Fulcrum Racing Quattro LG - once bitten?

JesseD

Unfortunately I had to send back my Fulcrum Racing Quattro LGs due to a faulty braking surface in the front wheel, I was going to go for another pair of Fulcrum Racing Quattro LGs from Wiggle however they are out of stock as are the Racing 5’s and unfortunately the Racing 3’s are out of budget, plus I hate the white hub (whoever thought that was cool needs shooting). Luckily Wiggle have now refunded my money so I can look elsewhere for a suitable pair of wheels to replace them.

I was going to go for another pair of Fulcrum Racing Quattro LGs which I can get from some other retailers for the same price (give or take a couple of ££) but am a little apprehensive due to my experience with them first time round, I had also seen a pair of Vision Team 30’s for around the same price but in my thread in Road General Darkhairedlord has warned me off them given a bad experience but recommended the Vision Team 35’s instead although I don't think he has ridden them.

I would love to buy a pair of handbuilts from thecycleclinic and have discussed this option previously but my budget will simply not stretch to it, I have no doubt they would be excellent wheels and fulfil all my criteria however the funds are not there until after I get married in July (and even then I will have to pass things under the radar so the OH doesn't notice)

So I thought I would post in here as the thread in Road General is not going to be seen as much and ask for recommendations or opinions on the above wheels (Fulcrum Racing Quattro LG V Vision Team 35) or am wondering is there anything else I should be looking at?

My budget is strict and I am looking for a stiff wheel set with a wide rim (Fulcrum rims are 23.2mm wide external), I like a deeper rim like the Fulcrums and my budget is £220 max. Weight is not as important but I would like them to be around the 1750g or less mark, but stiffness is key as I will be racing these. The other factor is they must be available to buy immediately as I have a race on the 24th of the month and need to have them delivered early next week at the latest.

I know this is a longshot and am leaning towards another pair of the Fulcrums as they seemed to tick most boxes, but after my experience with them I am a little hesitant to buy in case the next ones are knackered too.

bendertherobot

What was the problem? Mine are fine (from CRC). Used my BC discount to take 10% off them.

JesseD

Out of the box the front wheel juddered under braking, I tried everything to see if it was my bike set up but eventually tried a mates front wheel in my bike and the problem disappeared, tried my wheel in his bike and it was still there.

Not a member of BC yet, although am in process of joining as I need a licence to ride the Bernard Hinault in France in June, but I have found them online for £166 (ex VAT) which is about a fiver more than Wiggle.

Don't know why but I have lost a bit of confidence in them maybe unjustifiably which is why I asked the question around what else is there?

If nothing else compares for the money and fulfils my criteria then maybe I should just try another pair and hope for the best?

bendertherobot

That's a really weird issue. I like mine, combined with new Michelin Power I barely had to put any power in yesterday to maintain 20 odd mph +

ugo.santalucia

Is this the same thread as in the General section?

homers_double

No, I think this is a "I bought some wheels which may have been faulty, sent them back and am wondering whether to buy the same from a different shop as the old stockist has run out" thread.

ugo.santalucia

I had the pleasure to rebuild a Fulcrum quattro that had been mowed by a crazy derailleur. My impression was that the rims were solid and pretty good quality, so it might just be that your front was slightly off true

I don't think there is an endemic problem with that particular model, but as usual when you buy online the support is not great and comes in the form of return/refund, when maybe a tweak of the spoke key or a bearing cap adjustment was all it was needed

JesseD

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I had the pleasure to rebuild a Fulcrum quattro that had been mowed by a crazy derailleur. My impression was that the rims were solid and pretty good quality, so it might just be that your front was slightly off true

I don't think there is an endemic problem with that particular model, but as usual when you buy online the support is not great and comes in the form of return/refund, when maybe a tweak of the spoke key or a bearing cap adjustment was all it was needed

Cheers Ugo.

The wheels were perfectly true and the bearings were fine as well, may just be a case of a dodgy rim possibly?

And yes the road general thread was about should they repair or replace which was kind of redundant in the end as they were out of stock.

darkhairedlord

A wipe around the rim with a trade wipe may have sufficed! It normally brings my squealing or shuddering to an end.
I've just read that back, fnar fnar!

trek_dan

I had exactly the same issue with the rear wheel on my hire bike in Mallorca with Fulcrum Quattros.

JesseD

darkhairedlord wrote:

A wipe around the rim with a trade wipe may have sufficed! It normally brings my squealing or shuddering to an end.
I've just read that back, fnar fnar!

Literally tried everything before sending them back.

Stripped front of bike down, adjusted headset, brake callipers, new brake pads etc
Swapped tyres from front and rear in case it was that.
Cleaned rim in case it was that, plus checked bearing and checked trueness.

None of this made any difference.

Swapped in a wheel from a mates bike and the shuddering stopped, tried my wheel in his bike and it was still there.

The wheel was less than 300 miles old and had done it from new which to me meant it was an actual issue with the wheels and not anything I had or had not done.

The pain is that I have now just looked everywhere to try and by a new set, but it seems everywhere is now out of stock at a price under £200, it looks as if nowhere will have any by the end of the month so I am screwed for the race I had planned to do.

So suggestions will be welcome, I am looking for:

Stiff wheel set
Wide Rim
Shimano free hub
Around the 1750g or lighter
Preferably a deeper rim like the Fulcrums (I like how they look)
Under £200 inc VAT
In stock.

Not limited to Wiggle now.

JesseD

trek_dan wrote:

I had exactly the same issue with the rear wheel on my hire bike in Mallorca with Fulcrum Quattros.

Interesting, maybe it is a dodgy batch of them?

trek_dan

It must be, rim was true and hub was fine. Juddering under braking was hideous.

mamba80

JesseD wrote:

Out of the box the front wheel juddered under braking, I tried everything to see if it was my bike set up but eventually tried a mates front wheel in my bike and the problem disappeared, tried my wheel in his bike and it was still there.

Not a member of BC yet, although am in process of joining as I need a licence to ride the Bernard Hinault in France in June, but I have found them online for £166 (ex VAT) which is about a fiver more than Wiggle.

i would double check that, as i am doing 2 french sportives this year and both require a med cert for this year, its supposed to be a french federation thing, so should nt be event specific.
anyway, a BC licence with a uci code (silver membership) costs £70, a med cert might cost you nothing.

As for the wheels get some Mavics, though if you insist on deeps you might struggle to get under budget.

JesseD

Was going on a club member telling me whom I am riding it with, will double check tomorrow, thanks for the heads up!

Just ordered some racing Quattro lgs for a fiver more than wiggle had them for and they were in stock!

Like Mavic wheels but couldn't find any comparable ones in my price range

dabber

mamba80 wrote:

JesseD wrote:

Out of the box the front wheel juddered under braking, I tried everything to see if it was my bike set up but eventually tried a mates front wheel in my bike and the problem disappeared, tried my wheel in his bike and it was still there.

Not a member of BC yet, although am in process of joining as I need a licence to ride the Bernard Hinault in France in June, but I have found them online for £166 (ex VAT) which is about a fiver more than Wiggle.

i would double check that, as i am doing 2 french sportives this year and both require a med cert for this year, its supposed to be a french federation thing, so should nt be event specific.
anyway, a BC licence with a uci code (silver membership) costs £70, a med cert might cost you nothing.

As for the wheels get some Mavics, though if you insist on deeps you might struggle to get under budget.

Just on the topic of the medical certificate... I think costs vary by GP/Surgery but my GP charged me £27 for the certificate/examination. The French organisers of the sportive I've done for the last couple of years want the certificate to be issued within 12 months of the date of the event.

slowbike

I'm happy with my FR Quattro wheelset ... in fact I'm happy with all my Fulcrum wheelsets ... the Mavic set though ... that's sad - the rear hub broke - yes, the hub, not the spoke - and it was going to cost £200 to get it rebuilt (by Mavic) - didn't bother in the end.

janwal

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/3t-a ... lsrc=aw.ds
These are 50% off at CRC £199 , wide rimmed for you and slightly deeper than LG.They Will soon go at this price!

JesseD

Dabber wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

JesseD wrote:

Out of the box the front wheel juddered under braking, I tried everything to see if it was my bike set up but eventually tried a mates front wheel in my bike and the problem disappeared, tried my wheel in his bike and it was still there.

Not a member of BC yet, although am in process of joining as I need a licence to ride the Bernard Hinault in France in June, but I have found them online for £166 (ex VAT) which is about a fiver more than Wiggle.

i would double check that, as i am doing 2 french sportives this year and both require a med cert for this year, its supposed to be a french federation thing, so should nt be event specific.
anyway, a BC licence with a uci code (silver membership) costs £70, a med cert might cost you nothing.

As for the wheels get some Mavics, though if you insist on deeps you might struggle to get under budget.

Just on the topic of the medical certificate... I think costs vary by GP/Surgery but my GP charged me £27 for the certificate/examination. The French organisers of the sportive I've done for the last couple of years want the certificate to be issued within 12 months of the date of the event.

Ok so I need a medical cert and probably insurance then to ride?

anyone have the link to the website in English as I can only find the French one?

JesseD

janwal wrote:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/3t-accelero-40-pro-road-wheelset/rp-prod113041?gs=1&gclid=CMKU9KKLjswCFa8W0wodMggLUQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
These are 50% off at CRC £199 , wide rimmed for you and slightly deeper than LG.They Will soon go at this price!

Cheers, did see these when looking however they don't get particularly good reviews from what I've read, apparently heavy and not that stiff under load.

Pulled the trigger on another set of Racing Quattro LGs from Ribble in the end, hoping these will not have any issues and the first pair was part of a dodgy batch or just a one off.

mugensi

I had a set of Quattros for 2 years and put roughly 6000kms on them in that time with zero issues. They never needed truing or straightening in that time and the bearings were as smooth the day i sold them as the day I bought them. Would happily buy another set. I'd say you were just unlucky and got a dud wheel which slipped through QC.

mamba80

JesseD wrote:

Ok so I need a medical cert and probably insurance then to ride?

anyone have the link to the website in English as I can only find the French one?

i can pm you a cert, in english and french if you want?

i ve never needed insurance for the event but i do get travel ins that covers cycle racing, most dont.

JesseD

From what I can decipher from the website with my awful French is that if you have a racing licence you don't need a medical cert and you will also be insured for third party liability, however if you don't then you need a medical cert and insurance.

I fully accept I may have that wrong though.

Mamba80, that would be great thanks!

germcevoy

Pretty much hate mine. The front seized up after a wet ride and it took a few weeks to get sorted and today I went to switch the cassette over to my winter wheels and could barely get it to budge as the cassette had eaten into the freehub body so much. I'll not be buying Fulcrum again.

They do ride quite nicely but I never feel like I can trust them.

Freehub body after maybe a thousand miles:


Shimano RS11 over roughly the same distance:

germcevoy

Quattros have been in the cupboard since September. Used them for a month after the repair on the front. Took them out to take the tyres off and the front hub is graunchy as hell again. Can't have been more than 300 miles on them since their repair. The rear is fine.

Sending them back again. I suspect the hub or seals are out of tolerances as there's no way they should fall foul to water ingress so quickly causing the bearings to fail again.

I'll be asking for a refund this time.

dwanes

A couple of guys I know have had Quattro's and the hubs have not been good. They deteriate pretty quickly if riding in wet weather. I guess they would be ok in a dry climate. They never bought them again though.

germcevoy

dwanes wrote:

A couple of guys I know have had Quattro's and the hubs have not been good. They deteriate pretty quickly if riding in wet weather. I guess they would be ok in a dry climate. They never bought them again though.

I made sure to get the CX version but I'm not sure how they could hold up in Cyclocross conditions if they can't handle a wet road once in a while.

They do ride nice when working which is a shame.

apreading

Regards the cassette biting into the freehub, you will get that on just about all lightweight wheels these days because they use aluminium freehubs. I think the Simano one you have is steel, which is why it hasnt happened so much. Some hubs give you the option of switching to steel but not normally supplied as standard and obviously if you do the weight of the wheel goes up. Superstar will swap over to a Steel Freehub for you at initial order for no cost I think.

I like my American Classic hubs as a compromise because they use an aluminium freehub but with a couple of 'bite guards' which are thin steel strips running along the edge some of the splines which does reduce the problem. Seems like a good compromise for not much weight penalty.

JesseD

My Racing Quattros are knackered after 8 months, the freehub bearings are shot, and the bearings in the rear wheel is rough!

Not impressed as they have only done circa 3000 miles in that time which IMO is not a lot, my Shimano RS11's have done more and have been ridden in worse weather and have been more or less bullet proof, the only think I have done is regreased the bearings in the rear wheel.

This has put me off Fulcrum a litte.

germcevoy

apreading wrote:

Regards the cassette biting into the freehub, you will get that on just about all lightweight wheels these days because they use aluminium freehubs. I think the Simano one you have is steel, which is why it hasnt happened so much. Some hubs give you the option of switching to steel but not normally supplied as standard and obviously if you do the weight of the wheel goes up. Superstar will swap over to a Steel Freehub for you at initial order for no cost I think.

I like my American Classic hubs as a compromise because they use an aluminium freehub but with a couple of 'bite guards' which are thin steel strips running along the edge some of the splines which does reduce the problem. Seems like a good compromise for not much weight penalty.

Yup the Shimano's are steel. I still think the Fulcrum cuts up too much. Fitting or removing a cassette requires a lot of force.

They have been retured to CRC today for them to look into but I won't be accepting a repair or a replacement for anything Fulcrum.

beanstalk

apreading wrote:

I like my American Classic hubs as a compromise because they use an aluminium freehub but with a couple of 'bite guards' which are thin steel strips running along the edge some of the splines which does reduce the problem. Seems like a good compromise for not much weight penalty.

Have you pulled of the cassette yet?
The steel (?) strips on my AmClassic hub didn't help much to stop the cassette form digging into the freehub body.
I had to wriggle about a little to get the cassette off.

Bearing issues on Quattros:
Was it the CX version or the standard one?

And the aluminium freehub body on Fulcrum Quattro wheels can be replaced with a steel one, I was told by a Fulcrum employee.