Morning!

Got a Triban 5 and I have a suspicion that the wheel weight is close to 3kg and the bearings are terrible so any new wheels are going to make a huge difference.

I need delivery to Spain so Planet X or Merlin are pretty much my only options so…

Are Fulcrum Racing wheels just eye candy and if not are the 5s much better than the 7’s? The non-standard spokes put me off.

Are PX AL 30s really are bad as some people think (I NEVER ride in the rain)?

If I buy a set of Shimano R501s from PX (£65!!) will I regret not splahing out a bit more?

Any great options / bargains out there.

Ta.

I just received delivery of some Shimano R501’s from Planet X…well, actually they arrived and turned out to be R500’s 🙄

The reason I haven’t returned them is because they’re a great wheel worth a lot more! If you are happy with the weight of them then I’d say go for it. Build quality is high and they look great. Bit of a bargain to be honest, even if they are 500’s and not 501’s!

I’ve had PX Model B’s before and liked ’em, but this time chose the slightly heavier Fulcrum 5s over the current AL30s. For £150 in the Jan sales they weren’t much more than the heavier 7s, and the red nipples match PX’s cheap red Ti skewers nicely (tart).

I bought them because reviews said they were pretty bombproof, ride nicely and are reasonable £:Lb.

Hey Martin – apparently the R501s have R500 rims, hence the big R500 logos. It’s only the hub that’s different.

I’ve got R-550 (which I think are R-500’s with straight pull spokes/hubs). Can’t fault them for that price, although I only paid £35 many moons ago! My only criticism was they weren’t very stiff, but adding half a turn to each niple seemed to solve that. I was upgrading from similar heavy OEM wheels.

I’ve recently upgraded to some stans rims on novatech hubs, much much lighter again, but in terms of difference over the last wheels the shimano were 90% as good, they actualy feel faster (but probably not sufficiently to be measurable).

I have fulcrum 5s, yes they are good wheels and better (hubs) than the 7. the non-standard spokes could be an issue if they go but you don’t hear of failures really

superstar do a set of road wheels that have rebranded ally reynolds rims that are supposed to be superb vfm and CXray spokes so if they’ll post overseas then they could be the winning choice

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/pair-aksium-700-mavic-wheels-id_8164046.html

oui?

Thanks Jambon, good to know. If you want to spend under £100 I don’t think there’s a better wheelset out there (I shopped around last week).

It’s £30 a wheel, delivered, and I’d have been happy if they’d been double that.

The R500 wheels on PX are good for the money (don’t they come with the R501 hubs anyhow?). I bought them to replace my ageing Fulcrum R7s (admittedly not as good) for my Commute. At first I thought they where gash but once ran in they seem fine. 24mm rims and a silent hub if thats your thing. But for £60 notes you really cant go wrong and come with skewers!

Mine have the R501 hubs on R500 rims.

The R501 wheels still have the R500 rim, definitely!

Jay

Merlin – Supra RA30 1500g for £170.

I now have three sets of Maviic Aksiums one being six yrs old, once you’ve taken the stickers off there excellent reliable wheels for the money.

I rate the shimano RS10 better than my Fulcrum 7 wheelset.
Thing to remember with Fulcrum wheels is that on the 7 and 5 models, they remove one of the rubber seals off the sealed bearings. So they not too well sealed ..

I have had the rs10 wheels on winter bike for almost 3yrs, and they still run smooth.

I have some Aksiums but I still have the stickers on… Will I die? 🙂

Raced cross on racing 7’s both the cx and normal versions, not the lightest but strong, stayed true. After loads of racing the rims are showing signs of heavy wear and one set needs bearings but that’s nothing that isn’t to be expected from 50+ cross races.

I had Fulcrum 5s new from June and rode them all through the winter about 3 times per week, the rear hub is now trashed. They are a good wheel and roll quite fast but based on my sample of 1 I’d question the longevity in wet, salty conditions.

I now have Zondas which are racing 3s and they are a definitive improvement over the 5s so I would imagine you would notice and improvement going from 7 to 5, saying that for my winter hack that I will get in time for next year I’ll just bung 7s or whatever the Campag equivalent is as they come in cheaper than Fulcrums despite being the same wheel.

My fulcrum7s didnt last too long either. About a dozen cx races and less than 2 dozen wet/muddy rides. Luckilly a new set of bearings in wheels and freehub have restored them to as new condition .. I have kept both rubber seals in the bearings. Lets see how much longer they last this time..

Shimano rs31’s here. £130 from Planet X. Not massively light, but damn stiff and look amazing with usual shimano quality.

beanum – Member
I have some Aksiums but I still have the stickers on… Will I die?

POSTED 13 HOURS AGO #

Eventually yes,

Thing to remember with Fulcrum wheels is that on the 7 and 5 models, they remove one of the rubber seals off the sealed bearings. So they not too well sealed ..

Indeed they do. I’ve done 2 sets recently, one not a year old. I’m not impressed with Fulcrum at all. For budget wheels, go Shimano every time.