Fulcrum Racing 5 CX Review

by Simon · 04/12/2012

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component provider, rather than mixing and matching.

Campagnolo’s new brand, compatible with Shimano and SRAM was a genius marketing move: do they have the product to back it up?

At £229, the Racing 5 is competing with some tough players in the market including Shimano’s RS 30 wheel set, the cheaper Mavic Aksium, the Ritchey Logic Pro Zeta and for £30 or so more, Easton’s EA50.

Why are these wheels worth a second look? Fulcrum wheels are differentiated from their competition by a few unique features. We discuss this in some detail in the Racing 5 CX preview, but we’ll walk through a quick summary here.

First, the wheels use a unique lacing on the rear wheel that Fulcrum claims increases strength and lateral rigidity.

The 24 spoke rear wheel includes 16 spokes on the drive side and 8 on the non-drive side: the 2:1 system also incorporates an asymmetric rear hub (to even spoke tension) and straight spokes with squared heads that slot into the hub body (to ensure spokes do not de-tension over time).

Second, the wheels are built by hand and machine-tested: although machine builds are quicker, hand builds are generally

Underneath the dust cap, the extra seal of the CX version is visible. The hub is dirty from 3 weeks of abuse, but the bearing is clean. The secondary seal is a useful addition.

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accepted as a more precise method for ensuring consistent spoke tension and wheel builds. Every wheel includes an identification card with a named builder who must confirm the wheel meets quality criteria before boxing and shipping.

Fulcrum offers two versions of the Racing 5, one for the road and one for cyclo-cross. The wheels share a common build structure and even very similar decals. The significant difference between the two is the bearing seals: the cyclo-cross version of the wheel includes a more