Fulcrum Racing 1 wheelset – £749.99
Campagnolo have made some of the nicest wheels over the years but that’s no good to you if your road bike wears a Shimano or SRAM groupset. So a few years ago the Italian company came up with the clever idea of rebranding its wheelset technology so those missing out by not choosing a Campy [Campy? – ed.] drivetrain would need miss out no longer.
The Racing 1’s weigh 1435g a pair (850g rear, 635g front) and feature distinctive bladed aluminium spokes. They’re 2.6mm at their widest point and there’s 16 of them in the front wheel and 21 in the rear. Here in the rear wheel is Fulcrum’s 2:1 lacing pattern, which basically boils down to there being twice the number of spokes on the drive side. They’re two-cross laced here and straight pull everywhere else.
Aluminium nipples hold the spokes onto the aluminium rims, with a 26mm depth section on the front and a deeper profile, 30mm, for the rear rim. Toroidal milling between the anchoring points of the spokes reduces weight. There are no spokes holes on the inside of the rims so rim tape isn’t needed, and this helps increase the stiffness a little.
Inside the oversize aluminium hubs, stainless steel hub bearings run silky smooth and stayed that way through the first phase of the test period. The spoke heads are concealed inside the hub flanges giving a clean and uncluttered look. The rear hub features a beautiful titanium cassette body, which offers a distinctive sound when freewheeling. The freehub body is compatible with Shimano, SRAM and Campy systems.
Out of the box the wheels are delivered in two Fulcrum branded wheel bags, a very nice touch for transporting your wheels around when the bike is disassembled, for travelling or storage. I tested these wheels initially in the Colnago C59 a couple of months ago as I needed some clincher wheels to replace the supplied tubulars, so I could test it thoroughly without fear of being stranded in the middle of nowhere with a punctured tub.
Getting them set up was straight forward. Fitted cassette and on went a pair of Contintenal Attack/Force tyres, clamped the large QR skewers into place, and away I went. And the first sensation that comes back through the bike to your contact points is how alert the wheels feel to any power put through the pedals. They offer a sensational pickup from any speed, but exceptionally at slower speeds, making attacking a positive and rewarding thrill.
When out of the saddle sprinting for pretend finish lines (as you do) the wheels are noticeably stiffer than other wheelsets I’ve been riding recently. The feeling is one of a taut wheelset, they’re very snappy, especially when flicking the bike around the road, left and right, darting through corners with the stiffness of the wheels lending a thoroughly positive feeling when cornering at race speeds.
Though the spokes are aero shaped, they didn’t feel as slippery through the air at higher speeds as other wheels, speed didn’t feel as easily maintained at the higher end. They also moved around more in blustery conditions, with cross winds hitting the spokes large surface area and moving the bike around the road.
They can also be a little unforgiving on rougher roads, there are certainly more comfortable wheels around. They just lack a little spring, and can feel a bit ‘wooden’ at times, as though they lack life. On the smoothest rides this isn’t such the problem that less well surfaced roads highlights.
Get them into a high speed racing situation and any concerns over their ‘feeling’ is soon forgotten, as you revel in their delivery of speed and lightness. The Fulcrum’s are designed for racing and this is the arena they excel best at. They’re fit for purpose.
