Tubeless Fulcrum Racing 1 2Way Fit Wheels

I am always wary of the latest flavor of the month products in our industry, too often are they over engineered, under-tested products that either change significantly in the first year or disappear entirely.

Our friends at QBP/Fulcrum were kind enough to loan us a pair of Racing 1 Tubeless wheels to try out. I have been riding tubeless mountain wheels for a number of years now with great success, I love them. That said, I was a bit skeptical with the road equivalent until now. The idea behind tubeless tires is less rolling resistance at lower tire pressure, lower or equivalent weight and no pinch flats. It's all true!

First off, my apollogies to the photo pros out there but I didn't clean these wheels up for the photos. That's because it's been raining every day and I've been beating the hell out of them. My experience after riding them for a month has been great. The first thing I noticed was that they are extremely comfortable. By running lower pressure, the tires are more supple even though the casing is thicker. Since there is no tube, the tire can absorb bumps and texture in the road more effectively and the contact patch with the ground is pretty much the same. This helps them roll very efficiently. They also corner very well. I put them through the ringer too, I've ridden them on fire roads, made an effort NOT to avoid pot holes and have pushed them in every way I can. Since I've been riding them I havn'e had a single flat! The system works. Fast, comfortable, durable, no pinch flats and solid in the corners, what more can you ask for?

So what's the down side? I like to keep these reviews as unbiased as I can so here goes. The only negative thing at this point is lack of tire selection. So far the only manufacturer is Hutchinson and they make three different tires. These tires are quite different from Hutchinson's standard line. All that on the table, the tires they supplied with the wheels are the Hutchinson Fusion 2 Tubeless and they are great. They make one lighter (the Atom) and one heavier (the Intensive).
The Atom is about 270 grams which is comparable to some light weight standard clinchers.

The wheels themselves are solid too. They are a great wheel for big guys and the weight is comparable to most wheels in this price range so they are well rounded. They have Campy Record hub internals and they've held up well under the abuse they've seen since I've been on them. They accelerate very well and are very torsionaly rigid.


In general, I expect that tubeless road technology will catch on sooner or later as more manufacturers get on board. The system works and the key players, Campagnolo, Fulcrum and Shimano are already moving forward. This is a solid system that does everything the marketing suggests. Want to try a pair out, give us a call and test out these wheels.