In my last review I wrote about the Fulcrum and covered my experiences, likes and dislikes of the Fulcrum Racing 7s my wheel of choice for training. Over all the Racing 7s are good training wheel set for the money.

I have now had enough mileage on my Fulcrum Racing 3s to give a fair review. I have ridden the 3s like the 7s over a myriad of road conditions. However I must say that most of time riding the 3s has been on more vertical routes.

The Fulcrum Racing 3s are touted as being a Training and Racing wheel set. I am using my Racing 3s for competition only and my Racing 7s for training and pit wheels.

Wheel set features:

• The aluminum rim, with a height of 26 mm, features special milling for lightness
• The rim bed is not drilled. Therefore, in addition to the weight advantage provided by the elimination of the need for rim tape, the undrilled rim bed also features a mechanical advantage: greater torsional rigidity and greater vertical elasticity for the wheel.
• The oversize hubs, with an aluminium body and axle, feature adjustable high-precision loose ball bearings.
• The 2 mm stainless steel aero spokes with 16 spokes for the front and 21 for the rear wheel. The spoking is of the radial type for the front wheel and of the crossed type with doubling of the right-hand spokes for the rear.
• Racing 3 wheels incorporate an exclusive Fulcrum® feature: Dynamic Balance™. The wheel is balanced during rotation thanks to a special rim design that counterbalances the joint section.
• Racing 3 wheels are compatible with Campagnolo®, Shimano and Sram drivetrains and are supplied with the Fulcrum® quick releases.
• Nominal weight*:
• front: 736 g
• rear: 923 g
• Total weight w/o QRs: 1659

* The weight of the wheels does not include the quick release, and it refers to the lightest configuration.

To learn about Fulcrum’s extensive list of features on the Racing 3s such as 2:1 Two-to-One™, Dynamic Balance™ and MoMag™ visit there web site here.

Impressions:

I really like these wheels! My last pair of race wheels were Neuvation R28 Aero 3s with Ceramic Bearings. The Neuvations were great after the ceramic upgrade and sliced through the wind with huge bladed spokes but were overly stiff, painfully stiff. The Fulcrum Racing 3s may actually be stiffer than the Neuvations but with out that back breaking rigidity. How is it possible to be stiffer with out being overly stiff? I am going to attribute it to the fact that the rim bed is not drilled and the spokes on the racing 3s are aero but not overly aero. The racing 3s are not the lightest and that is OK with me as I am not a weight weenie rider and find myself riding more crits than Road Races with long climbs. However I gained a full 1 MPH on one of my favorite climbs when I took them out for the first time. I will gladly recommend the Fulcrums to my teammates.

What I Like:

• Smooth loose ball bearings – feel like ceramic bearings w/o the cost of ceramics
• Silent free hub allows you to sneak through the pace line
• Relatively easy to mount a tire (The Neuvations were a real pain to mount tires on)
• No rim strip needed
• Feel light and spin up very quickly
• Semi aero profile does not make for a cross wind fight
• Stiffness with out the harsh characteristics of other aero/semi aero

What I could live with out:

• Price could be a bit cheaper – Prices range from 600.00 – 900.00! US
• Wheels could also be a bit lighter
• The quick releases that ship with the 2009 wheels are OK (2010 QR may have seen a design change)

The 2010 Fulcrum wheels may also see a price increase across the board as Fulcrum wheels are gaining poplarity due to problems at Mavic and the recent UCI approval of all of their models for racing in UCI events. You can still find some 2009 models online if you hurry.  No word yet if USA Cycling will be passing the same wheel rules that the UCI and other countries are passing in an effort to keep racing safe. As of the writing of this article I still cannot find any polices with USA Cycling related to wheels. While the cost of the Fulcrum Racing 3s is approaching what you can get entry level Carbon Fiber wheels these days you will not get a hub as nice as Fulcrums.

Convinced that you need to invest in a set of Fulcrum’s excellent wheels? Check out Main Street Bikes’s selection here. You can also call Tom and Main Street Bikes at 502-220-4136 and order any of Fulcrum’s wheels. Tell Tom that Rob G sent you.

To see more photos of the  Fulcrum Racing 3s click here.

Get out and ride…

About 5 weeks ago I pulled the trigger on set of wheels that I use for training rides and pit wheels. These wheels had to be tough enough to manage the roads I ride on, comfortable enough to ward off “Monkey Butt” and pretty cheap as I was also going to be buying dedicated race wheels to0. I had one more request form my cycling coach, “Make them heavy!”

So I went to my LBS and Team Sponsor, Main Street Bikes, and purchased a set of the 2009 Red, Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels. Without Quick Releases, Tires and tubes. The set weighs in at 1930 grams! I added some no name butyl tubes and a set Michelin Krylion Carbon Tires and use the QRs that came with the wheels. The Krylions are an excellent no worries training tire that are some what light and supple.

Fulcrum in name is a recent new comer to the bike racing component market but one that is already making a name for itself.

From www.fulcrumwheels.com

“Fulcrum Wheels s.r.l. was founded in July 2004 from an idea and from the passion for bikes of three aerospace engineers.The strong points of the young company are: the use of unique patents, continuous technological research and attractive youthful design.”

“Fulcrum wheels gained the trust of great champions right from the beginning and have already crossed the world championship finishing line thrice in just three years: with Tom Boonen in 2005 and with Paolo Bettini in 2006 and 2007. Also the Olympic and world champion Julien Absalon chose Fulcrum wheels and in the year 2007 he awarded the world championship.”

Pretty nice pedigree!

I picked up the super blingy’ red anodized wheels and I caution anyone ordering these online, that photos do not do the Red set justice at all! They are very bright wheels with indoor light. In the sun they can be a bit muted and even look a little darker. As you can see in the photos below even the hubs have been anodized to match. It use to be to get this kind of color matching you had to purchase the components individually and build your own wheels. Not any more!

I have ridden these wheels over all kinds of terrain and they have held up admirably. I have ridden several brands of wheels from several different manufacturers since my return to cycling. While I am no expert when it comes to wheels I know what I like. I like these wheels and here is why:

What I Like:

• Relatively inexpensive for Italian Hardware. Prices range from 300.00 – 400.00 US
• The anodized finish on these wheels is excellent. Not a blemish anywhere from the hub to the rims and the spokes are consistent shade of black.
• While these wheels should be considered heavy they don’t feel heavy and really hold their speed, especially in pace lines.
• While I ride a carbon fiber bike certain road conditions will still beat you to death. I have found that straight pull spokes with the 7s have really helped with road dampening.
• While these wheels are comfortable they are relatively stiff. I have felt zero flex in climbing steep rollers or racing for the county line sprints.
• The hub design makes it easy to service the bearings even for a novice wheel mechanic such as myself.

What I could live with out:

• While the anodized finish is amazing the stickers are bubbling something horrible. I don’t like stickers on wheels very much but I actually like the Fulcrum graphics.
• I have read about several complaints about the hoop connection where the ends meet being rough and cheap looking. I honestly don’t think it looks that bad compared to other wheels in this price range. I tried to take a picture but the seam would never pop like some say it does to the eye.
• The Free Hub is loud! By now I am sure you have read this comment else where if you to are looking to buy these. I actually had a teammate jerk out of position in a pace line when he heard me coasting, a bit behind him as he said “Holly Crap that’s loud”.
• It’s taking a bit longer to break in the sealed bearings than I expected. At least this is what I hope is going on or I may be use to smoother bearings.
• The Fulcrum Racing 7s are the only wheels in there line up that use cartridge bearings. All others use loose ball bearings which are much smoother and cheaper to upgrade to hybrid ceramic bearings.
• While I like the price I also think they could be cheaper. There are several other wheel sets in the 200-250 range that would be just as useful and bomb proof as this wheel set.

The 2009 Fulcrum Racing 7s in Red were not as popular as the black anodized so you may still be able to pick up a set as the 2010 models are coming out soon.  I have been told by my LBS that the 7s will still be available in Red for 2010 but that other Fulcrum wheel models may not.  The 2010 models may also see a price increase across the board as Fulcrum wheels are gaining popularity due to problems at Mavic and the recent UCI approval of all of their models for racing in UCI events. No word yet if USA Cycling will be passing the same wheel rules that the UCI and other countries are passing in an effort to keep racing safe.

I also purchased a set of Fulcrum Racing 3s which I will review at a later date. Thanks for taking the time to read I hope this review was helpful leave a comment if you have questions.

Keep the wheels spinning.

I have mentioned on this blog several times that I have gained much of my experience by reading and practicing. This year I have flirted with gaining more knowledge. One is nutrition and the other is sports psychology that I find very interesting. In college I was required as part of one of my courses in graphic design to participate in Creative Visualization. This is not a new concept and is taught by many coaches as the concept of self-fulfilling prophecies. Religions for years have also covered the same concepts, as what you put out in the universe will come back to you. OK I know this is all starting to sound very New Age.

One of my favorite regular blogs is called “Tool Box” and is authored by Josh Horowitz on the excellent web site PezCyclingNews.com. Today’s Tool Box post by Josh covers Self-Hypnosis. Josh has several CDs and MP3s that cover topics ranging from quitting smoking and athlete performance. I have listened to many of the samples and I am intrigued. I myself have tried several relaxation tapes like this after I was involved in a car accident when I was a teen to alleviate some of the symptoms I was having with a bad case of whiplash. It helped get me to sleep with out focusing on the pain. It was ultimately a doctor’s care that fixed my whiplash issues however I did gain confidence in self-hypnosis treatments.

Check out Josh’s article here.t