Posted on June 15, 2022 by Cory Benson
The aim of Fulcrum’s new ultralight low-profile carbon Speed 25 road wheels is simply “conquering peaks”. While modern road riders have accepted that aero wheels are simply faster on the flats & rolling terrain, when it comes to big mountain climbs the weight weenies come out of the woodwork. There’s no arguing that ultralight wheels just feel like they fly up the mountains. And with a sub 1300g wheelset with modern wide internal, no-tape tubeless & disc brakes, it’s easy to imagine these new Fulcrum Speed 25 wheels making you faster up those monster climbs…
Fulcrum hopes to make road cyclists rethink lightweight wheels with their new Speed 25. Most wheel progressions in recent years – deeper aero profiles, the shift to disc brakes, wider rim widths & tubeless – have all made wheels a bit heavier. But the Speed 25 proves that modern road wheels don’t have to be heavier.
For riders tackling monster climbs, lightweight still rules. And just as much for cyclists who cover massive distances, lower profile wheels mean less negative impact in wind-prone environments and simply more vertical compliance. Fulcrum claims that longer spokes, shallower rim depths and front & rear asymmetric rim shapes allow them to tune sprint-ready responsiveness while retaining ultra-distance comfort.
The one spec everyone will care about in these 26mm deep carbon wheels is their complete wheelset weight of just 1285g.
That is with a wide modern 21mm internal width and an aero optimized 27.6mm wide outer profile, a hooked 2-Way Fit tubeless rim profile that works with tubes or not, centerlock disc brakes, 12mm thru-axles, compatibility with all modern road drivetrains, and made 100% in Europe.
They get Campy’s proven USB ceramic bearings (50% less drag than premium steel bearings).
They feature simple external nipples but use MoMag tech that yields a continuous carbon rim bed without spoke holes, meaning no tape required for tubeless setup and a perfect leak-free, trouble-free tubeless setup forever. They also come straight out of the mold with UV-stable resin that means no extra paint or clearcoat to add weight, and a low-key matte finish that will make any bike look more stealthy.
Fulcrum also builds the wheels with 24 aero bladed double-butted spokes front & rear, and front & rear-specific lacing. But they also design each’s specific crossed lacing patterns, their 36T/10° engagement alloy hubs, and molded-in aligned spoke holes so that no two spokes touch as they cross. It might not seem like a big deal, but Fulcrum says it ensures consistent performance for the long lifetime of the wheels, and a guarantee of no unexpected squeaks.
The new ultralight carbon Fulcrum Speed 25 wheels are available to carry you up the climbs today, starting at $2750 / 2186€. The Campagnolo-based wheels are cheapest with a Shimano HG11 freehub, but you can get them for SRAM XDR or Campy N3W for around ten bucks more.
Interestingly, UK cyclists will pay the same £ 1999.99 no matter what mountain climbing drivetrain compatibility they prefer.
Cory Benson is the EU Tech Editor of Bikerumor.com.
Cory has been writing about mountain bikes, enduro, cyclocross, all-road, gravel bikes & bikepacking on and off for over 25 years, since before several of these even had names in our industry.
Prior to that (and at times, concurrently), Cory worked as an Architect specializing in environmental sustainability, a IBD bike shop designer & consultant, an independent product designer, a bike shop mechanic, and a mountain biking instructor.
Based in the Czech Republic for over 15 years, Cory spends much of his time traveling around Europe, riding bikes, and meeting directly with many of cycling’s key European product developers, industry experts & tastemakers for an in-depth review of what’s new, and what’s coming next. A technical off-road rider at heart since the 1990s, Cory’s cycling has evolved to cover everything from the wide range of riding aero road bikes on dirt roads to thrashing enduro bikes in the European bikeparks & trail centers, with plenty of XC, CX & gravel in between.
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2X/2X on the rear and 3X/0X on the front? Shorter hub flanges?
Zipp 454 NSW 1358gram 58mm tall. WTF would you buy the Speed 25’s
Shallower and heavier than Zipp 353 NSWs and Roval Alpinist CLX IIs. Barely lighter than Aeolus RSL 37s. And they aren’t Campagnolo branded so you don’t even get that “cachet.”
Remain the question on stiffness the Alpinist being noodles, specially the front wheel. And for climbing out of the saddle it matters.
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