Brought some Joycult 70D ‘Yolkies’ a couple of months back. After trying them out here are my thoughts…



First impressions:

Color-wise these are SPOT on! Vibrant without ANY flaws and EXACTLY as pictured on the Joycult website.

Size-wise they are same as Winkler Big Daddy Z’s only ever-so-slightly narrower.

Performance:

Being an avid fan of Oak RV2’s I was PUMPED to suss how these perform and feel. Initially, I was a BIG fan…they are slightly less grippy than RV2’s and ever-so-slightly more ‘poppy’ (presumably from the harder material). I mostly fingerboard on wooden and marble surfaces and these feel JUST right on both…they are not too ‘slippery’ (so that it feels like your fingerboarding on glass)…and not too grippy either. You can revert and power-slide easily without ‘catching’ up on the surface you are fingerboarding on – which is a problem I had constantly with my Joycult 60D’s (– they are just too damn grippy for me!). The bearings are also very smooth…probably not as smooth as say Oak or Flatface…but pretty damn smooth all the same!

Overall:

So, this is the part of the review where I say ‘these are the finest wheels I have ever ridden and will no doubt replace my love-affair with Oak indefinably’…well, no actually (see bellow)…

Problems:

A day or so of using and LOVING these I noticed one of my wheel nuts was sticking out a bit more than usual…it didn’t effect the performance in the least, so I didn’t really worry about it at the time. The following day I went into Sydney to meet-up with some mates for an outdoor fingerboard session…during this session two of my mates noticed that 2 of the wheel nuts REALLY looked like they where sticking out more than they are supposed to??? Again, the wheels (and trucks) where performing fine so I wasn’t really that concerned (though it did look quite suspect). About 2 hours into the session one of my wheels had completely seized up…when I looked at seized wheel the bearing on it had ‘slipped’ and was sticking out of the wheel. When I went to ‘pull’ the wheel back into the correct position it almost came completely off. After using the wheels for a few more days (and having to constantly realign the faulty wheel back into place) 2 more wheels started to have the same issue. At this point 3 of the wheels don’t even ‘free spin’…instead they lock up instantly…making them completely unusable and therefore useless…





Trying to Resolve the Problems:

Rather than simply bitch and moan I thought contacting Joycult directly about this fault would be the best solution (,so I did). I got a prompt response apologising and saying they would happily replace the faulty set…which is all I really wanted. 6 weeks later and the replacement still hadn’t arrived so I got back in contact with Joycult regarding the extended delay. I was told the replacement wheels had likely been lost during transit (cough, cough)…but they would happily resend another set out WITH tracking details/confirmation this time (as they neglected to forward tracking details with the initial replacement set). I reluctantly accepted…to which I got a reply ‘we are now out of stock of the Yolikes but can send out a set of White or Red 70D’s instead’. Sigh, fair enough…70D whites will do me just fine. Another week past and I had STILL not received any follow-up or confirmation email regarding the 2nd replacement set. I contacted Joycult (for the 5th or 6th time now) asking for my confirmation/tracking details to which I got this EXACT reply:
‘Here is your confirmation. Beep boop beep’

I am now trying to get a FULL refund via PayPal (as enough is enough)… I am outraged a company can charge $40US (+shipping) for something that is quite frankly unusable after less than a week’s use?!? To add insult to injury the juvenile customer services is appalling and questionable to say the least…

I have spoken to other fingerboards regarding the above issues and it seems I am not alone here…

Fingers crossed I can get my money back so I can buy a new set of Oak RV2’s…

UPDATE:
I won the PayPal dispute (thank fuck) Needless to say, a new set of Oak RV2's are already on their way...

Joycult is still adamant (not one, but) 2 replacement sets are on the way and will arrive any day now...if and when this happens I will give an update and do 'the right thing' and reverse the PayPal dispute...that's providing: #1 the replacement wheels do indeed show up - and #2 they don't break within a week of use...

- Jono

I see a lot of photo of Joycult like this... Oak ita always a good solution

I know lots of people had the same problem, such a shame...

Great review ! Thanks for the infos !

damn that sucks to hear man! Glad you got a refund though. $50 wheels shouldn't do that... I am no longer interested in buying joycults, thank you for this review!

REALLY glad everyone here understands the situation...I was initially reluctant to write this review but after giving Joycult 8 weeks(!!!) to rectify this I thought it was necessary.

- Jono

thanks, very helpful information.

Oh man. I was tempted by their restocks as I love my Oaks. This has made me rethink that!

dude you are having the worst luck -.- first the joycults then the shipping issue with your other wheels. glad you wrote this so i know to order oaks tho!

hope you get some better luck

Jono! So this just happened to me too, I sent an e-mail so im hoping for the best!

Damn dude!!! Really sorry this happened to you too. Out of interest, how old is this set?

Fingers crossed you can get this sorted out. Personally, after what happened to me I would just ask for my money back...I am STILL waiting on the two sets of 'replacements' that Joycult claim they sent out...not that I really want them at this point...I just think its amusing they where SO damn adamant they got sent when they clearly never did...

- Jono

i dont understand how all these people can claim up and down all day long that these wheels are better than oaks blah blah blah when ive never anywhere seen something like this happening with oaks

DoubleDigits wrote:

Damn dude!!! Really sorry this happened to you too. Out of interest, how old is this set?

Fingers crossed you can get this sorted out. Personally, after what happened to me I would just ask for my money back...I am STILL waiting on the two sets of 'replacements' that Joycult claim they sent out...not that I really want them at this point...I just think its amusing they where SO damn adamant they got sent when they clearly never did...

- Jono

These are just a touch over 2 months old(from his last stock, not his most recent). I honestly have been insanely satisfied with his wheels. I really bums me out to hear your story and some of my other friends who have had bad encounters with him. Im not even looking for a replacement at this point, I just would like some follow up on his part. He's always been super quick to respond to my e-mails, not too sure if its because ive purchased over 10 sets from him.

As far as feel goes, I think his material is way better feeling than oaks. IF he could fix this bearing slip issue he would be the best in the game imo. I think at this point maybe he didnt expect the balloon to burst and get the following he has, so really quality control seems to be his biggest issue i assume. Either way, im not too upset(I was yesterday at work, since I only had one stick with me) I have a ton of wheel sets. We'll see what happens! Ill keep you in the loop Jono!

Ah, fair call dude...glad to hear you got a bit more use out of them than I did.

Fingers crossed Joycult can help you out resolving the problem...keep us posted for sure dude, interested to see what they say/do.

- Jono

Thanks for the review and saving me $ as I was about to try Joycult. Btw, had a good experience with Wisocki 6.3mm.

Well it happened to me now. Had them for a couple weeks and was loving them.

cant believe people still buy these peices of shit. I got some from a trade last month and I hated them. more expensive than good wheels like winks too.

I was googling for Joycult reviews as I was just about to pick up a set; and then I found this thread. Not snagging them anymore, thanks for the posts everyone! I'd hate to spend all that cash for this to happen.

thanks for this thread i am now relieved that the hype is real
really been wanting to try a set just havent needed any wheels i have too many
oak minis for life

I still ride these, and only these wheels. Its unfortunate to those who have these issues with the bearing slip. Fortunately with a bit of self sufficiency, that bearing can be fixed! Regardless, these are the best wheels Ive tried.

Hey Jono (everyone),
Jono, in regards to your personal experience with Joycult I don't have an explanation other than sometimes its insane hard to keep up with emails. And yes, some stuff does get lost in translation. If I remember correctly though, I sent yourself and Jye a package, but I don't see that mentioned on here.

Your specific instance was sketchy because you didn't have an order number or a receipt.

As for the bearing issue. Joycults are designed like a real skateboard wheel. That was the whole point. With a "No-lock system, it allows the bearing to spin completely free. To keep a snug fit, the actual well of the wheel is tighter than most wheels (the reason most of your tools seem hard to get in) but that is just the design dude. Its all for functionality.

Appreciate the feedback, but just wanted to point out a few things you didn't really mention.

L0k1 wrote:

Well it happened to me now. Had them for a couple weeks and was loving them.

same happen here matt said he send another which he didn't blocked me on insta fb etc bs