While I'm (patiently?) waiting for my new Infinito to make it to KC from Minnesota, I thought I'd raise the question about these two wheel sets.

From my quick look at the specs, the Boyds are a bit more expensive and around the same weight.

Beyond that, and pending an actual ride, I'm curious what folks think of these wheels.

I have pair of Altamontes on a Felt Z6 (cost 1/2 the bike!) and LOVE them!

They are the only non-OEM wheels I know, it's true, but I love them none the less and am curious how the Fulcrum's will compare.

The Altamonts are wider, both internally and externally. That'd have me going for them.

I have a set of Altamonts and think they are great wheels for the price.

These are considerably different in terms of price-point -

"the Boyd's are a bit more expensive"? You can pick up the Fulcrums for about the price of a only the front Altamont - that's more than a bit.

The I don't have personal experience with either, but I've been eyeing up some Fulcrums as spare wheelsets. As Bah Humbug mentioned, the Fulcrums aren't terribly wide, internally, and it's something that I really wish they'd change, but they want to hang on to their ETRTO 17c, for whatever reason. Regardless, most people with Fulcrums (which are Campagnolo's for people with Shimano groupsets) love them.

It's doubtful that you could go wrong either way.

I have a 7 year old set of racing 3's, and have never had a single issue. Since they cost a lot less, that says a lot to me, but width is a big thing these days. I wouldn't expect issues with the 5's either, if you can live with the width.

Been riding a Felt Z3 with Fulcrum Racing Quattros for around 7,000 miles and they are still as true as the day I purchased them. Those miles are a good mix of bike path and rough highways with horrible expansion joints and bridge abutments. The Quattros take the abuse and just keep going. I run them with Conti Gatorskins (700 x 25) and seldom see a flat and keep the pressure around 100-110 psi as I’m around 250 pounds.

I’ve had Fulcrum Racing 7’s, 5’s and the Quattros and DT Swiss ER wheels, would highly recommend the Quattros and their stiff 35 mm depth for everyday training wheels as they are absolutely bulletproof and < $300 US.

https://www.probikekit.com/bicycle-wheels/fulcrum-racing-quattro-c17-clincher-wheelset/11184763.html?affil=thggpsad&switchcurrency=USD&shippingcountry=US&variation=11184765&gclid=Cj0KCQjw zcbWBRDmARIsAM6uChX-1srj-Cg-j7PU3rKtmnTPt1ICb0lO4S4BrwZmefHtzvn2rLSoaosaAuwBEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CJvh-JK1u9oCFZoYAQodDLgAQg

Interesting comments. Thanks!

I have to admit I'm not familiar with the wider width argument though. What are the practical implications?

I run 25s at present on the Boyds and I think the Infinito/F5 also comes with 25s.

I also have a feeling I'll be swapping the stock Fulcrums and replacing them w/the Boyds.

I really do like them a lot!

Same here I have Fulcrum 5 LG and Quattro LGs on both my bikes, and they’re definitely good bang for buck quality, workhorse wheel sets.

Splitting hairs, the 5 LGs are lighter, < stiff than the Quattros; whereas the Quattros are very stiff and very snappy accelerators(depending on your weight), have tiny but likely negligible aero advantage and superficially the deeper profile may look more appropriate with certain frames. Both have bladed spokes.

I run 28s on my Boyds. Boyd has great customer service as well which I value. Small, closeknit company led by a serious cyclist.

MagicHour,
I have a couple of sets of Fulcrum 5's...two different generations and have had great luck with them.

A question because I live in flat country where wheel weight and overall bike weight is a bit less penal.

My interpretation is...with the Quattro, it stands to reason that the wheel is stiffer because the spokes are shorter and the V section is deeper and stiff wheels do tend to spool right up as you say provided they aren't too heavy and that deeper Al V-section does has a weight cost as you say and a stiffness cost if one prefers a bit better ride quality...but...isn't the point of the Quattro to be more aero? Isn't that why they exist? A poor man's aero (non carbon) wheelset?

Are you saying you don't notice the aero advantage of the Quattro's over the Fulcrum 5?

Thanks

People are heavier than they were 30 years ago, even fit people. Road surfaces are worse than they were 30 years ago. Both of these factors make it more appealing to run wider tires at lower pressure, like 25-28c tires at 60-80psi, than the more traditional 21-23c tires at 100-120psi. Those wider tires sit better on wider rims, are more aerodynamic on wider rims, and can be run at even lower pressure on wider rims. Putting 28c tires on a 21mm rim (like the old Open Pros, or the older Fulcrum Racing wheels) is kinda like putting 22" wheels on a Honda Civic. You can, but...

Many companies, including Hed, Zipp, Enve, Reynolds, Boyd, and a pile of others I can't think of are embraced these wider rims. Mavic dug in its heels for years and has only now started to widen slightly from their old 21mm rims, and Campy (owning Fulcrum) is behind even them.

That said, the Fulcrums are "fine". They'll roll well, they won't break, and if you don't care about the width or the exact fit and finish of the rim joint, they'll serve you for years and tens of thousands of miles if you ask them to. That doesn't mean there aren't better options, and even better options cheaper than the Altamonts: you can sometimes pick up HED Ardennes for cheap. Heck a couple months ago I picked up the Ardennes GP Plus (admittedly the cheapest line) for $350 for a pair. That's like the price of the two rims at retail, and they're a lot nicer than Fulcrums. Do you care about the best wheels you can find, or will a "fine" pair do well enough that you'll ride them and not think about it for a decade?

Realistically aside from the stiffness hard for me to say of the Quattros are any faster/aero? Maybe? I do notice they can catch a crosswind a bit more than the 5s.
I’m sure if you set up lab wind tunnel conditions the Quattros would test faster but at my non-competitive <20mph cruise speeds I’ll bet the advantage is minuscule.

I love my Altamonts! Sweet spot for alloy, aero to weight. The house hubs are smooth, durable, and serviceable, when the time comes. Boyd's has fantastic customer service, and treat every customer like they're important.
I recommend them without reservation.
Good luck with your search.

Kind of distilling what you wrote and I believe your perceptions are correct, the Fulcrum 5's all said have to get the nod and I made the right choice all said.
F5's are lighter
F5's have better ride quality
F5's are less sensitive to cross winds and the wind can howl where I live and did today in fact
Quattro's don't have a discernible aero edge out on the road over the F5's. It maybe fractional as you say but cerntainly not enough to atone for other considerations.

The by comparison much more pricey 'carbon' Quattros, with 40 versus 35mm rim height, word is they may give a bounce in aero performance but still a fraction or watt or so behind Zipp 303's which are only a hint more slippery.

Thanks again

Love my Altamont Lites!

Cant go wrong with either choice.

Unless bound by budget, my choice would be to go to a configuration you dont have on the other bike...perhaps the the wider and deeper rim 30mm version? 1586g for the 30mm variant in 24/28H spoke configuration. 1540g for the 24/24...

Just a word of warning - I had a pair of the Racing 5's. While I loved them, I did have a crash and broke a couple of spokes. LBS was having a hard time finding the straight pull aero spokes without buying a complete package of spokes. He recommended looking for a wheel with J spokes as those were easier to find.

I have the Quattros --they are fine. Could be lighter, though.

A set of Altamonts are what, $750 (and up)? That's more than 2x the Fulcrum Racing 5s. Not the same class wheelset, at all. A more appropriate comparison would be the 3s or the Racing Zero.

Or these: https://www.huntbikewheels.com/colle...-31deep-24wide

or Psimet.

Can buy a small Fulcrum 5 front or rear spoke kit off ebay. Individual bike wheel spokes are easy to install for any home mechanic with a simple truing. As long as I have owned Fulcrum 5 wheelsets, I have never broken a spoke. They also stay in remarkable true. I am 180#.

Keep a close eye on your Boyd Altamont Rear rim, especially drive side spoke holes, as well as your skewers.

I have really liked my Boyd wheels. I have a set of Vitesse and Altamonts and my wife has the Roleurs, but two things popped up that have really changed my outlook. First--The original skewers failed. These were the ones with the plastic inserts in the lever side. Of six skewers on my or my wife's bikes, 4 of them had cracked. I had to buy 3 new sets of skewers. They were not replaced under warranty.

Now, I just found cracks in drive-side spoke holes on my Altamont rear. It's on the way back to Boyd, and it's inside the 2-year warranty period. I sure hope to get a more durable replacement soon.

Thanks. I should haven noticed which side, but I also have cracks on my rear wheel.

It's out of warranty, but they will rebuild it for a very good ($100) price, so I'm going that route.

I'm going to be inspecting the replacement every week! For that $100, ask him to throw in a new pair of skewers, so you don't run into that problem.

Boyd's got two strikes on me now.

I have had Boyd Altamont Lite Rim custom built with Chris King hubs for almost two years, ~10K miles + ~600K ft elevation. No problem. Very solid.

Indeed. I love mine, and the recent problem has in no way soured me on Boyd.

In fact, given their great customer service, I'm as big a fan as ever.

And back to the main q of the thread, given the accepted wisdom that the Fulcrum Racing 3 is a more apt comparison, that the Altamonte is better than the FR5, well, once the Boyd is back in operation it will replace the Fulcrum Racing 5 that came stock on my bike.

That issue with the Altamonts really gets me back to my old feeling of "alloy rims = Belgiums", whether from the factory, Wheelbuilder, or November.

I'd search for that phrase, but for the sake of others who haven't heard it before, care to elaborate?

Also, wrt to carbon rims, w/admittedly no research, my feeling is they are the best for folks in the 220lb range.

Of course, after comes cost, but I'd have to be convinced I wouldn't break them first.

(or lose more weight; in progress ;-)