|
|
FEATURES: FULCRUM GOES TUBELESS FOR 2009
Phil Booth
July 24, 2008
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
As we mentioned in our 2009 Campagnolo story, after two years of testing, Fulcrum firmly believes that tubeless tires are the future for road racing wheels. 2009 will see Fulcrum produce two top of the line aluminium wheelsets, the Racing1 2-Way Fit and Racing Zero 2-Way Fit. The term 2-Way Fit comes from Fulcrums unique dual-use rim profile that is suitable both for tubeless tires and standard tubes.
Much of what lead Fulcrum to develop the Racing1 2-Way Fit and Racing Zero 2-Way Fit wheels came from tests done on Hutchinson tubeless tires. The tests showed that the Hutchinson tubeless tires featured superior comfort, resistance to snakebites and increased safety if punctured. While all of these were improvements over standard tires what really convinced Fulcrum was the increase in rolling performance. With the addition of tubeless tires, the same model of Fulcrum wheel increases rolling performance by 31 percent. In laboratory tests comparing a Racing Zero clincher tire and a Racing Zero 2-Way Fit, it was found that when both wheels were taken to 40 km/h the former decelerated to 0 km/h in 160-meters and the latter in 210-meters.
Despite the advantages of tubeless tire systems, Fulcrum realized that tubeless tire choices as well as public acceptance are currently limited. For this reason Fulcrum designed the 2-Way Fit wheels for both tubeless and clincher tires. Fulcrum believes that this will allow riders to use clinchers for everyday training and tubeless on race day for better performance. The design also allows tubeless users to use a standard tube for on the road repairs. Currently, the 2-Way Fit wheels are only compatible with Hutchinson tubeless tires.
The Racing Zero 2-Way Fit and Racing1 2-Way Fit incorporate other changes compared to standard clincher versions. The front and back rims are now different heights, the front is 24-millimeters high and rear is slightly taller at 28-millimeters. This allows the weight of the front rim to be reduced while the rear is stiffer to transmit the rider’s power more effectively. The Racing 1 2-Way Fit wheelset feature aluminum hubs, and weighs in at 1530-grams. The Racing Zero 2-Way fit wheelset upgrades to carbon hubs with aluminum flanges and weighs 1470-grams. Both wheelsets feature radial laced sixteen spoke front wheels, while the rear wheels have twenty-one spokes with a two to one lacing pattern. The spokes are double-butted aluminum with an aerodynamic profile. The Racing1 2-Way Fit and Racing Zero 2-Way Fit wheelsets are compatible with both Campagnolo and Shimano cassettes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|