Wavy wheels aren’t something new, even within the gravel scene, however they’re nonetheless uncommon and never one thing many people see on a gaggle experience not to mention get to experience. Zipp has its 353 NSW and 454 NSW, and whereas the 454 is touted as an all-out street wheelset, the 353 has all-terrain ambitions. I wouldn’t say it’s a gravel wheelset, however it’s definitely all-road-esque. Likewise, Princeton’s Grit 4540 wheelset is wavy and billed as an all-road contender.
The new Sharq wheelset from Fulcrum is a primary for the Italian model in two senses. It is most clearly the model’s first foray into wavy rim profiles, however it’s additionally the primary wheelset the corporate has put out that’s marketed as an all-road product. Previously wheelsets fell into both street (Racing, Wind, or Speed wheelsets), or gravel (Rapid Red wheelsets). I’m scripting this earlier than the wheels have been launched to the general public, however my suspicion is that, regardless of the advertising, these will sit throughout the ‘gravel’ part of the web site and can be a contender for our information to one of the best gravel wheels.
While I do love pure gravel driving, my favoured off-road excursions are large days that blend up quick roads, damaged farm tracks, and quick gravel, so testing these wheels gave me a stunning excuse to do what I like. How had been they? Well, they had been nice, however there’s extra to it than that in fact.
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Design and aesthetics
Wavy rims are but to coalesce on a closing type. Princeton wheels are wavy however with an everyday symmetrical collection of peaks and troughs. Zipp’s NSW wheels are extra of a sawtooth, with an extended ‘up’ ramp and a pointy ‘down’ dropoff. The Sharq wave is one thing else completely; what the model calls “2-Wave”. It’s best to simply have a look at the pictures, however in essence, Fulcrum has blended a symmetrical wave across the nipples with an asymmetrical wave within the troughs.
This means the rim is, relying the place you measure it, someplace between 42 and 47mm in depth. That’s comparatively deep in comparison with at present’s gravel wheel market, however within the new realm of do-everything street wheels, it’s about bang-on.
Visually I believe it appears ace. I’m basically nonetheless seven years previous – I nonetheless get excited once I see a practice, a digger, or any massive ferocious animal, and so having ‘Sharq’ written on my wheels excited my interior baby. The branding is sufficiently subtle to be stylish too, with simply the trace of chrome, and the vast majority of the elaborations in black-on-black or greyscale. Mounted as much as a thin tubed gravel bike they appear a little bit deeper than they might on an aero body, however it’s a glance I actually go for.
The rim mattress is 25mm broad and has a minimal 30c tyre width. This is wider than most street rims internally, however the exterior 30mm width is narrower than one thing just like the Hunt SUB50 for instance. The rims aren’t hookless, however have ‘mini hooks’. When setting them up they only appear to be hooks to me, and contemplating all of the latest tales on the security of hookless I used to be glad to have them, regardless that I used to be utilizing 38mm rubber.
The rim mattress isn’t drilled both, so there’s no want for tubeless tape. You can run tubes, however at the present time with the width of tyres these are designed for… why would you? Tubeless valves come included.
For the spoke nerds on the market, the spokes used listed here are proprietary, with a 3mm broad aero profile, and a thickness of 0.8m. There is a little bit ovalised part close to the spoke head that meshes with the hubs to forestall them from spinning when they’re being tensioned. The spokes additionally by no means contact, in an effort to keep away from undue noise and any pressure loss over time.
At the hubs, it’s no shock to see ceramic bearings, given the worth of the wheelset. What could come as a shock is that these are in a cup and cone association, slightly than cartridge bearings. The hub finish caps function a preload adjustment ring, which the model hopes will enable customers (or mechanics) to seek out the optimum preload for optimum smoothness. I have to admit, given they had been clean out of the field, that this isn’t one thing I messed with.
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Performance
Testing wheels isn’t one thing I typically relish. The variations between wheelsets can take a while to correctly tease out, and one thing so simple as a differential tyre stress even when operating similar tyres can masks, or undo, efficiency differentials. That being stated, I used to be pleasantly stunned once I first rolled out on the Sharqs for an preliminary experience. Rarely have I seen such a distinction so instantly.
I intentionally didn’t learn the press info earlier than preliminary testing in order to not impart any prejudices. My preliminary impression was that these are completely good in windy situations. Gusts which might ordinarily buffet me in direction of oncoming visitors or make me attain for the brake lever nonetheless had some impact, however it was rather more muted.
This does tally up with the model’s claims – the Sharq, Fulcrum says, is 30% extra steady at wind angles of 10º-20º, and 21% extra steady between 0º and 10º in comparison with an equal depth spherical rim.
I’d really been operating a a lot shallower rim, the Hunt 25 CGR, previous to testing these, and the wheels felt extra steady than these. In truth, these are essentially the most steady wheels I’ve ridden within the wind. You nonetheless get buffeted, however it’s just like the distinction between a TV Licence reminder, and a courtroom summons; one you possibly can put to 1 facet for a bit, the opposite you can not ignore. In blustery situations, there’s a sense of just about driving above the wind. Some aero wheels scythe by means of, however the Sharqs float atop like a balloon, sometimes whipped at by stormy tendrils however by no means actually blown off beam.
This stability within the wind is noticeable most at velocity. The quicker you go the nearer to 0º your efficient wind yaw angle turns into, and when flying down descents the sure-footedness they communicate on the experience is phenomenal, much more so on damaged terrain or precise gravel the place sideways forces can have a higher impression.
In velocity phrases, they definitely don’t really feel fairly as whippy and responsive as a shallower depth rim, however the weight is superb at 1,440g for one thing of this depth. They by no means felt sluggish at gradual speeds, however they actually got here into their very own on rolling quick terrain. The mixture of the crosswind stability, the sleek bearings, and an almost silent freehub (one thing I completely love) imparts a sense of charity on the experience that I’ve not often skilled. It’s akin to listening to the radio a hair outdoors the correct frequency, in comparison with having it tuned completely. The particulars stand out extra; you possibly can hear the tyre noise, you possibly can really feel the wind with out worrying by it, and you may bomb a descent with out that voice in your shoulder reminding you of your individual mortality.
At slower speeds, these traits are much less pronounced, and whereas the Sharqs had been wonderful on quick gravel the differential decreased on slower, extra technical terrain. While they’re undoubtedly a succesful gravel wheelset in case your gravel driving is quick, I actually do suppose they’re greatest suited to backroad blasts and lengthy, arrow-straight horizon chasing the place your common velocity is set extra by your legs and never the terrain.
If you’re speccing one of many new breed of endurance bikes, one thing that may take 35-38mm tyres whereas nonetheless sustaining aerodynamic effectivity and racy dealing with, I believe you’d have a reasonably phenomenal package deal with these within the combine. Something just like the Ridley Grifn RS, a Specialized Roubaix, or a Basso Palta (as was the selection of Mattia de Marchi who raced them to fifth at Unbound final week).
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Value
These aren’t low-cost wheels. At €2,460 / £2,289 / $2,807 they’re in the identical ballpark because the Zipp 454 NSW. As I haven’t ridden the American set I can not immediately examine the 2, however I’m comparatively assured (having mentioned it with individuals who have) that these would give them a run for his or her cash.
Value isn’t the identical as value. These are costly wheels however they provide wonderful efficiency, eye-catching aesthetics, low weight, and a buttery clean experience. If you possibly can afford them I believe they’re well worth the worth, and can actually make your all-road machine shine.
If your thought of gravel is principally a mixture of damaged roads and tracks, and you may afford them, then these Sharq wheels ought to undoubtedly be in your shortlist. (Image credit score: Will Jones)
Verdict
A putting set of all-road wheels that carry out at their greatest on quick, rolling terrain. They make much less of a distinction on slower, technical gravel, and their actual occasion piece is how they deal with crosswinds and quick descents. Expensive, however over a primary inventory wheelset the distinction is palpable.
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Testing scorecard and notes
Design and aesthetics
Good wanting, with neat aesthetics and a novel rim profile. Cup and cone could also be a disadvantage to some although.
9/10
Performance
On the correct terrain – flowing all-road and quick gravel – they’re distinctive, clean, and silent
10/10
Weight
Somewhat heavier than the 454NSW, however not by a lot, and that is with a wider rim profile
9/10
Tubeless Compatibility
No tape wanted, and whereas my seating was a little bit of a wrestle, as soon as seated they had been completely hermetic
8/10
Value
Expensive, however you get what you pay for. Not a cut price, however definitely not a ripoff both.
