Front bicycle wheel Fulcrum Rapid Red 3 2WF-R C24 AFS HH12 with DRP

Exploring B-roads along quiet secondary paved and unpaved roads, with some off-road sections thrown in for fun, on drop bar bikes and wider tyres is something that we know and love here at Fulcrum. The new Rapid Reds, created from a completely new project, are perfectly at home on mixed terrain. Constructed completely with a machined CNC aluminum section, which significantly lowers their weight, their 24 mm internal rim width is ideal for current frames designed around larger wheels. The celebrated 2-Way Fit Ready system allows you to run the wheels tubeless or with the classic clincher and inner tube, ensuring the widest possible compatibility with most tyres available on the market. With the various options possible, from wheel size to tyre type, you can either make this wheel extremely fast on the road or unstoppable in the most demanding off-road situations. In fact they are classified for ASTM 2 riding conditions.

TECHNOLOGY

2-WAY FIT (ROAD): We have developed our 2-Way Fit technology to ensure the perfect compatibility of our tubeless rims with normal clincher types and tubes. 2-Way Fitroad bike wheels are perfectly multipurpose for tackling every situation. Thanks to a special impression in the valve area, the tubes are fitted with the maximum precision while keeping the tube perfectly stable inside the tyre. Housing the valve for tubeless tyres is also risk-free, with the unquestionable advantage that there are never any air infiltrations caused by non-ideal positioning when fitting.

RDB RIM DYNAMIC BALANCE: The concept is simple and elegant: balance the weight of the gasket, with an item of similar weight placed on the exact opposite side. For top models, this is obtained by a special operation on the section of the rim opposite the rim joint. For entry-level models, Dynamic Balance is obtained by using two oversized spokes in the section opposite the joint. The result is a wheel with perfectly balanced rotational dynamics.

2:1 TWO-TO-ONE: When you push on the pedals, the rotational force on the sprocket induces a slackening of the freewheel spokes with a consequent loss of rim tension. This results in undesirable flex of the whole wheel and an unavoidable loss of energy. Fulcrum has solved this classic cycling problem with its 2:1 Two-to-One Spoke Ratio patent, by doubling the spokes in the critical zones.

F.I.C. FULCRUM IDENTIFICATION CARD - 100% HANDMADE QUALITY: Right from its inception Fulcrum has been marked by feature that continues to this day: that is to design, prototype and industrialise all the wheels characterised by the red “F”. Indeed these take shape inside of the R&D, the leading-edge department that represents the beating heart of the Italian company. Every single component of the wheel, the materials chosen and the technologies applied are the tangible result of the effort that Fulcrum makes every day to give you maximum performance and reliability.

TRACEABILITY: A guarantee of quality. The keyword for our products is: traceable. If you find a little label attached to any Fulcrum product, do not remove it. It will provide you a guarantee in case of an ascertained defectiveness of a production batch, and so the component needed or wheel will be traceable. All this because, devoted to its mission, Fulcrum demands the absolute perfection and safety for its customers.

AFS AXLE SYSTEM: The Axial Fixing System is the solution developed by Fulcrum to fix the disc brake to the hub. The constraint granted by the butt area of the release mechanism, greater than in familiar standard ones, makes it possible to obtain greater structural rigidity and therefore more precise and powerful braking.

WIDE RIM TECH: Fulcrum’s R&D department, following requests from the competition circuit, has worked to create rims that are wider than before, about 4 mm or more than previously. This technical choice provides an ideal basis for 25/28mm tyres, the sizes currently popular. This ensures stability, excellent handling and superior comfort.

CUP & CONE: The cup-and-cone bearing differs from the classic cartridge bearing because it works in perfect alignment with the forces involved, weight and thrust from the frame, as the bearings run in a race positioned directly opposing these forces. The adjusting ring lets you pre-load the bearing, so you can eliminate side-to-side play and have optimum adjustment once the wheel is mounted on the frame.

HIGH STRENGTH ALUMINUM: Special aluminium - the best aluminium wheels require carefully chosen materials. For "High strength Aluminum", Fulcrum R&D uses only the best aluminium alloy 6082, with artificial ageing T6 temper that stabilises the alloy and gives it maximum life and reliability. Aluminium 6082 has the highest strength of the 6000 series and has replaced 6061 in many applications. It is generally used for high-stress applications.

DISC SPECIFIC RIM: compatible only with disc brakes

MONOBLOCK HUB FOR DISC: The rear hub of a top-quality disc brake wheel is a technical problem to be solved. Fulcrum’s R&D department found itself facing a fundamental choice: on which side to put the oversize flange of the Two-to-one system? Disc or sprocket side? Without question - must stay on the sprocket side. To combat the loss of braking power from flex and torque of the connector between the two sides of the hub, a special one-piece system has been devised with internal stiffening ribs.

SPECIFIC NIPPLE HOUSING: 7% more reliable. Such a small part, yet so important. The nipples and their housing are one of the most important element that are taken into account during the design of a wheel. During the development of the new E-Mtb Fulcrum rims, a lot of work was put into this aspect. The housing has been re-designed and now it makes it possible to eliminate completely the nipples' hard work. Thanks to a special housing, with side guides on both sides, the nipple sets on a stable base, perfectly in position, oriented towards the spoke. This makes it possible to make the distribution of the tensions in the rim more even, creating thus perceptible benefits in terms of effort and rigidity: this prevents misalignments under stress and, as a consequence, deformation to the structure.