Fulcrum racing 5, worth it?

tomsimmonds

Hi,
I currently have a roubaix elite sl2 with shimano r500 wheels which defiantly under perform the rest of the bike. I am looking at fulcrum 5 as there is a very good deal on at wiggle. I want to spend £200-250 . Isn't other options I should be looking at?

Cheers

Tom

mfin

Spend the extra £1.80 and get Campagnolo Zonda for £251.80 http://www.wiggle.co.uk/campagnolo-zonda-clincher-wheelset/

tomsimmonds

I have never been a fan of campagnola, are the wheels good? Better than fulcrums or ultegras?

slowbike

Campag own Fulcrum ...

mfin

As above, Fulcrum are Campag, and yes, Zonda's are good, at that price really good! If you have a look back through people with threads looking at this price for factory built wheels they are about the most highly recommended on here. (Only thing to consider as ever with wheels is whether you are definitely better off with handbuilts if you are very heavy or something like that, where you can go for a higher spoke count).

They are a good step up from the Fulcrum 5's you mentioned too.

theobrixton

tomsimmonds wrote:

I have never been a fan of campagnola, are the wheels good? Better than fulcrums or ultegras?

Zondas are essentially the same as Fulcrum 3s and roughly equivalent to Shimano's Ultegra and RS81 C24 offerings. Brilliant wheels for the price.

Calpol

theobrixton wrote:

Zondas are on par with Fulcrum 3s and Ultegra. Brilliant wheels for the price.

I read a lot of forum talk that says that Zonda = Fulcrum Racing 3 but with G3 rear spoke pattern. In which case Campagnolo Zonda are a bargain at £250.

tomsimmonds

So for the extra £60 going for the zondas is defiantly advisable? What is different between then and the 5's?

Calpol

About 300g in weight at a guess.

tomsimmonds

The weight difference is 100g is that really worth £60? Considering with the fulcrums you get a pair of continental tyres and tubes

rickeverett

Just to throw a spanner in the works I recently had to replace my Fulcrum 5's because of worn rims. They served me well for 18months (they were the previous CX 2013 version). The rim ware however was pretty quick and I got to the stage I felt unsafe as there was no marker on these.



I bought some Planet X AL30's as I basically just need a good training wheel for summer and for £150 with excellent reviews they were a bit of a no-brainer.

The Planet X wheels spin much better than the 5's ever did. They are lighter at 1722g all in than the Fulcrums that were over factory spec weight before skewers were even added!
The rear no longer rubs on the brakes when powering up hill either. The Fulcrum 2:1 spoke ratio thing is a load of marketing BS imo as the AL30's feel much stiffer. The new bearings are uber smooth and roll forever and ever on front and back. The front wheel also feels more directional in corners now too which again may be down to the stiffer rim or build.

The stiffness does give you more feedback from the road however, but I haven't found it to be a problem with GP4000s attached. The finishing on the AL30's is a bit naff due to cheap decals, but the wheels themselves are very good- especially as they cost nearly 1/2 the price.


If I was you OP the AL30's at £150 plus some nice tyres like the Conti GP4000'S at £50-60 will be a better move.

tomsimmonds

Thanks for that, however I do believe that this year fulcrum has improved their wheels quite a lot including weight

mfin

tomsimmonds wrote:

The weight difference is 100g is that really worth £60? Considering with the fulcrums you get a pair of continental tyres and tubes

Most wheels are round and go round so they all work in that respect. How heavy are you, and what are your typical rides in distance/climbing/average speed?

rickeverett

tomsimmonds wrote:

Thanks for that, however I do believe that this year fulcrum has improved their wheels quite a lot including weight

Yeah just had a look. They have made the rear rim a fraction thicker on the 2014 version to try and stop the flex. Just noticed they also seem to be Cup and Cone??? that cant be right???? - mine were sealed cartridge?



FWIW the 2014's still come up heavier than the AL30s. 1690g (Shimano) before skewers which are another 100g+.
The 2013 versions are another 70g

As I said they are usually another 100g heavier after that as Fulcrum seem to be over optimistic when it comes to weight. Mine and Road CC's review were 100g heavier. Thats about 1890 before tyres on this version.

Rim ware was the most obvious issue, but they stayed true.


The AL30's do look cheap at £150 and thus people question the quality. But TBH they have so far been better for me.

tomsimmonds

i am 63 kilios, and quite fit, enjoy climbing etc.

I'm pretty sure they are the 2014 versions, i will ring them and ask.

rickeverett

tomsimmonds wrote:

i am 63 kilios, and quite fit, enjoy climbing etc.

I'm pretty sure they are the 2014 versions, i will ring them and ask.

my bad - they are 2014 !! :roll:

tomsimmonds

to me that seems like a pretty good deal, defiantly an upgrade to my shimano 500's with some free tyres and tubes.

and they look v good on my bike with red spoke nipples etc.

rickeverett

tomsimmonds wrote:

to me that seems like a pretty good deal, defiantly an upgrade to my shimano 500's with some free tyres and tubes.

and they look v good on my bike with red spoke nipples etc.

It does look good and will suit the bike. Climbing you want the lightest and stiffest you can get mind.

tomsimmonds

essentially the only reason i want new wheels is for them to be an upgrade from the R500's which retail on wiggle for around £70 a pair. Going on price alone the fulcrums must be a noticeable upgrade in performance and looks.

tomsimmonds

how about the Fulcrum racing Quattros? They seem pretty good, £189 on wiggle originally £299. 35mm rim depth, 100 grams more than the racing 5's. Any advantages with the quattors?

mfin

tomsimmonds wrote:

essentially the only reason i want new wheels is for them to be an upgrade from the R500's which retail on wiggle for around £70 a pair. Going on price alone the fulcrums must be a noticeable upgrade in performance and looks.

Based on the fact you are light and fit, get the Zondas... not that you will be any the wiser unless you ride both, but, for example I have ridden Zondas and the Sciroccos below them and the Sciroccos were dead feeling in comparison, the Zondas felt lighter and more spritely, and they should. If you can afford the bit extra I am pretty convinced the Zondas will be a better wheel than the Fulcrum 5s.

tomsimmonds

okay i will try stretch the budget, if i decide to get the 5's do you think they will be noticeably better than the very basic shimano R500?

daddy0

I quite liked my Fulcrum 5s, stiffer than my ProLite Braccianos and not too heavy. Had them about a year, covered about 10k Km in all weather.

If you're going to ride in the wet then get the CX versions with the guards on both sides of the bearings. I have replaced the bearings in bothe wheels now. But then again, don't ride them in the wet full stop. I'm considering replacing mine as goodness knows how much life is left in the rims?

Will probably get some Zondas, and only use them in the dry!

tartanmartin

I fairly recently got the 2014 Fulcrum 5s and shedded them with GP4000s. They have been absolutely brilliant and a big improvement over the wheels I got with the bike. Remember that light racy wheels won't be a good improvement if you don't put on a decent set of tyres so factor that cost into the total price.

For the money, the 5s with the tyres and tubes is a good deal.

rickeverett

tomsimmonds wrote:

how about the Fulcrum racing Quattros? They seem pretty good, £189 on wiggle originally £299. 35mm rim depth, 100 grams more than the racing 5's. Any advantages with the quattors?

Again, I would go Planet X AL30's over the Quattros. Lighter, stiff, 30mm, roll well and only £150 at the moment :shock: . Add a decent pair of tyres and your away. Planet X do some very decent stuff and decent prices. The wheels from Alu to Carbon are highly regarded.

A decent set of tyres makes a difference and should factor in your cost. The Fulcrum 5 deal is very good in that regard. Personally I wound buy Racing 5 again. They were over £200 at the time and rims wear quick. They were more flexy and heavier than the AL30's.

As for noticing differences I think you would notice a difference on everything mentioned here so far. The R500 is actually an OK bog standard wheelset. There's nothing really wrong with them, they don't have some colossal issue. And you can do a lot worse in terms of off-the-shelf specs. Usually the first stop choice if you want a decent pair of wheels for virtually nothing.
Its been said they are a little flexy and they weigh near 2kg which is quite heavy. Many firms spec R500's as standard as they do the job.

rolf_f

rickeverett wrote:

They were over £200 at the time and rims wear quick. They were more flexy and heavier than the AL30's.

Both alloy rims - both much of a muchness. Should, all else being equal, wear at the same rate so the only real difference would be if the Fulcrum rims were thinner which seems unlikely.

How quick is quick anyway. I've probably got about 15000 out of a pair of Khamsins used in all weathers (and all the wear really occurs in bad conditions).

slowbike

No problem with rim wear on my fulcrums .... And I've ridden them through the winter ... Just have soft brake pads, they'll wear more quickly

rickeverett

Rolf F wrote:

rickeverett wrote:

They were over £200 at the time and rims wear quick. They were more flexy and heavier than the AL30's.

Both alloy rims - both much of a muchness. Should, all else being equal, wear at the same rate so the only real difference would be if the Fulcrum rims were thinner which seems unlikely.

How quick is quick anyway. I've probably got about 15000 out of a pair of Khamsins used in all weathers (and all the wear really occurs in bad conditions).

Slowbike wrote:

No problem with rim wear on my fulcrums .... And I've ridden them through the winter ... Just have soft brake pads, they'll wear more quickly

Are all rims the same Aluminium Alloy? Some lighter mixes are also softer no?

Think blocks might have been the issue mind. Used to always get loads of grey grime in the damp using my Fulcrums and Swisstops. It was ridiculous- flowing down the frame and staining the tyres.