Fulcrum Rapid Red 5 DB gravel wheelset

The new Fulcrum Rapid Red 5 DB gravel/adventure wheelset competes well against some of the best in the market in terms of price, stiffness and weight. The wheels are tough, too, taking plenty of abuse.

• Pros: Decent weight for a solid build; tyres fit easily
• Cons: Rear hub bearings a little rough out of the box

Fulcrum has a huge catalogue of wheels, but the one thing that's been missing is a gravel range. Now, though, it has released the Rapid Red 5 DB. All the modern trends are there, like a wide, tubeless-ready rim bed, Centerlock disc mounting and thru-axle compatibility.

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The 24mm-deep rim is aluminium, as you'd expect at this price, and to suit the wider tyres found on adventure bikes it is 23mm internally (28mm external), not quite as wide as the Hunt 4 Season Gravel Disc X-Wide wheels but still offering a great profile when paired with the 40mm Continental Terra Speed Pro Protection tyres currently on test.

Fulcrum says that tyres between 32mm and 46mm will give optimal performance, and I found the Continentals very easy to fit tubeless – our test wheels came with tubeless tape ready fitted – and a set of 35mm Goodyear Transit Tour urban tyres went on simply with a tube inside.

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With tyres fitted, it was time to hit the trails and off-road tracks...

The Rapid Reds proved themselves to be stiff when ascending the long, steep road climb I have to take to get to my playground of gravel byways. They gave no feeling of any lateral flex as I hauled my way up the hill out of the saddle, and once on the gravel they felt just as tight when riding, braking and steering hard.

The front wheel uses 24 spokes laced up with 16 on the brake side in a two-cross pattern, and the other side of the hub getting just eight spokes crossing once.

The rear has the same number in a similar pattern, this time with the 16 laced two-cross on the drive side to resist the power going through the cassette, and the other eight on the non-drive/braking side.

Some gravel wheels come with 28 or even 32 spokes for added strength but I found the Fulcrums to be fine for quick riding off the beaten track. They took plenty of abuse, hitting potholes and tree roots at speed, and I had no issues with trueness at the start or the end of the test period. I would like to have seen brass nipples rather than aluminium, as the latter can corrode after prolonged use in tough conditions.

The hubs themselves are pretty chunky looking affairs, which gives a sense of robustness, and although the sealed cartridge bearings in the rear wheel were a little rough when I first collected the wheels, they soon smoothed out once they'd covered about 50 miles for everything to bed in.

If you aren't a fan of noisy freehubs then you'll like the Fulcrum one as it makes just a murmur when you stop pedalling. It is available in HG11 (Shimano splines) and SRAM XDr, like we have here.

Like most gravel bikes on the market, the Fulcrums accept 12mm diameter thru-axle spindles, and in the box you also get a pair of 15mm adaptors for the front wheel if you need them.

When it comes to value, the Rapid Reds offer a good balance of performance and weight for their £349.99 rrp.

At 1,650g (including tubeless tape) they weigh 115g less than the Hunts I mentioned earlier, although the Hunts felt much lighter than that in the real world so the difference is negligible. The Fulcrums are £25 more expensive, though you'll no doubt be able to get them cheaper at retail.

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The Hunts feel slightly nicer to ride, too, and their hubs were smoother than the Fulcrums, but I'm talking a very small margin here. They also have a slightly higher recommended max rider weight of 115kg compared to the 109kg of the Fulcrums.

A similar build to the Fulcrums are the FSA Afterburner AGX wheels. They are also solid and can take plenty of abuse like the Fulcrums, but are £270 more expensive and 130g heavier.

Overall, the Fulcrum Rapid Racing 5 DBs are a welcome addition to the gravel market, offering an all-round decent performance and sensible weight without breaking the bank.

Verdict

Tough set of gravel wheels with plenty of stiffness for not a lot of money