is the wheel set of Fulcrum Racing 7 is well for beginner?

iguanafai

is the wheel set of Fulcrum Racing 7 is well for beginner?

is it smooth, stiff and durable? My bike with original wheelset..it is poor and not smooth i felt.

Welcome to anyone using or used the Racing 7 guys make some comment and suggestion for me.

Thank you!!

Velonutter

Fulcrum 7's are perfect for a training wheel, not particularly light, but made by Campagnolo, so will be smooth and reliable, if you can stretch to the Fulcrum 5's then they are a bit lighter but same quality.

Zachariah

I have a set (they came stock on my PX). They run very smooth and quick. I've raced on them (once so far, and will do a few more this year) and, though I didn't win, it wasn't because the wheels were holding me back!

ajb72

They are everything you have asked - I have run mine for two winters with zero maintenance. They are a bit hefty in weight, but bomb proof and very reliable.

careful

bomb proof and very reliable

I had a pair for winter and training - strong and true throughout. My only gripe is that the bearing seals are cr*p. Went out on a longish wet ride and then didnt use them for weeks. Next time I tried to use them the rear bearings had seized with rust and had to be replaced (not easy on the F7). Incidentally, the reason why the freehubs are so noisy is because there is hardly any grease in them - the internal pawls can also seize unless greased once a year or so. I reckon the cheaper Shimanos are a better bet.

keef66

+1 for the cheaper Shimano comment above. My RS10's have survived 3 winters and many soakings, yet when I took the hubs apart the bearings were pristine. Very effective seals and easy to service with just a cone spanner.

iguanafai

keef66 wrote:

+1 for the cheaper Shimano comment above. My RS10's have survived 3 winters and many soakings, yet when I took the hubs apart the bearings were pristine. Very effective seals and easy to service with just a cone spanner.

OIC, THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVICE
you're right, in fact, I have the choose between Racing 7 and RS10. But I am prefer RS20, becuase the wheel design looks good..lol
does RS10 and RS20 any different? where? Thank you all again

pianoman

I'm surprised to hear about shoddy sealing on the F7's - I've had two pairs of Campag wheels (same factory as Fulcrum) and nothing got into them despite taking quite a lot of wet-weather abuse.

One thing to remember, especially if you're a beginner, that Fulcrum (like Campag) are known for being quite tough when getting tyres on and off. So either get some very soft, light rubber or consider something like FSA RD-60's - I've got the older version of these wheels, the RD-220, and it's unreal just how much easier it is to fit the same tyres that caused me so much trouble with the Campag rims.

iguanafai

PianoMan wrote:

I'm surprised to hear about shoddy sealing on the F7's - I've had two pairs of Campag wheels (same factory as Fulcrum) and nothing got into them despite taking quite a lot of wet-weather abuse.

One thing to remember, especially if you're a beginner, that Fulcrum (like Campag) are known for being quite tough when getting tyres on and off. So either get some very soft, light rubber or consider something like FSA RD-60's - I've got the older version of these wheels, the RD-220, and it's unreal just how much easier it is to fit the same tyres that caused me so much trouble with the Campag rims.

does the shimano RS10 or 20 wheel set different?

miurasv

careful wrote:

bomb proof and very reliable

I had a pair for winter and training - strong and true throughout. My only gripe is that the bearing seals are cr*p. Went out on a longish wet ride and then didnt use them for weeks. Next time I tried to use them the rear bearings had seized with rust and had to be replaced (not easy on the F7). Incidentally, the reason why the freehubs are so noisy is because there is hardly any grease in them - the internal pawls can also seize unless greased once a year or so. I reckon the cheaper Shimanos are a better bet.

Would this be true of the Racing 5 Evolutions too? If so at what point in the Fulcrum range do the bearings and the seals become high quality? Thanks in advance.

careful

Sorry miurasv. no experience of the 5's. I have some F3's which seem to have a completely different bearing and seal arrangement - they look a lot better and easier to service, more like the Campag Shamal. I will make sure to give them a spin a day or so after wet rides and will re grease annually. Also the free hub is near silent which again bodes well.

Wheelie Bin

In response to a lot of criticism, the 2011 Fulcrum Racing 7's are now silent - the previous ones were unbearably noisy.

nickwill

I have a pair. After a couple of winters the bearings were shot. The local bike shop took them apart,gave me a bearing number to order on the internet and they were as good as new for about £20. The bearings are a standard part so easily obtained. They are heavy and a bit dead but have stayed true through several bad winters.

tomhammersley

I've also had some bad experience with these wheels and the bearings.

I used a pair for the first couple of months this year. After only a few hundred miles, the rear bearing now feels extremely rough.

My main issue with these wheels has been the spoking. I'm a heavy rider, and when riding I can literally feel the wheels shifting around underneath me. It feels like the contact patch is moving around. Granted, that's a very subjective observation with little scientific founding, but they just felt wrong, and unsafe.

I repeatedly had to true the wheels, and ultimately 7 nipples either broken (the flattened part separated from the rounded part) or rounded off.

So they came off and I replaced them with Open Pro on Ultegra - much better and I can now see the issue was entirely down to wheels, and not the frame.

nickwill

Re the bearings as I've said above they are very easy and cheap to replace. I've always found them pretty stiff for cheap Winter wheels.