Fulcrum Racing has taken their popular mid-depth aero carbon road tubulars raced by the pros and developed a clincher version to appeal more to the amateur road rider. At 40mm & 55mm deep respectively the new Speed 40C & Speed 50C clinchers should offer a high-performance option for amateur racing roadies looking to upgrade their road bikes. Sure a full carbon set of road wheels doesn’t come cheap. But more riders are looking for that aero carbon advantage and Fulcrum has built a reputation for fast rolling & durable wheels…
The new Speed 40C & 50C carbon road clincher wheels get a lot of the same tech as the tubular versions. That includes the same fast rolling USB ceramic bearings, straight-pull aero spokes & oversized rear hub flange, plus radial front & 2:1 rear lacing.
The new carbon road clincher rims get updated carbon construction & fiber orientation to keep weight low, even dealing with high road pressures and rim brake heat build-up. Campy I mean Fulcrum calls the new look ‘Longitudinal Twill’, developed to build a stronger but still more compliant rim. The front hub shell even gets the same new fibers.
Of course braking is key on carbon rims, and above all on full carbon road clincher wheels. So Fulcrum puts the same lasered AC3 (All Conditions Carbon Control) brake track tech on the new wheels that was developed back on the new Campagnolo Bora carbon clinchers earlier this summer. They made some bold claims then of the AC3 Boras outperforming pretty much every other carbon wheel on the market both in dry & wet conditions, so it’s good to see them spreading that around. Everyone deserves better carbon rim braking.
Speed 40C carbon road clincher wheels
The Speed 40C is the more versatile option. Deep enough for an aero boost, but less affected by winds. At 1420g for the pair, the 40mm deep, 1922€ Speed 40C gets a 17mm internal width (24.2mm external) to pair optimally with 25-28mm clincher tires.
Speed 50C carbon road clincher wheels
The 55mm deep Speed 55C is more of a dedicate aero wheel. So they are probably less likely to get pulled out for all around riding. At 2043€ and just 1470g, it doesn’t add much more weight but is going to be more susceptible to cross winds. It gets the same 17mm internal width. That sticks to the ETRTO 17C definition, limiting it to 25mm tires and up.
Both wheelsets share the same carbon center section front hub & aluminum rear hub. They feature 18 double butted aero radially laced spokes & aluminum nipples up front & 21 (7 left + 14 driveside) spokes in the rear. Hubsets are available for Shimano or Campagnolo cassettes, with a 109kg rider weight limit.
