Recent off some Kansas gravel racing, Fulcrum formally unveil their all-new Sharq aero carbon wheels. However Fulcrum says they’re not only for gravel, as a substitute designing the Sharqs of their Purple Room R&D Lab to make all street using quicker – from tarmac to grime. Not the primary to show to biomimicry inspiration to optimize wheel aerodynamics, the Fulcrum Sharq takes a chunk out of the wind with a singular third-dimensional wavy sharktooth design.
Fulcrum Sharq aero carbon street & gravel race wheels
Wavy wheels already stand out from the gang, however these new Fulcrum Sharq take it to the subsequent degree with what they name their “2-Wave” design. As an alternative of simply various the depth of the centerline of the rim like we’ve seen from different wheelbuilders, these wheels function a way more complicated form to chop via the wind.
Recent off Unbound the place Mattia De Marchi rode the wheels to a fifth place, it’s apparently Fulcrum’s twentieth anniversary. They usually’re saying these new wheels are formally the primary they’ve designed “particularly for endurance and all street use“. That’s undoubtedly to not say they aren’t race wheels, simply that the don’t actually pigeonhole themselves as both street or gravel. These are aero quick in-betweeners, developed to make just about each dropbar bike trip quicker.
OK, so what the true cope with the shark enamel waves?
What’s new with the Sharq 2 Wave?
The two-Wave rim is what’s actually new. The Sharq’s patent-pending wave form undulates barely from a direct side-on perspective. It’s 47mm deep on the spokes, however 5mm shallower in between.
However the really distinctive component is how the second wave is shifted and offset in 3D, because it strikes away from the centerline of the rim. The result’s that the rim part varies from a extra flat-sided blunt-nose profile on the spoke, to a barely extra V-shaped aero profile about 1/4 of the best way in entrance of the spoke on the backside of the wheel.
Fulcrum explains that this particular 3D asymmetrical design higher manages airflow over the carbon rim and large tires, each lowering aerodynamic drag immediately into the wind and in crosswinds. They declare a “21% enchancment in winds from 0° to 10° and as much as 30% between 10° and 20°” vs. a conventional aero rim profile of the identical depth.
New A3RO spokes, too
Maintaining the brand new wheels serviceable, Fulcrum builds them with exterior nipples and new straight-pull stainless-steel spokes. Which does imply they’re now proprietary. These spokes function a brand new butted and bladed profile that’s 3mm large x 0.8mm thick within the middle. They usually get a semi-cross-shaped shoulder on the spherical spoke head to take a seat firmly within the matching gap within the hub with out rotating.
Tech particulars
Fulcrum makes the brand new Sharq rims with a brand new proprietary FF100 mixture of carbon and resin for light-weight. They usually’re capable of lay them up exactly so there’s no ending require after they come out of the mildew – simply laser-etched graphics and water-transfer logos.
They offer the Sharq a 25mm inner width, with a mini-hook that ensures protected compatibility with all tires 30mm and up. And it matches with their safe 2-Approach-Match tubeless or tube-type idea. No drilled holes for the alloy nipples. They’re guided into place with a magnet for wheelbuilding. Which means a everlasting tubeless-ready setup with out counting on tape.
Outer rim width is 29.8mm, and the edges fluctuate from 42-47mm deep. The alloy centerlock disc hubs function basic cup & cone USB ceramic bearings for “extraordinarily exact preload and most smoothness“.
Full wheelset weight is claimed at 1440g.
Fulcrum Sharq aero wheels – Pricing, choices & availability
Fulcrum’s all-new carbon Sharq aero wheels promote for $2807 / 2460€, and can be found now. Tubeless prepared out of the field with out rim tape, the wheels include tubeless valves and wheel baggage.
Choose from Shimano HG, MicroSpline, SRAM XDR & Campagnolo N3W free hub our bodies, then match them to your street or gravel bike to go quicker!
