Fulcrum Red Metal 5 Wheels

Was contemplating a pair of these, anyone used them or have any opinions, experience of them ?

I've had a pair about 6 months now and I am very happy with them. Engagement is very fast, weight is ok and the strength/build has been excellent at taking the brunt of some ungraceful line choices.

The only thing that annoyed me at first was that the bearing preload collar on the rear hub needed tightening after every ride. A bit of threadlock sorted that though.

imho, they're much better than the (older) Mavic Crossrides they replaced. None of that straight-pull spoke nonsense either.

Thinking of getting these, seem to have some good reviews. I was a little confused by the 20mm axle thing, but it seems this is just the axle and they are normal QR.

Also read on another forum here (last post) that they are cup & cone, yet all descriptions state sealed cartridge – anybody else shed any light on this?

For £135 delivered they seem good value.

I didn't understand the cup-and-cone bit either (it was even mentioned in some stuff from Fulcrum iirc) but I had a little look before I mounted them and they are definitely sealed cartridge. Same with the axle, it's 20mm internally but standard QR ends. Apparently thereäs no way to change it for 20mm thru-axle.

£135 is very good. I got mine from Germany for about £150 inc. postage, which was still at least £40 cheaper than any UK store. I think it was actionbikes.de where I got mine. They have a lot of 'lowest European price' guarentees on their stock, so it might be worth a look there if you haven't already.

I have a pair for a few months now, quite light, have stayed true, nice loud clicky freehub. I don't think fulcrum make anything with cup and cone.

The stickers peel off easy and then they look much better

I have the 3's and Im really surprised at how well they are standing up to abuse. Not had to have them trued once since I've had them.

I did have an annoying problem with them where it wouldnt freewheel and I never worked it out, loosened the freehub a little and it works amazingly well. Which is a bit of a known issue apparently.

OK, sounds like the guy on mtbr may not know what a cup & cone is…

Could it be he/she was referring to a locknut that pre-loads the bearing? Does it have these?

£135 was cheapest I found in Germany, delivered, can't see it being an issue as I'd imagine any warranty (2 yrs I think) would be honoured by the Fulcrum distributor in the UK.