Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Alternative wheelset conundrum

I currently have a set of Vision T42 wheels on my ‘best’ bike. I’ve had them for 5 years and they’ve always been great. In previous years I’ve alternated with the original wheels I had on the bike that I used when the weather was bad or it was very windy (the Visions are pretty good but when it’s really blowing across you do feel some force pushing you sideways).

I upgraded my groupset to 11 speed this summer and the original wheels have a 10 speed tiagra hub so are no use any more.

I’d like to get a set of lighter and shallower wheels that could serve for hilly and windy days. I’ve built a set of wheels for my CX bike using DT Swiss R460 rims and 350 hubs, which have come out really well with Schwalbe s-one tubeless tyres on. So I’d like these to be tubeless too.

My initial thought was to build a set of DT Swiss wheels using RR411 20h/24h on 240s hubs - these would be under 1500g, but I’ve been told they’ll be quite flexible (I weigh 85kg). And the build cost would be around £500 for the wheelset alone, plus skewers, tyres, tape and valves.

Alternatively I was thinking of the Fulcrum racing 3 two way for, I’ve seen some quite good pricing for these, though they are a few years old so have a 15mm internal/20.5 external rather than the wider 18mm internal of the RR411. However for half the cost roughly I think that’s an acceptable downside (they’re only 60g heavier too).

I want a set of wheels that aren’t too wide - ideally the same (21mm) external width as my visions with an aluminium brake track - then I can change quickly without having to mess around each time.

Has anyone any experience of using the fulcrum wheels with Schwalbe Pro Ones? Should the fact they are a few years old put me off?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

Add new comment

1 comments

Avatar
FatAndFurious | 7 years ago
0 likes

I have a set of 2013 Fulcrum 3 two-way fit yet never using tubeless, owing to buying them at a stupidly good discount. 

I've found them to be pretty much bomb-proof. They are still straight and round after 20,000km,  on roads which are mostly without potholes. The very very minor niggles are:

* One of the flat bladed spokes has worked its way a quarter of a turn around, and doesn't turn with the nipple.

* The front wheel bearings were pretty tight - it spun down quite quickly. However, since the bearings are cup/cone and with their "allen-key only" adjustment, that was very easy to resolve.

* Rear wheel hub noise is a bit raspy for my taste.

Width wise, they are wider than the stock wheels which came with my bike (from 7 years ago), but it's only 3 turns on the brake barrel adjuster to bring the blocks out enough. I'd be surprised if you had to do much more.

My summary: a totally dependable wheel and a good notch up from "stock" wheels for a reasonable price.

Latest Comments