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TECH NEWS

Fulcrum unveils Speed 25 wheelset weighing just 1,285g

Full carbon climbing wheels have a 26mm deep profile and use Fulcrum’s USB ceramic bearings

Fulcrum has released low-profile Speed 25 wheels, designed for climbing performance, with a claimed weight of just 1,285g.

“They are the ideal wheels for cyclists looking to post their best times uphill, but also for ultra-cyclists who have to deal with adverse weather conditions and want a stable and reliable wheel even in strong gusts of wind,” says Fulcrum.

2022 Fulcrum Speed 25 wheels - 3.jpeg

The Speed 25s, for use with disc brakes, have a 26mm-deep rim profile. The front one is symmetrical while the rear is asymmetrical, the idea being to allow the use of “better dish angles” to achieve great lateral stiffness, according to Fulcrum.

Check out the 10 best road bike and gravel bike wheels 2022

Light weight is the Speed 25’s key characteristic, says Fulcrum, hence the relatively shallow rim profile.

2022 Fulcrum Speed 25 wheels - 4.jpeg

The rim features Fulcrum’s matt finish straight from the mould – which it calls DIMF, or Direct Inmold Matt Finish – the lack of a subsequent treatment helping to keep the weight down.

“This has been made possible by using specific resins that also protect the rim,” says Fulcrum.

The inner rim width is 21mm – common on performance-type road bike wheels these days – while the bridge is non-drilled (meaning there are no holes in the bottom of the air chamber when you have your tyres fitted). This allows you to fit tubeless tyres without the need for rim tape. 

> Fulcrum shares the nipple technology with Campagnolo's Bora Ultra WTO wheels

Fulcrum uses its MoMag (Mounting Magnet) technique where the spoke nipples are pushed into the rim via the valve hole and guided magnetically to where they’re needed. 

2022 Fulcrum Speed 25 wheels - 6.jpeg

“The minimal design of the hub makes a considerable contribution to the low weight,” says Fulcrum. “Its weight has been reduced and its internal and external sections have been optimised so that it is as aerodynamic as possible, as well as reliable, strong and able to withstand considerable torsional stresses.”

Your complete guide to Fulcrum road wheels - get to know their range

The hubs feature Fulcrum/Campagnolo’s USB (Ultra Smooth Bearings) ceramic bearings. Fulcrum claims that these offer 50% less rolling resistance than standard bearings.

The double-butted spokes – 24 front and rear – are designed to be aerodynamically efficient and they don’t touch where they cross.

“There are various advantages to this approach: constant long-term durability, resistance and stiffness, without any of the creaks that can develop when spokes rub,” says Fulcrum.

2022 Fulcrum Speed 25 wheels - 5.jpeg

The wheels are held in place by CNCed through axles (12 x 100mm at the front, 12 x 142mm at the rear).

Although Fulcrum makes several mentions of aerodynamics concerning the Speed 25s, it hasn’t made any specific claims in that area, instead focusing on weight and reactivity.

First Look: Check out Fulcrum’s gravel-specific Rapid Red Carbon wheels

Fulcrum’s Speed 25 is a high-end wheelset and that’s reflected in the price. It’s available now with HG11, XDR and N3W freehubs at £1,999.99.

www.fulcrumwheels.com

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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4 comments

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check12 | 2 years ago
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+188g (2 x dura ace rotors) = 1,473g total weight, disc brake fans

(I'll not go in to poor aero performance of disc rotors, that's enough bad news for today already I think 😂)

Avatar
KDee | 2 years ago
0 likes

2 grand? Jeez...how much without the bullshit ceramic bearings?

Avatar
Surreyrider replied to KDee | 2 years ago
0 likes

And not even 'blow you away light'. There are 35-40 deep wheels out there at sun 1,400g for half the price. Not impressed. 

Avatar
wickedstealthy replied to Surreyrider | 2 years ago
0 likes

Laughable. I run custom Duke wheels with tactic hubs 48/56 height weighing 1285gr 

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