fulcrum wheels review


The Racing 3 costs more than twice as much as the Racing 5 LG yet weighs just 8% less; the Racing Zero, by contrast, costs three times more than the Racing 5 LG and offers a 14% weight saving. Weight: 1.67kg Extra milling is used to carve away more material between the spoke holes to further reduce the weight of the rim, though the final dimensions of the rims remain much the same. Pulling down the hubs for service is similar to the Racing 5 LG, however the bearings can be cleaned and re-greased with ease. I've used these wheels for trail riding and enduro races, and they've never let me down. The Fulcrum Racing 4 C17 is an alloy wheelset, perfect for performance-focused riders on a budget. With fewer spokes on the non-driveside, more tension is required on each spoke to centre the rim over the hub, and while this strategy doesn’t achieve a perfect balance, non-driveside spoke tension is typically greater than 50% of the drive-side spokes. Product Review: Fulcrum Racing Quattro LG Road Wheels by Mark Adams 4 months ago Fulcrum’s Racing Quattro Wheels boast a 35mm deep-section clincher profile; this aero wheelset is both light at 1.73kg, which is lighter than many shallow section wheels, and cost-effective. The Racing 3 is still quite pricey, though, so it won’t appeal to bargain hunters, but it sits well against similarly priced wheelsets from other brands, such as Mavic’s Ksyrium Elite and Shimano’s RS700. The hubs that are found in the Racing 3 are made from aluminium alloy, and have oversized hollow axles that are supported by traditional cup-and-cone bearings. With 35mm alloy rim providing you with aerodynamic benefits, sealed bearing hubs laced up using bladed spokes, the Racing 4 is truly a modern all-rounder wheelset. With a 35mm deep rim, this wheelset offers both aero gains on flatter terrain, while also keeping weight to a relative minimum for climbing. The asymmetric rear rim is a subtle feature that improves spoke tension on the non-drive-side of the rear wheel. The end cap unplugs from the axle and then a 2.5mm hex key is required to unlock the threaded bearing collar, which then unwinds from the axle. Better yet, time has proven that alloy wheels are incredibly robust and reliable, and with the rise of factory-built wheelsets, they are also very easy to obtain at short notice. Like the front hub, there is a shield on the bearing that simply slips off the axle. Overall, each wheelset behaved exactly as expected for a good set of low-profile alloy clinchers: easy to ride, untroubled by the wind, sturdy with no obvious lateral flex, with excellent braking. Flagstaff Fifth Wheels For Sale: 10 Fifth Wheels - Find Flagstaff Fifth Wheels on RV Trader. Each hub is easy to pull down for servicing with just a few common tools (17mm spanner, 5mm hex key, and a 2.5mm hex key), however specialised tools will be required to replace the cartridge bearings. Fulcrum road bike wheels are chosen by great champions and designed with innovatine technologies and ultralight materials such as aluminum and carbon fiber This medium profile makes all the difference on the flats at cruising speeds, but is no less excellent uphill, with agile and powerful relaunches. And in another nod to the unique demands on each rim, the rear rim has an asymmetrical profile that offsets the spoke nipples to the left so as to help even out the spoke tension between the driveside and non-driveside of the wheel. The Racing 5 LG is served by a fairly simple alloy hubset with hollow alloy axles and cartridge bearings. The rim is wider too and suits a 28mm profile better according to Fulcrum. The axle won’t fall out of the hub until the compression ring and cone are dislodged. It is supported on the axle by the same two cartridge bearings, and uses the same driver design, with three pawls that engage with a 30-tooth ratchet ring in the hub. Racing Zero rims are made from the same 6082-T6 aluminium alloy, and prior to milling, they share the same basic form as Racing 3 rims. A 5mm hex key is used to hold the axle while a 17mm spanner is used to unwind the lock nut, which loosens in a clockwise direction. From the discussion above, it’s clear that the Racing 5 LG, Racing 3, and Racing Zero all have some common features, and as the price of the wheelset increases, so too does the number of refinements. Like the Racing 5 LG, the Racing 3 is made in Romania and Taiwan, and is supplied with skewers plus a choice of an 11-speed Shimano/SRAM- or Campagnolo-compatible freehub body. Rear axle assembly including the freehub body. There’s no need to service the cartridge bearings; just replace them whenever any play develops. Most tyres will sit a little wider on these rims (the 25c Michelin tyres measured 26mm at 70psi), and therefore, provide a little extra grip to improve the handling of the wheels. Nevertheless, I quickly developed a preference for the Racing Zero. Fulcrum Racing One Wheelset Specifications: Model: Racing One in black color with Shimano Cassette Weight: 1610 grams (actual measured weight without skewers) Extras: includes skewers and wheel bags MSRP: $1199 Introduction: Fulcrum is … The Fulcrum Racing 3's are a great wheelset that'll improve your ride over the standard supplied wheelsets on bikes. These wheels are super, graphene-infused racing wheels. Taken together, the design ensures a sturdy wheel where the tension on the non-drive-side spokes is no less than half that of the drive-side spokes. The rim is 17C, as the new standard nowadays. Thus, the front and rear rims are 27mm and 30mm-tall, respectively, with an external width of 22.5mm and a 17mm-wide tyre bed. According to Fulcrum, this treatment renders the freehub body more resistant to the bite of sprockets. This has always been the Achilles’ heel of factory-built wheelsets, but judging from the way the market has grown over the last 20 years, it doesn’t seem to be something that troubles many shoppers. Showing little, if any use. That rings true and actually give an ever so slightly larger contact patch on the road 25mm being closer to 26mm and 28mm again that bit larger. Fulcrum Racing 6 Clincher Wheelset - Fulcrum. Yes, they added a brake track treatment that makes them perform better and more predictably and they have the awesome Campy CULT hubs. The rear axle remains in place after the freehub body has been removed. The first is the Racing Zero Nite, which is essentially a stealth version of the wheelset that sells for AU$1,400/US$1,546/€1,190. [Feb 26, 2016] I need to get the elephant in the room out, however, the Fulcrim Racing 3’s are not tubeless ready! Braking surfaces on both wheels are in very good condition and neither wheel shows signs of carbon cracks, voids or delamination. Nevertheless, the two wheelsets still share a few features, such as moderately wide rims, low spoke counts, stainless steel spokes, alloy hubs and nipples, and differential rim profiles. 3 reviews Fulcrum is dedicated to producing wheels that put you in a position to go as fast as your engine permits. Out of the box the Racing 3’s felt super light but added with the skewers came out a little heavier than the Cero AR30’s at 1.67kg. Agile and responsive, it will probably impress most riders, especially those looking for a tangible upgrade from an entry- or mid-level wheelset. The 35 mm profile is a winning combination of great appearance and great performance. This differential in rim height promises a little extra lateral stiffness for the rear wheel while saving some weight for the front wheel. The freehub body can be removed from the rear hub and axle in the same way as the Racing 5 LG. There was no discernible distinction in the ride quality of each wheelset. It has been some years since the first wide-profile road rims began appearing on the market, and after some initial hesitation, Fulcrum has been slowly overhauling its Racing wheelsets with wider rims. My old wheelset was a pair of Fulcrum Racing Quattro that are still very much in use depending on my ride plan. By comparison, the Racing 3 was a livelier wheelset because it was a little easier to accelerate from a standing start or on a slope. Easy to maneuver. As such, I decided to bring all of them together for this review — courtesy of Fulcrum’s Australian distributor, FRF Sports — to learn more about what each has to offer, and to decide just how much difference there is in performance of each. All of these features, including weights and prices, are summarised in the table below: It’s worth noting that the difference in the asking price for the Racing 3 and Racing Zero over the Racing 5 LG is far greater than the weight savings they offer. It has been almost 15 years since Campagnolo launched Fulcrum, a brand that was created to sell the company’s factory-built wheelsets. In addition, there is no need for rim tape, but it makes it much trickier to assemble the wheels. It is one of just a handful of major manufacturers that maintains a deep catalogue of alloy wheelsets that caters to a wide range of price points. A comparison of the Shimano/SRAM free hub bodies: Racing 5 LG (steel, left), Racing 3 (alloy, centre), and Racing Zero (plasma-treated alloy, right). Remove the stickers and you're left with a good wheelset at a great price. The extra agility and responsiveness of the wheels was probably the biggest part of that attraction, but my overall impression was that the wheels were simply a little nicer, and more enjoyable, to ride. CJ from Montana says: ... It’s like having an office, an apartment on wheels. A light tap on the axle is normally enough to free the compression ring and cone, which then slide freely off the axle. The front axle assembly comprises just a few simple components. The internal-cam skewers that are supplied with the Racing 3 and Zero were a pleasure to use; by contrast, the external-cam skewers that come with the Racing 5 LG are an obvious economy that are much less satisfying to use and will suffer once exposed to wet weather. And, as hoped, buyers were prepared to pair Fulcrum’s wheels with any brand of groupset by taking advantage of the choice of Shimano/SRAM- or Campagnolo-compatible freehub bodies. According to Fulcrum, there was very little demand for tubeless-ready wheels at the lower pricepoints, so it has been discontinued for the time being. Carbon wheelsets may be more popular than ever, but alloy clinchers still dominate the market, if only because they are much cheaper to buy. The Racing 3 wheelset sent for review weighed 1,590g (front, 690g; rear, 900g), making for a weight saving of 142g over the Racing 5 LG, but it comes at a significant cost: the recommended retail price for the Racing 3 is AU$750/US$791/€599. They are quiet, smooth, fast and responsive. Ideal for training and for century rides they will fulfil all your expectations with their extremely high performance and long life. While the final result is subject to the length of the valve stem, it promises to smooth out the rotation of the wheels. … so that the bearings can be removed for cleaning and re-greasing. The freehub body of the Racing 3 has the same design as the Racing 5 LG, but rather than steel, it is made from aluminium. Over the years, a number of strategies have been developed to ameliorate this imbalance, and it is generally accepted that even a minor increase in spoke tension on the non-driveside of the wheel is beneficial. Italian brand Fulcrum has, until now, had great wheel offerings at the highest end as well as excellent offerings down at the entry level. These wheels have a variety of high-end features that save some weight and improve the performance of the wheels, however the design and assembly remains unchanged from the Racing 3. Despite that the wheels felt fast and that could be down to a number of technologies applied by Fulcrum; anti-rotation system, differentiated rim height, 2:1 Two-To … Once the collar has been removed, a tap on the axle will release the compression ring and cone…. The rims themselves are 24mm high quality aluminum rim w [May 06, 2017] The Racing 3 is positioned two tiers above the Racing 5 LG, and as such, it is a more sophisticated wheelset that weighs less and costs more. … and then the freehub body is ready to be removed. Instead, the front and rear rims are machined in between the spoke holes, not only to save weight, but also to balance the rim without compromising durability. At the heart of its alloy wheel collection is a reasonably lightweight wheel design with a versatile rim profile and a low spoke count to which a growing number of refinements are added to save weight and improve the performance of the wheels. In my hands, the Racing Zero shined the brightest, but if I was spending the money, I’m not sure I could justify it. Fulcrum has given the Racing 3’s a nice upgrade and offer a real edge to the ride that feels fast and performance lead. A locking threaded collar allows the amount of play in the axle to be adjusted, although some care should be taken to prevent overloading the cartridge bearings.