costs much less than it’s $500-$1700 rival oversized pulley system from Ceramic Speed. Token knocked it out of the park with this one.

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