Fulcrum Racing 5 - Good or Bad?

Dan777

Hi all, i'm having a nightmare trying to decide which new wheels to get. Having a good look at Fulcrum Racing 5's (evo set). Anyone have any experience of using them? Were they good? rubbish?

thanks in advance for any info.

Van Nick

Here are some very mixed reviews.

http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/review/rev ... /RER/1/v/2

http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/wheel ... 90crx.aspx

http://www.cyclingforums.com/t450864.html

biondino

Those first two reviews are of the Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels; currently on sale are the Fulcrum Racing 5 Evolution wheelset (I have a pair behind me propping up the wall in my office). Here's a review from Tri-1st:

Racing 5 Evolution wheels have taken such a leap forward that if it were not for the name Racing 5, which inks them to their predecessors, it would be hard to think of it as a simple evolution of the same model. Lets begin from the most significant parameters for products belonging to this bracket: weight and price.

The scale now shows 1775 grams - 90 grams less than the 2006 version. And, despite of numerous improvements, price remains the same.

The hubs are completely new: oversized and provided with flanges for blade hammer head spokes. Smoothness is ensured by sealed high quality bearings and they have a new single- piece body which incorporates the freewheel body and pawl carrier in a single component which incorporates the freewheel body and a pawl carrier in a single component with a considerable reduction of weight.

There is lower number of spokes and they now have blade hammer heads of the Aero type and differentiated thickness: 2-1, 5-2. Instead of 24 in the front wheel and 27 in the rear in the old Racing 5, there are only 20 spokes in the Racing 5 Evolution front wheel and 24 in the rear. There is radial spoking for the front wheel and the patented Fulcrum 2:1 Two-to-One Spoke Ratio for the rear wheel. Also unchanged is the presence of the Dynamic Balance which thanks to two oversized spokes, balances the concentration of the rim joint material during wheel rotation.