BigGar

Hello,
Have been bitten by the bug and am currectly riding a Roubaix Comp with Mavic Aksium wheels. Have now got a sudden opportunity to upgrade the wheels on the bike and am thinking about the Fulcrum 1's or 3's. Has anybody got any experience of the 1's and 3's? If so, would you able to give me your thoughts? Am assuming I'd notice a big difference when comparing them to the Aksiums but if someone could pass on their opinions I would really appreciate!

Many thanks

scirocco

I have a set of the 3's and I think they are a good price point. You pay quite a lot more for the 1's and all you get is the lighter aluminium spokes.

The 3's are a great wheel, very stiff and strong. In fact if you are a lighter-weight rider you may find you need to run your tyres down 10psi or so to avoid too harsh a ride. They roll pretty well. Loud freehub.

BigGar

Hi Scirocco - many thanks for the response. I see that the 2011 version of the 3's is about 100g later but the 2010 ( and previous versions) have got great reviews. I'm weighing in at about 83kg at the moment but normal weight is closer to 90kg.

aboss3

Fulcrum 5's I believe are on sale now at Nashbar/Performance for $199. But obviously if weight is the issue, I'd go with 1's. Why not Ksyrium Elites?

STP

I'd say, if you're going to race your bike, pick up a lighter set of wheels if you wish, but if you're just training it's not worth the cost to get lighter wheels. Sure, they're lighter and all but the Racing 1's aren't really designed for training.

I have the Racing 1's on my Tarmac Pro but I don't train on them. In fact, I don't train on my Tarmac at all. It's strictly a race bike. I train on a 853 steel framed, Ultegra equipped bike with heavy Mavic wheels.

So, what are your intentions? Ask yourself that before spending the money.

55/Rad

Either the 1 or 3's will be a nice upgrade. If you can afford the 1's, I'd go with them. Light, stiff and bomb proof.

BigGar

Hi - many thanks for the advice so far. To be honest, I'm not really going to be doing serious racing. I'll just be doing 60 to 80 mile sportives but am keen to increase my overall speed. I have the money set aside for an upgrade (quite rare!!) and obviously the wheels are a good way of upgrading. Have heard so many good reviews about the fulcrums but wonder if the racing 1's are just a bit too advanced for my ability. Someone has also mentioned the shimano 7850 CL's for a similar price to the racing 1's but perhaps they wouldn't be too suitable!
Choices! Choices! There's so much out there that it can be quite confusing!

lazerzxr

Well then I wouldnt get either of the fulcrums, while they will both support you, you're not that heavy, if you read the manual that can be downloaded from their website you will see that they state 82kg rider weight as the point at which you should take greater care in inspecting your wheels. At this weight they recommend frequent inspections.

Fulcrum 1 are are a 21 spoke rear wheel, why would you want that if not racing and you weigh 90kg?

slipstream8

Granted, I've only had my Fulcrum 1s for a couple of months, but I don't think you'll have a problem with them. I'm about 92kg at the moment, on my way down in weight, and they feel plenty solid. I have the 2-way fit and am running them tubeless as my primary wheelset.

I don't find the freehub loud at all. They are much quieter than Mavics.

I've heard great things about the Dura Ace tubeless as well.

brians647

I find myself torn between the F1'/F3's and the 7850's.
Why did you choose the Fulcrums over the D/A's? (55/Rad?)
(apologies for the drift, but had to ask given the suggestion.)

scirocco

If I can chip in, I actually own both F3's and 7850's with several 000's of miles on both. The F3's feel much, much stronger and stiffer, very bulletproof. Not that I have the slightest problem with the DA's, but they are a lighter weight and less solid feeling wheel. Plusher ride and I suspect a heavy rider would find them a little flexy after the Fulcrums. But where the DA's shine is that they roll like they're never going to stop. It's true what they say about Shimano's cup and cone bearings - they may be old-fashioned but they are the best you can get.

slipstream8

The guy at my shop pointed me towards the Fulcrums. They couldn't get any more DA wheels for a couple of months, so the only way I could have gotten them at a price close to the Fulcrums would have been eBay.

I don't always buy local, but the guy who was helping me had been pretty good to work with.

I would still like to get more feedback from bigger guys about long-term durability of the C24s.

Others have said this as well, but riding today I had to check a couple of times to make sure I wasn't getting a flat--the tubless cushion the road so well.