There are a lot of sexy wheel options out there, and the trends of wider and more aero quickly drown out anything not pushing the boundaries of size or weight. And yet, Fulcrum sits back, nods, and makes some darn fine gravel wheels for regular riders who just want something that’s easy to setup, spins like glass on ice, and handles superbly.
If that sounds like you’re kind of wheel, read on…
When I agreed to test these wheels, it was in part because I wanted something lighter for a Campagnolo Ekar-equipped bike. Fulcrum, which is the sister brand for Campy, made sense. And, when you compare specs, Fulcrum wheels often have most of the design features and technology of Campagnolo wheels, but cost a lot less, so it was intriguing.
The TL;DR is this: these things spin like there’s no tomorrow, set up tubeless super easy, and handle great. They’re also reasonably light.
Actual Weights, Measures & Tech Details
Claimed weight is 1490g, without accessories. Actual weights are:
- Front wheel: 682g
- Rear wheel: 793g
- Valve stems: 8g
- Rotor lock rings: 23g
Combined, the wheels are 1475g with a Campy N3W freehub body. They offer HG, XDR, N3W, and Micro Spline options.
Total weight, ready to roll with included accessories, is 1,506g. That’s without tubeless tape, and that’s because these need NO rim tape to set them up tubeless. Here’s why:
Save for the valve stem hole, their rim bed is undrilled, yielding a continuous surface with no holes to cover with tape. This is convenient during setup, sure, but there’s an even more important reason why this is awesome. Ever plugged a tire and pushed the poker all the way in and through the rim tape? I have, and it sucks, and then you have to put a tube in. Can’t happen with these rims, and that’s awesome.
Spoke nipples are inserted through the valve stem opening, then they use magnets to pull the spoke nipples through the rim cavity. It’s called Mo-Mag, and the solid rim bed is their 2-Way Fit, meaning, you can fit tubeless or tube-type tires.
The rims are also ultra smooth. They call this the C-Lux Finish. It’s supposed to make tire installation easier, and along with the recessed center channel, it seems to work.
They’re hooked, with small lips on the bead seat, too. Combined, these help hold the tire’s beads in place even with low pressures. In addition to the more robust Schwalbe G-One Bites shown in the pics here, I’ve been running some super-supple, lightweight Challenge TLR 40mm tires on them and both fit and perform great at reasonably low pressures.
Claimed dimensions are 25mm internal and 30.5mm external, with a 30mm depth. I measured them at 24.68mm internal and 30.88mm external.
Fulcrum says they’re compatible with 29mm to 76mm tires. I’d say the sweet spot is 40 to 45 for gravel, but they’ll work with a wider range, making them great for all-road days with 32’s, too.
It’s worth noting that they make no claims about aerodynamics, but these have a basic oblong profile with an S-shaped asymmetry (see next photo).
Nowadays, it seems the aero focus is on tire+rim optimizations, hence the explosion of ultra-wide, deeper rims, but not everyone needs that. Most of my rides are at a more casual pace, exploring random backroads and trails. For that type of riding, shallower wheels are typically more compliant, and these balance ride quality with weight and price in a way that just…works.
The rims have an asymmetric profile, with a bit of a groove on one side. Fulcrum adds a raised platform for the valve stem so that it seats flat and stays straight. It’s a nice touch.
Photo above shows the groove more clearly. It’s not subtle, but also not obnoxious. If visual symmetry is your thing, you may not like that the groove is on the drive side in the rear (offsetting against the cassette) and non-drive in the front (offsetting against the brake rotor). Honestly, I hadn’t even noticed this until I checked it while writing this review…it’s never bothered me.
Other details you should know:
- Stainless steel double-butted, straight-pull spokes
- 24 spokes front and rear
- Alloy nipples
- Aluminum hub shells
- Adjustable cup-and-cone bearings
- Center Lock brake mounts
- 3-Pawl / 40 teeth / 9º engagement
- 100% hand built
- Weight-balanced to offset valve stem
The low-gloss black ano on the hub is further muted with laser etched graphics. Typically, I’m not a fan of a lot of graphics, but these are subtle and add a little something without standing out. I like it, and I’m glad there’s no bright right Fulcrum logo on them. Same goes for the rims…their decals are dark gray for a clean apparence no matter what color bike you put them on.
The wheels come with this little pouch, valve stems, tire levers, and valve core removal bits.
Fulcrum Racing Red Carbon Ride Review
Most of my gravel riding happens at Uwharrie National Forest, on and around the OHV trails. Why? Because Greensboro has a severe lack of dirt roads, so we travel for gravel. Which means the rides are day killers, typically with 3-5 hours of riding on everything from packed gray gravel to orange Carolina clay.
Also plenty of rocks. From small to chunky to slabs, there’s plenty to smack a tire on. While I don’t recall any particularly hard impacts during my testing, I can also say there’s not a scratch on the rims. Just dust. And dirt. But no scratches. Which is saying something, because I’ve had these wheels for a long time now…they came out in 2021 and I received them shortly after that.
By the numbers, a 9º hub engagement sounds slow. And it is…for mountain bikes. For road and gravel it’s fine, and this is another area where I hadn’t even noticed until I counted the teeth inside the hub to calculate the number (Fulcrum doesn’t publish this spec).
The upside is that they’re really quiet when coasting. Not silent, but not even half way to obnoxious. So, you have the satisfying sound of a freewheel coasting, but you can still hear nature and your buddy’s dad jokes.
Overall, I’ve enjoyed these wheels and continue to do so. They’re all around great performers, but there is one thing that stands out about them – they spin so gosh darn smooth.
This is a hard thing to put into words, but once you’ve held a wheel like this and spin the axle between your fingers, you’ll know. Some hubs just spin more smoothly than others, and when you get one this sublime, you remember it. It’s just a delicious feeling and you wanna keep spinning it. It’s like a complete absence of… anything. No vibration, friction, drag…anything. Which is everything.
The only downside? They’re still not cheap. MSRP ranges from €1,582 to €1,596 depending on freehub body. That’s about $1,856 as of May 2026. In a world where you can get pretty good wheels for $1,200 to $1,500, it’s a question of whether flawless tubeless performance and ultra-smooth hubs are worth a premium to you. If you’re on the fence, just go spin them in your hand and you’ll be sold.
The post Fulcrum Rapid Red Carbon Gravel Wheels Review appeared first on Bikerumor.