Fulcrum 3 rim repair woe

neil²
neil² Posts: 337
edited August 2011 in Workshop
Hi,

I have a fairly new pair of Fulcrum 3 wheels with a small dent in the rim. It seems that this is a nightmare scenario as LBS and Fulcrum can't get the replacement rims so I've effectively got a written off wheel, with only 1000 miles on it.

Being 21 spoke, I can't even swap the rim for an alternative.

Any sensible ideas of what to do? Does anyone know of any 21 hole rims?

Feeling sad.

N
The Riddler
The GT

Comments

  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    I'm afraid not - Fulcrum use a unique 3:1 spoking pattern which results in the unusual 21-hole rims. FWIW geting any sort of spares response from Fulcrum / Campagnolo / Italy in August is almost impossible due to holidays - I would wait a bit longer before scrapping them.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,337
    In the meantime you can try to fix the dent maybe?

    A bit of brute force, a hammer and a vice, maybe a bit of sanding... you never know, it might work and save you money
    left the forum March 2023
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    Look around for a rim in stock, eg JE James.
    The sensible option is a pair of 32 spoke std wheels for everyday training use and save your fancypants hi-tech wheels for Sunday Best. They may be faster, lighter and stronger then traditional wheels but you have found the achilles heel: proprietry, hard-to-find parts.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,337
    MichaelW wrote:
    Look around for a rim in stock, eg JE James.
    The sensible option is a pair of 32 spoke std wheels for everyday training use and save your fancypants hi-tech wheels for Sunday Best. They may be faster, lighter and stronger then traditional wheels but you have found the achilles heel: proprietry, hard-to-find parts.

    Lighter and stronger in the same sentence.... ehmmm :shock:
    left the forum March 2023
  • neil²
    neil² Posts: 337
    Thanks for the replies.

    I've been back on my Planet X model Bs. I must say that I have only ever found minimal difference in performance between them and the Fulcrums (F3 are slightly better but not a lot). I took the Bs to the Alps last week and they were great. Considering the cost of parts and rebuilds, I reckon that just buying a new pair of Model Bs every cuople of years could be a good way to go, and pretty cost effective.

    I'm getting the wheel back today. The dent is actually pretty small and so I will take a careful look at whether I might be able to improve it with a bit of brute force, although I don't fancy sanding it.

    Cheers!
    The Riddler
    The GT
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,337
    I don't understand why a wheelset should last a couple of years... is it crap bearings or you use sandpaper instead of brake pads?

    To be honest I have a set of wheels which have covered 8000 miles and I consider as new and a set which have gone for 27 years (there was no computer at the time to measure the mileage) and I am about to give a new set of spokes/nipples... otherwise as good as new.

    If your wheels only last two years, it's a false economy, even if they're cheap.

    A good set of handbuilts will set you off around 200-250 pounds, but it will last forever with minimal care
    left the forum March 2023
  • neil²
    neil² Posts: 337
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    I don't understand why a wheelset should last a couple of years... is it crap bearings or you use sandpaper instead of brake pads?

    To be honest I have a set of wheels which have covered 8000 miles and I consider as new and a set which have gone for 27 years (there was no computer at the time to measure the mileage) and I am about to give a new set of spokes/nipples... otherwise as good as new.

    If your wheels only last two years, it's a false economy, even if they're cheap.

    A good set of handbuilts will set you off around 200-250 pounds, but it will last forever with minimal care

    I was just illustrating...

    My Model Bs have done about 10000 miles including two winters and only now need a bit of care to give them a true-up. I am very disappointed that Fulcrum are effectively selling un-serviceable wheels. Yes, it's easy to be wise after the event.

    Cheers!
    The Riddler
    The GT
  • rafletcher
    rafletcher Posts: 1,235
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    MichaelW wrote:
    Look around for a rim in stock, eg JE James.
    The sensible option is a pair of 32 spoke std wheels for everyday training use and save your fancypants hi-tech wheels for Sunday Best. They may be faster, lighter and stronger then traditional wheels but you have found the achilles heel: proprietry, hard-to-find parts.

    Lighter and stronger in the same sentence.... ehmmm :shock:

    Why not? Chromed steel wheels were like cheese and weighed a ton. Aluminium makes a stronger lighter wheel - if properly designed. And think F1 cars - way stronger and ligher than a Mundano.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,337
    rafletcher wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    MichaelW wrote:
    Look around for a rim in stock, eg JE James.
    The sensible option is a pair of 32 spoke std wheels for everyday training use and save your fancypants hi-tech wheels for Sunday Best. They may be faster, lighter and stronger then traditional wheels but you have found the achilles heel: proprietry, hard-to-find parts.

    Lighter and stronger in the same sentence.... ehmmm :shock:

    Why not? Chromed steel wheels were like cheese and weighed a ton. Aluminium makes a stronger lighter wheel - if properly designed. And think F1 cars - way stronger and ligher than a Mundano.

    Chromed steel?
    May I remind you that aluminium rims have been around a while? All 1970s race bikes had alloy rims...
    A Colnago Mexico 1982 went on the scale at 8.7 Kg, in line with a mid range bike today.... light components were not invented yesterday.
    Problem is all these 1.4 kg wheelsets are light because they are short of material (16 spokes instead of 32, for instance), not because of some fancy new alloy recently discovered.

    The weight saving of composites is noticeable in the frame (around a pound) and irrelevant in all other components
    left the forum March 2023
  • racingcondor
    racingcondor Posts: 1,434
    OP - I may be able to help. I have a Fulcrum 3 that has a brand new rim on it (<50 miles ridden before the freehub exploded) and since the hub is corroded I don't think my freehub is replacable.

    Since I'm about to buy a PowerTap wheel I'm happy to sell you the rear so you can make use of the rim and I'll pair the Powertap to the F3 front wheel.

    PM me if you're interested.
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    Problem is all these 1.4 kg wheelsets are light because they are short of material (16 spokes instead of 32, for instance), not because of some fancy new alloy recently discovered.

    Couldn't agree more, especially OEM wheels. I posted on another thread about my Pinarello Most Chall wheels. I don't think they are particularly light, but look fairly bling. :roll: However after just over a year riding about 5000miles the rear wheel has spokes pulling through the rim, splitting it in the process.

    Derek at Wheelsmith is building me a pair of replacements and commented that my original wheels don't have enough spokes for my weight - front has 20, rear 24 on 30mm alloy rims and I weigh just over 80kg. He recommended 24 front and 28 or even 32 rear on that section of rim. I have gone for 50mm carbon rims, for which he says the 20/24 spoke count will be fine.

    I suspect they reduce the spoke count to get the weight down slightly and to resemble a much more expensive wheelset, which truly is strong enough with that spoke count.

    I don't consider myself really heavy and am more than a little disappointed in the quality of wheel on such an expensive bike (an FP3 from 2009).

    PP

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