Fulcrum racing 7 or racing 5 wheels??

Peejb

Looking for some advice on the above wheels as an upgrade on an entry level bike. I'm saving for a full carbon in the long term but my wheels don't stay true and now breaking a spoke or two so looking to get a set of solid wheels to put a few thousand miles on. Wiggle currently have the fulcrum racing 7s for £150 with tyres and tubes and the racing 5s with same tyres and tubes for £200. Was originally searching for 7s but 5s seem a good deal at the price and I do need the tyres as well so considering spending the extra... Is there much difference between the two? Worth the extra £50 to get the 5s??

Thanks in advance.

reds99

On cycling weekly they give a rave review for Cole Rollen lite @ £120 sold in Evans

opus25

Can't comment on the 5s but I have some 2013 (2012?) Racing 7s and my only complaint is the noisy freewheel. Not sure if it's been subdued in the 2014 models but if not, either keep pedaling or people will hear you from miles away (may or may not be a good thing)!

fatdaz

I've ridden 5s on my main bike for about 12000km with no issues. I've ridden them through the last 2 UK winters and when I started I was 110kg so there was a lot of weight on them. I can't comment on their performance per se as I don't have anything to compare them to (I've never tried different wheels on the same bike) but they've been reliable, trouble free. I changed the bearings last month but other than that they've not needed anything and they're still true.

I've no idea how they compare to the 7, or to any other wheel for that matter, but I've been very happy with the 5s

slowbike

I TT on Fulcrum Racing T's - a mixture of 5 hubs & spokes and 7 rims - I sometimes swap out for a Fulcrum Racing 7 or 5 rear wheel (because the cassette gives me a better choice for the course) - I don't notice any difference.

ugo.santalucia

You have to be careful, because both Mavic and Fulcrum have "downgraded" some of their low end wheels.... for instance the Aksium* and Ksyrium Equipe which used to be a good upgrade are now pretty paltry and the same applies to Fulcrum 5 and 7... 5 years ago Fulcrum 5 were a pretty good upgrade, while now you can buy them for a bag of crisps including the tyres, but that doesn't mean you are buying the same thing you were buying 5 years ago. Basically they use the glowing feedback from older models, they lower the quality and sell them at a bargain price.

Other wheels have kept the same quality and as a result the price has not gone down (Ksyrium Elite, for instance)

The Zonda seem to be where people find quality at the right price these days

*ten years ago a set of Aksium did retail for 175 pounds... while now for the same money (inflation? What inflation?) you also get tyres and tubes

DKay

Interesting. So what has changed on the wheels Ugo?

SCR Pedro

DKay wrote:

Interesting. So what has changed on the wheels Ugo?

I would also like to know this. Particulary with regards to Mavic. I know a guy who favours Aksiums because he reckons the hubs are the same, or very similar to the Ksyriums. Any truth to that?

ugo.santalucia

The rims have gone downhill... they don't have the same tolerances they used to have, they don't last as long as they used to and they seem even heavier than they used to be.

They used Alpina spokes and I believe that is still the case for the Elite, not sure for the lower range

Mavic hubs are pretty much the same across the range, with very little differences... I like Mavic hubs, I seem to be in the minority though

cattytown

Do you have any idea why you are suffering problems with your spokes? it might be an idea to try to sort out why. What wheels have you got at the moment? What are the roads like where you ride? How heavy are you?

Paul.

mamba80

I cant speak for mavic but I ve a set of F5s from 4years ago and I ve just bought a set of 2014 f5's for my brother (I ve been riding them around till he gets back from Saudi ) and they are lighter, the rear hub has a far simpler design, they ve included some sort of preload on the hub alloy axles - instead of steel, they also appear to be better finished and at 170 a pr from Germany, they are a bargain.
they weigh 200 grms more than a set of zeros and are a 1/4 of the price and when the rims wear out, he ll have a turbo wheel and can give me back my one!!!!

Peejb

Thanks for all the feedback.

Paul... Currently have the stock (Alex R500) on the bike... I'm below 75kg so I don't think I'd be putting a ridiculous amount of weight through the; roads are pretty poor around here though.

cattytown

75Kilo is below 12 stone, so I'd class you as a lightweight :-)

The alex 500 is the rim rather than the wheel, but they do look like a budget rim. Rough roads may well be a contributor, but If the road condition is your big problem, I'd not expect huge improvements with a budget factory wheelset.

TBH I'd pay a little attention to how I ride and the road surfaces. If the wheels are taking a few knocks, I'd be looking for more sturdy wheels. The Fulcrums look to be 20/24 spokes. If you are having a problem, I'd look at higher spoke counts.

Paul.