Criticism of Fulcrum Razing Zero Carbon wheels in https://intheknowcycling.com
Moderator: robbosmans
That dude is a total fanboy of Enve and Zipp. I would definitely take his opinion with a huge dash of grainy salt.
Bianchi Oltre XR4, De Rosa SK Pininfarina, Trek Madone SLR, Giant TCR Advanced SL, Cervelo R5 Disk, Giant Revolt
Took a look at this guys site. If he was to physically test even 25% of the kit he "apparently reviews" he would have to be a full time pro tester and be the No1 guy with all manufacturers and importers. He is clearly just a gear geek who reads everyone else's opinions and regurgitates it as his own.
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Nefarious86
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The guy is a complete knob who buys/borrows just enough gear to give an illusion of legitimacy then fills in the rest with farytails. Plenty of stock imagery too.
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asiantrick
- Posts: 256
- Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2015 11:18 pm
- Location: the OC, CA
I own the Fulcrum Carbon Racing Zero for over a year and rode in wet and dry condition. I bought them brand new for about $1.4K Usd on ProbikeKit when they had a sale.
The reviewer is not entirely wrong -
The wheelset is light but you can buy similar wheelset with the same weight for much cheaper. It's not aero nor wide, and braking performance wet condition is as good as a $500 Chinese carbon. It's definitely not worth $1.4K, so i ended up selling them. It does look nice and seem to be well made, but way overprice.
The reviewer is not entirely wrong -
The wheelset is light but you can buy similar wheelset with the same weight for much cheaper. It's not aero nor wide, and braking performance wet condition is as good as a $500 Chinese carbon. It's definitely not worth $1.4K, so i ended up selling them. It does look nice and seem to be well made, but way overprice.
Let's see.
I've had:
Fulcrum Zero Carbon's
50mm Bora Ultra's in Clincher and Tub
Enve 3.4's with Tune Hubs
I weigh over 100KG.
He is totally wrong.
I ran the Fulcrums and Bora's on the same Bike (Mosaic RT-1) and the braking performance was identical with the same calipers (Campagnolo).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mosaiccyc ... 158071946/
Fulcrum's were stiffer in acceration, better in crosswinds but not quite as fast as the Bora's. If they looked like Bora's I would never have taken them off my bike.
I wish Campy built Bora's with the Fulcrum Spokes - I think that is what makes them really stiff in aceleration.
ENVE 3.4's were wet noodles compared to the Fulcrum's and Bora's.
I've had:
Fulcrum Zero Carbon's
50mm Bora Ultra's in Clincher and Tub
Enve 3.4's with Tune Hubs
I weigh over 100KG.
He is totally wrong.
I ran the Fulcrums and Bora's on the same Bike (Mosaic RT-1) and the braking performance was identical with the same calipers (Campagnolo).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mosaiccyc ... 158071946/
Fulcrum's were stiffer in acceration, better in crosswinds but not quite as fast as the Bora's. If they looked like Bora's I would never have taken them off my bike.
I wish Campy built Bora's with the Fulcrum Spokes - I think that is what makes them really stiff in aceleration.
ENVE 3.4's were wet noodles compared to the Fulcrum's and Bora's.
Agree ITK cycling dude is a knob. And he's on the payroll. Bad combo.morrisond wrote: ↑Thu Jan 16, 2020 7:24 pmLet's see.
I've had:
Fulcrum Zero Carbon's
50mm Bora Ultra's in Clincher and Tub
Enve 3.4's with Tune Hubs
I weigh over 100KG.
He is totally wrong.
I ran the Fulcrums and Bora's on the same Bike (Mosaic RT-1) and the braking performance was identical with the same calipers (Campagnolo).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mosaiccyc ... 158071946/
Fulcrum's were stiffer in acceration, better in crosswinds but not quite as fast as the Bora's. If they looked like Bora's I would never have taken them off my bike.
I wish Campy built Bora's with the Fulcrum Spokes - I think that is what makes them really stiff in aceleration.
ENVE 3.4's were wet noodles compared to the Fulcrum's and Bora's.
Anyway, you appear to be talking about the 3d Bora's too (by the looks of those pics - lovely bike btw).
I maintain there is practically zero difference between 3d and AC3... in fact it has been reported here and elsewhere that the AC3 grooves actually wear away after a bit of use.
Interestingly (and I will post this in the Bora WTO thread), the Lotto team bikes for the TDU appear to be running older Bora 50's... why not WTO's? Yes, they are disc so the braking surface is a non-issue but aren't the WTO's meant to be a boatload faster? I was skeptical of this before, and I am even more skeptical now.
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CrankyCarbon
- Posts: 91
- Joined: Tue Aug 13, 2019 1:15 pm
"I didn’t expect them to catch as much crosswinds as they did"
In respect to the spokes, There are posters on this board that have complained about the aluminum spoked Shamals and Eurus wheels too in regards to sidewinds.
I bought a pair of Fulcrum Racing Zero Competitions with the same flat aluminum spokes. Riding in a group the wheels are fine. But I also ride a lot of solo and they definitely have an issue with side wind to me too. They kinda "snap" in certain wind gusts and remind me of my old old Spinergy Rev-Xs in that "snap" feeling (not as severe but the same quick wind gust response). Posters of the Shamal/Eurus have preferred the Zondas which have steel spokes and not the side wind issue. I upgrade to the RZ Comps from steel oval spoked wheels and actually prefer the older wheelset now too for solo windy riding.
The Aluminum spokes do make the wheelset stiffer. I wish they made the spokes oval or NACA shaped instead of just squished flat aluminum.
I actually was going to buy a set of the carbon racing zeros too but due to the spoke issue I opted to get WTOs instead.
In respect to the spokes, There are posters on this board that have complained about the aluminum spoked Shamals and Eurus wheels too in regards to sidewinds.
I bought a pair of Fulcrum Racing Zero Competitions with the same flat aluminum spokes. Riding in a group the wheels are fine. But I also ride a lot of solo and they definitely have an issue with side wind to me too. They kinda "snap" in certain wind gusts and remind me of my old old Spinergy Rev-Xs in that "snap" feeling (not as severe but the same quick wind gust response). Posters of the Shamal/Eurus have preferred the Zondas which have steel spokes and not the side wind issue. I upgrade to the RZ Comps from steel oval spoked wheels and actually prefer the older wheelset now too for solo windy riding.
The Aluminum spokes do make the wheelset stiffer. I wish they made the spokes oval or NACA shaped instead of just squished flat aluminum.
I actually was going to buy a set of the carbon racing zeros too but due to the spoke issue I opted to get WTOs instead.
Very interesting. Thank you foro tour answer. About the spokes and crosswind, no wonder the Bora One and Ultra have steel spokesCrankyCarbon wrote: ↑Fri Jan 17, 2020 2:54 pm"I didn’t expect them to catch as much crosswinds as they did"
In respect to the spokes, There are posters on this board that have complained about the aluminum spoked Shamals and Eurus wheels too in regards to sidewinds.
I bought a pair of Fulcrum Racing Zero Competitions with the same flat aluminum spokes. Riding in a group the wheels are fine. But I also ride a lot of solo and they definitely have an issue with side wind to me too. They kinda "snap" in certain wind gusts and remind me of my old old Spinergy Rev-Xs in that "snap" feeling (not as severe but the same quick wind gust response). Posters of the Shamal/Eurus have preferred the Zondas which have steel spokes and not the side wind issue. I upgrade to the RZ Comps from steel oval spoked wheels and actually prefer the older wheelset now too for solo windy riding.
The Aluminum spokes do make the wheelset stiffer. I wish they made the spokes oval or NACA shaped instead of just squished flat aluminum.
I actually was going to buy a set of the carbon racing zeros too but due to the spoke issue I opted to get WTOs instead.
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intheknowcycling
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Mon Jun 09, 2014 8:03 pm
- Contact:
Hi. Saw this thread pop up on one of my reports, read it and thought I'd answer some of your questions and comments.
I reviewed this wheelset in 2017 so it pre AC3. As I wrote in the review, did try different amounts of toe-ing in, made sure the pads were clean, etc. That reduced the braking noise somewhat but still squealed and were louder than braking noise from textured tracks. Have updated the review to reflect this. Thanks.
Do favor road disc wheels for better modulation, ability to go faster downhill (less braking concerns) and weather, on/off-road versatility. But, as I wrote about earlier in the post, carbon rim brake wheels have made a lot of improvements in brake track technology and we've adopted braking techniques that are best for carbon rim brake wheels and different than the way you brake on alloy ones. Totally cool (figuratively and literally) to ride carbon rim brake wheels now with better technology and techniques. BIG improvement over earlier generations.
Do like some models from ENVE, Zipp, Bontrager, Mavic, Fulcrum and other brands. Don't like other models from same brands. Didn't like this model from Fulcrum. There are four of us testing wheels (see about section). We all ride a lot, are kind of analytical/nerdy, and have fun checking out different gear.
Don't run ads, don't go to media events, buy/sell or return everything we test, not on anyone's payroll. Stock imagery because I take lousy photos of wheels (that you can see on my twitter feed) and don't want to bias the reviews with lousy photos so put the stock ones up.
I don't know what a knob is, get that it isn't positive, don't care whatever you want to call me (though surprised to see the moderator doing this), but not trying to create any "illusions". As I frequently write in my posts, just a fellow road cycling enthusiast sharing my experience with different gear and those of my fellow testers. Some in this thread experienced pros and cons similar to what I found about these wheels, others didn't. That's fine. I'm just sharing my view for anyone who wants to consider it.
Cheers.
I reviewed this wheelset in 2017 so it pre AC3. As I wrote in the review, did try different amounts of toe-ing in, made sure the pads were clean, etc. That reduced the braking noise somewhat but still squealed and were louder than braking noise from textured tracks. Have updated the review to reflect this. Thanks.
Do favor road disc wheels for better modulation, ability to go faster downhill (less braking concerns) and weather, on/off-road versatility. But, as I wrote about earlier in the post, carbon rim brake wheels have made a lot of improvements in brake track technology and we've adopted braking techniques that are best for carbon rim brake wheels and different than the way you brake on alloy ones. Totally cool (figuratively and literally) to ride carbon rim brake wheels now with better technology and techniques. BIG improvement over earlier generations.
Do like some models from ENVE, Zipp, Bontrager, Mavic, Fulcrum and other brands. Don't like other models from same brands. Didn't like this model from Fulcrum. There are four of us testing wheels (see about section). We all ride a lot, are kind of analytical/nerdy, and have fun checking out different gear.
Don't run ads, don't go to media events, buy/sell or return everything we test, not on anyone's payroll. Stock imagery because I take lousy photos of wheels (that you can see on my twitter feed) and don't want to bias the reviews with lousy photos so put the stock ones up.
I don't know what a knob is, get that it isn't positive, don't care whatever you want to call me (though surprised to see the moderator doing this), but not trying to create any "illusions". As I frequently write in my posts, just a fellow road cycling enthusiast sharing my experience with different gear and those of my fellow testers. Some in this thread experienced pros and cons similar to what I found about these wheels, others didn't. That's fine. I'm just sharing my view for anyone who wants to consider it.
Cheers.
