Fulcrum has two new sets of mountain bike trail wheels in their revamped Metal Carbon and ALX. Promising “ultra-light design and unrivaled resistance”, the new Fulcrum Metal mountain bike wheels are wider, lighter, and tougher. And of course, they aren’t all metal – offering carbon or aluminum rim options to fit a wide range of mountain biker budgets looking to upgrade their trail bike…
2024 Fulcrum Metal Carbon & Metal ALX trail MTB wheels
The brand Fulcrum may first conjure up images of wheels on dropbar bikes in our minds, but their mountain bike wheels have been around for more than 15 years. In the past few years, their Red Zone cross-country wheels had seen the most off-road development. And last winter Fulcrum again overhauled their Red Zone Carbon+ XC wheels, making them lighter and stiffer.
That apparently led to more riders shredding those light XC wheels harder and harder. So now, it’s time for the proper trail bike Metal wheel family to get its own rider-focused upgrade… “seamlessly blending the high performance requirements of the trail with the need for agility and resistance”.
What’s new?
Compared to the last generation of Metal 3 alloy wheels, these new Metals are a big step up – whether you go carbon or stick with aluminum.
The carbon wheels feature an all-new wider rim, with a 32mm internal width optimized for the wider 2.4-2.6″ tires dominating recent trends in more aggressive trail and all-mountain riding.
Fulcrum adapts their wavy double asymmetric “Nip(ple) Force” design tech from lighter XC wheels to balance lateral stiffness and vertical stress absorption for the best of both worlds. That results in a rim that covers out 6mm from the centerline on the disc side and then 3.5mm out on the driveside. They also get the Fulcrum’s top-tier DRSC (Directional Rim-Spoke Coupling) tech, which places a polymer insert under the spoke head to better distribute force into the carbon rim and prevent galvanic corrosion that can ultimately damage a wheel over time.
On the alloy front, the new Metal ALX wheels aim to offer top performance at a more accessible pricepoint. They stick with a 30mm internal width, mainly to keep weight down. The rim is shallower than the carbon a bit too, machining in between each spoke hole to further reduce weight without reducing strength.
Tech details
Shared specs between both new Metal wheelsets
- Trail-rated for ASTM Category 4, which also includes all-mountain to light enduro riding
- 29″ only with low profile rims
- 2-Way Fit hookless tubeless – compatibility with tubes or tubeless setups
- straight-pull alloy hubs with alloy freehub bodies
- cup & cone adjustable bearings
- centerlock disc brake
- Boost thru-axles – 15×110 & 12x148mm
- 24 front / 28 rear spokes
- round double-butted stainless steel spokes (1.6mm on carbon, 1.8mm on alloy)
- self-locking aluminum nipples
- light eMTB compatible – max 60Nm motor- with OEM steel freewheel, or available separately
- 125kg / 275lb combined rider+bike weight limit
Fulcrum Metal Carbon
- full carbon FF80 rim
- undrilled MoMag rim bed for tubeless setups without rim tape
- 32mm internal width
- 26.2mm deep x 37mm wide external
- 1550g complete alloy wheelset (claimed)
Fulcrum Metal ALX
- 6069 aluminum alloy rim, welded joint & machined between the spokes
- 30mm internal width
- 18.6mm deep x 34.2mm wide external
- 1860g complete alloy wheelset (claimed)
2024 Fulcrum Metal Trail MTB wheels – Pricing, options & availability
The new Fulcrum Metal trail bike wheels are available now in either carbon or aluminum versions – both designed in Italy & made in the EU. The new 2024 Fulcrum Metal Carbon wheels sell for $1872 / 1640€ with either MicroSpline or XD freehubs.
Then, the alloy 2024 Fulcrum Metal ALX wheels sell for a more affordable $742 / 650€ and include options for Shimano HG, MicroSpline, or SRAM XD freehubs.
