From Vicenza (Italy), the Fulcrum team has revealed the latest project they have been working on for the last few months: the Speed ​​25. Inspired by the Racing Light XLR model, renowned for its long history of victories in professional cycling, the Italian brand engineering team designed a wheelset made to obtain maximum performance when climbing mountains without giving up great riding in all kinds of situations.

We had the opportunity to test the new Fulcrum in the last Road Bike Connection and, although the expectations before the test were already good, the satisfaction of riding them was even greater.

The right balance

Finding an ideal balance between weight and aerodynamics is a major challenge, and even more so in the field of cycling wheels, since the product has undergone great updates and improvements over the years.

In the case of the Speed ​​25, the team in Fulcrum found a great formula that combines the latest innovations with a great design, which has allowed them to obtain a set of wheels that are efficient and very light (1,285 g), perfect for lovers of mountain passes.

Both rims have a 26 mm profile, symmetrical for the front wheel and asymmetrical for the rear, and a 21 mm internal width. As for the spokes, they are flat to improve aerodynamics and do not touch each other in order to have a perfect alignment from the nipple to the spoke, which translates into enhanced durability, strength and stiffness. Finally, the hub has been redesigned to be lighter without losing reliability and the ability to resist high torques.

The Fulcrum Speed ​​25 are wheels designed for tubeless setups and are only available for disc brakes.

Finish and technology

The first impression we got when we saw the new Fulcrum was really positive. In our meeting with the Fulcrum team a few months ago, we noticed several upgrades that caught our interest.

We were very surprised to discover that the rims do not have holes on the rim bed for the spoke nipples, which allows to use the wheels without the need of a rim tape before mounting the tires. In addition, it also allows them to have a completely uniform rim at all points, being free of tension areas.

An interesting fact of this technology, the MoMag™, is that to install the spokes you have to insert the nipples in the wheel rim and, with the help of a magnet, move them one by one to the corresponding position. A laborious job that apparently brings considerable improvements.

Also, we liked the matte black finish that they have chosen for the Speed ​​25, and even more when we learned that it is achieved thanks to DIMF technology, which allows them to produce the rims with this appearance directly from the mold without painting treatments. It is spectacular as well as effective.

The cherry on top of the cake for this wheelset corresponds to the incorporation of USB™ ceramic bearings that guarantee an additional 50% flow compared to standard bearings.