If you loved the shark-tooth aero profile of Fulcrum’s latest Sharq carbon road and gravel wheels, but couldn’t stomach the high price, than these new Soniq 42 wheels might be perfect for you. The new Fulcrum Soniq 42 keeps the exact same 2-wave rim shape with its variable 42-47mm depth, but is 35% cheaper thanks to a more economical carbon layup and wheel build that’s only 155g heavier.
Fulcrum Soniq 42 variable-depth aero carbon all-road wheels
A little over a year after launching the carbon Sharq 42 with its biomimicry offset 2-wave, variable-depth aerodynamic profile, and just two months after the deeper Sharq 57, Fulcrum is back with a more affordable Soniq 42 all-road wheelset. The wavy aero rim shape is the same – the exact same 42-47mm depth and 25mm wide hooked 2-Way-Fit internal. Just now, the carbon rim gets made overseas from a slightly lower but more comfortable carbon spec, and gets laced up in a more conventional wheelbuild to cut $728/870€ off the pricetag.
What’s different with Soniq compared to the Sharq?
With aerodynamics probably most affected at the rim, there’s really no functional difference there between the new Soniq 42 and the original Sharq 42. What is different is a slightly lower carbon spec, resulting in a slightly heavier but also more comfortable rim.
Then, instead of 2:1 lacing with aero butted spokes for the Sharqs, the Sonic sticks to 24 straight-gauge round stainless spokes, and a symmetrical 2x lacing with straightpull spokes. Also, the Soniqs get sealed steel bearings instead of cup & cone ceramics.
There is still that 155g weight penalty over the entire wheelset. But with up to 50g of that likely just from the simpler spokes, maybe that much again from less fancy hubs & steel bearings, there’s not likely to be much extra weight left in each of the two carbon rims, even with a lower grade of carbon. It is likely that you could notice the weight difference picking the two wheelsets up side-by-side. But <1600g is still respectable for an aero wheelset that is up for both road and gravel use.
And quite likely, Fulcrum’s claimed aero benefits could easily offset a little extra weight, while keeping your wallet heavier at the same time. Plus, they claim the 2-wave design is especially effective at reducing drag with wide tires, both headlong or into crosswinds.
Tech details
- FF80 mid-to-hi-mod carbon mix construction (vs. FF100 for the Sharqs)
- 2-Wave aerodynamic rim profile
- 42-47mm depth
- 25mm internal width with 29.8mm external (for 30mm and wider tires)
- 2-Way Fit hooked tubeless-ready profile
- continuous MoMag rim bed with no spoke holes, meaning it’s tubeless-ready without tape
- straight out of the mold matte resin finish with no added clearcoat, with water transfer graphics
- 24 round, straight-gauge stainless spokes & external alloy nipples front & rear
- AFS centerlock disc brake hubs from the Wind-series wheels with 12mm thru-axles
- adjustable-preload sealed cartridge bearings
- HG, MS12, XDR & N3W freehubs available
- rated for road & gravel use, up to 120kg (265lb) rider+bike
- engineered in Italy, not made in Europe
- 1595g total wheelset weight (claimed)
Fulcrum Soniq 42 aero wheels – Pricing, options & availability
The new, more affordable MY2026 Fulcrum Soniq 42 aero carbon all-road wheels aren’t exactly cheap, still selling for $2079 / 1590€. That makes them about 25% cheaper than the Sharqs, but still 11% more than Fulcrum’s Wind series, which share much of the same tech with a conventional aero rim profile.
The new Soniq wheels are available now at Fulcrum retailers globally, tubeless-ready out of the box without rim tape, and include tubeless valves. Pick from Shimano HG, MicroSpline, SRAM XDR, or Campagnolo N3W freehub bodies to fit them to all the latest road or gravel bike groupsets.
