Fulcrum Racing 5 CX Review

by Simon · 04/12/2012

[wpcol_1third id=””class=””style””]

I was immediately impressed: although the Racing 5s used a narrower, shallower tyre at a higher pressure, the ride over the bumps was much more supple than the RS-20s. I credit the shallower rim depth and the spoke design for the compliance.

Over the following three weeks, I subjected the Fulcrum Racing 5 CX wheels to significant amounts of abuse. I rode through sloppy days of grass and mud and torrential rain, rim grinding days, testing various tyre pressures down to 30psi and day after day of hose pipe wash offs.

The wheels took it all in their stride, they stayed in true with no dings or spoke tension inconsistencies and the bearings stayed smooth.

Fortunately, the wheels are easy to disassemble and rebuild. With one cone and one adjustable spanner, you can take the wheels apart, regrease and reassemble.

Worst case, at the end of a particularly bad season, the cartridge bearings can be pulled and replaced easily: the bearings are a standard size, so replacing them with Fulcrum spares or even ceramics is well within the capability of a hobbyist mechanic.

I swapped my Vittoria cyclocross tyres for some road tyres and took the cyclo-cross bike out for a spin around Richmond Park.

The Racing 5 CX is a good looking rim, although that has no impact on their performance.

[/wpcol_1third] [wpcol_1third id=”” class=”” style=””]

Immediate impressions on the higher pressure, harder rubber was that the

…………………………………………………………………..