# Specs on Fulcrum S4 Wheels



## riderrider

Can't seem to find any details about them on either the Specialized or Fulcrum web sites.

Looking for weight and rim width ...... and cost of the wheels alone.

Also, are they tubeless compatible?


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## roadworthy

riderrider said:


> Can't seem to find any details about them on either the Specialized or Fulcrum web sites.
> 
> Looking for weight and rim width ...... and cost of the wheels alone.
> 
> Also, are they tubeless compatible?


Fulcrum 4 wheelset is what is sold on OEM full bike only and not available from Fulcrum directly. Fulcrum 4 is comprised of Fulcrum 3 hub and Fulcrum 5 rim. So look up rim weight for a Fulcrum 5 wheel which you should be able to find.
Wheel weight of 4's is likely in the mid 1600g range...lighter than 5's and heavier than Fulcrum 3's.

As to tubeless ready...Fulcrum 5 rim isn't '2 way fit'...Fulcrum's nomenclature for tubeless compatible.

Outside rim width: std 21.5mm.

My impression of Fulcrum wheels?...which is what I ride...among the best designed and built production wheelsets available...made by Campy.


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## headloss

roadworthy said:


> Fulcrum 4 is comprised of Fulcrum 3 hub and Fulcrum 5 rim.


I was under the impression that Fulcrum 3 hub is cup&cone while Fulcrum 4 hub has a cartridge bearing...


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## roadworthy

If any question about wheelset content, best to contact Fulcrum customer support. They are most helpful. 
Fulcrum 5's have cartridge bearings and Fulcrum, 3, 1 and 0 are loose ball hubs. If Fulcrum 4's have cartridge bearings then they have Fulcrum 5 hubs with Fulcrum 3 rim.


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## George M

I put the 3s on my bike about 1000 miles ago and I think they are great wheels. They are still true as the day I got them. I had 5s, but sold them with my other bike. I didn't have any problems with they either. I just wanted to try the 3s and I'm glad I did. Oh, 1550 grams with the 3s.


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## roadworthy

George M said:


> I put the 3s on my bike about 1000 miles ago and I think they are great wheels. They are still true as the day I got them. I had 5s, but sold them with my other bike. I didn't have any problems with they either. I just wanted to try the 3s and I'm glad I did. Oh, 1550 grams with the 3s.


3's really are great wheels. IMHO however, they just aren't worth twice the cost of 5's for a few grams more weight. 3's are also stiffer and 5's are adequately stiff for a strong rider out of the saddle and will give a better ride. But 3's will spool up a fraction faster. And of course if you have 1 large to spend, 1's 0's are outstanding....super light and uber stiff...great race wheels. So all what you want and many great options in the Fulcrum family.


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## darwinosx

I sent Fulcrum an e-mail asking them to provide more detail on the Fulcrum 4's so we will see if I get a reply and what they say.


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## darwinosx

darwinosx said:


> I sent Fulcrum an e-mail asking them to provide more detail on the Fulcrum 4's so we will see if I get a reply and what they say.


I received a reply back from Fulcrum;
"Racing 4 is OEM only and customer for specialized only, it is not sold after market so therefore not on our website. Racing 4 in fact is a racing 3 rim (clincher) racing 5 hub and custom spokes."


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## roadworthy

darwinosx said:


> I received a reply back from Fulcrum;
> "Racing 4 is OEM only and customer for specialized only, it is not sold after market so therefore not on our website. Racing 4 in fact is a racing 3 rim (clincher) racing 5 hub and custom spokes."


Hi Darwin,
Good to have the confirmation and will add, the best combination of lightweight Fulcrum 3 rim and Fulcrum 5 hubs.
Tell of the tape isn't just about static weight of wheels but also rotating mass/angular momentum/moment of inertia. Heavier hubs is less of an issue compared to a heavy-ish rim because mass is closer to center rotation that doesn't have momentum and inertia.

Below are a couple of pics of a Fulcrum 5 rear hub teardown. I just performed maintenance on my Fulcrum 5 wheelset. This is what is inside your rear hub Darwin. Fulcrum 5 uses cartridge bearings which are inexpensive to replace. If you have to knock cartridge bearings out of the freehub...a bit more fiddly to extract the inner bearing that is held in place with a circlip. All my bearings are in pretty good shape with about 6K miles on them. Freehub and female ratchet needed cleaning and regrease and now are like silk. 

You should enjoy your Fulcrum 4's...a good sweet spot for an overall riding wheel. You really can't beat Campy hubs or wheels for the $$.


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## darwinosx

Thanks, useful to know. So far they have been fine expect for the seam which causes ticking when I brake.
Loving the bike and the new Ultegra. it's so smooth and quiet when shifting that I have to look down to see if it shifted sometimes.


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## roadworthy

darwinosx said:


> Thanks, useful to know. So far they have been fine expect for the seam which causes ticking when I brake.
> Loving the bike and the new Ultegra. it's so smooth and quiet when shifting that I have to look down to see if it shifted sometimes.


You gotta be lovin that bike...state of the art. Can't beat the new Roubaix SL4. Also can't beat new 11s Ultegra and the wheels are great as well. Fantastic machine.
I have about 5K miles on mine and it has been exceptional. Great memories of centuries, group rides including more than a few hammerfests with those intent on punishing me. 
Ride safe and often.


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## darwinosx

I wasn't really expecting to notice difference but on longer rides like 50 miles plus I'm definitely fresher.


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## roadworthy

darwinosx said:


> I wasn't really expecting to notice difference but on longer rides like 50 miles plus I'm definitely fresher.


Really is the beauty of the bike. I routinely ride with two friends who both ride slammed racing frames..one on a Cervelo Soloist and the other on a TCR. On the back half of a century is where I really feel the advantage and notice they become more fatigued. Also the position of the Roubaix promotes more usage of the drops versus a bike with a lower handlebar. Perhaps the best testament is always...would I buy the same bike again. Without question. In fact, I still don't want a Tarmac or Venge because I just don't want to put my body in a more aggressive position or get more beat up on the road. I feel I am faster on the Roubaix because of ride quality and position. In a 20 mile ride, a Venge is probably going to be a faster bike if speed is the nth degree priority...say as a crit bike.


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## darwinosx

These don't look like the racing 3 rims on the Fulcrum web site. Those show a milled rim which mine don't have.
FULCRUM Wheels - Products: Racing 3


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## George M

darwinosx said:


> These don't look like the racing 3 rims on the Fulcrum web site. Those show a milled rim which mine don't have.
> FULCRUM Wheels - Products: Racing 3


Yes, that's the rim I have on my 3s. Also check out the hubs from the picture. They are not 5s hubs.


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## roadworthy

Well then Darwin, quite possible the Fulcrum rep you emailed got it exactly wrong. Sounds like you may have Fulcrum 5 rims with Fulcrum 3 hubs.

If the case, the silver lining is...any combination of Fulcrum 5 and 3 is good. Fulcrum 5 rims should be fractionally stronger because they are heavier and hard to beat the loose ball bearing hub design of the Fulcrum 3. Fulcrum 5 hubs by contrast...per the pics I posted are cartridge bearing. All Campy higher end hubs from Record to Fulcrum 0 and 1 and 3 are all loose ball. The seam tick you speak of will likely evaporate with time. I don't notice it with my Fulcrum 5 wheels which have been great.


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## darwinosx

roadworthy said:


> Well then Darwin, quite possible the Fulcrum rep you emailed got it exactly wrong. Sounds like you may have Fulcrum 5 rims with Fulcrum 3 hubs.
> 
> If the case, the silver lining is...any combination of Fulcrum 5 and 3 is good. Fulcrum 5 rims should be fractionally stronger because they are heavier and hard to beat the loose ball bearing hub design of the Fulcrum 3. Fulcrum 5 hubs by contrast...per the pics I posted are cartridge bearing. All Campy higher end hubs from Record to Fulcrum 0 and 1 and 3 are all loose ball. The seam tick you speak of will likely evaporate with time. I don't notice it with my Fulcrum 5 wheels which have been great.


I would actually prefer the heavier but stronger rims and better hub than the opposite.


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## headloss

darwinosx said:


> I would actually prefer the heavier but stronger rims and better hub than the opposite.


Same here. I've been debating picking up a set of the Fulcrum 3's to put on my Paramount. I'm not a fan of cartridge bearings (granted, it's an unfounded preference since I've never given them a chance). I really don't care about weight, so long as they aren't pushing 1700grams/set.


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## roadworthy

darwinosx said:


> I would actually prefer the heavier but stronger rims and better hub than the opposite.


If you have brake seam weld as discussed, you have the heavier aka stonger Fulcrum 5rims with higher end Fulcrum 3 loose ball cone and cup bearing hubs.


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## roadworthy

headloss said:


> Same here. I've been debating picking up a set of the Fulcrum 3's to put on my Paramount. I'm not a fan of cartridge bearings (granted, it's an unfounded preference since I've never given them a chance). I really don't care about weight, so long as they aren't pushing 1700grams/set.


There is really no discernible difference in performance between good quality aka ABEC-5 or better cartridge bearing hubs and loose ball cone and cup. In fact, if you want to punch out stock cartridge bearings and incur the needless expense of ceramic cartridge bearings, latter may offer less bearing drag than any loose ball bearings. Plus, the sealing of cartridge bearings is very good...and they are very easy to replace without any concern of degradation to the hub itself i.e. the cup side of the bearing. You can't go wrong with any Fulcrum wheels really Fulcrum 3's weight 15xx grams. Further, Campy is always upgrading their wheelsets and making them lighter if not stronger. Be sure to look into Campy Specific wheels like Zondas or Scirrocco's. Fulcrum 3's would be excellent for your Paramount. Btw, do you have a picture of your bike? I have owned a couple and have many fond memories. You building with Campy?

One big consideration today is what groupset you are going to run. If new Sram or Shimano 11s, you want to get the latest hub with deeper wheel dish...even if you are running 10s. Run with a spacer until you upgrade for cross compatibility. Lots of wheelsets on ebay because of this btw, so research this point. There is a more insidious prospect explored by Zinn a while back. Spacing between Campy 11s and Shimano/Sram 11s is close enough for good functionality.


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## REYES

I know that these 4s are OEM on a new bike but how do they compare to the Mavic Kysrium SL wheels? I'm looking to get a Roubaix Expert but the warden says I have to sell my current bike and wheelset beforre I place the order. So just curious as to know how these stock wheels compare.


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## headloss

roadworthy said:


> Be sure to look into Campy Specific wheels like Zondas or Scirrocco's. Fulcrum 3's would be excellent for your Paramount. Btw, do you have a picture of your bike? I have owned a couple and have many fond memories. You building with Campy?


It's a 60th anniversary Paramount built in Redmond, WA. (1998). It's mostly built up, but I'll probably change a few things out as I work out the kinks (the grey anodized centaur brakes that I picked up clash with the red in the paint, for example, so I'll likely just grab a set of the Athena skeleton calipers. The main thing that I'm waiting on, at the moment, is the wheels... I like the Fulcrum 3, with the white hub, and the spoke pattern. I'm not as fond of the spoke pattern on the Zondas. I don't care for the larger gaps between sets. Anyways, it will be a mixed Chorus(RD, ERGO)/ Centaur (FD, UT Crank, brakes) build. Also considering the 32h Record/DTS465 combo that handspun makes, WhiteT11/OpenPro combo from VeloMine, or possibly (if I can find some NOS silver hubs for a reasonable price), matching them up with Velocity asymmetric a23's with the polished silver look. I'll start a thread when I throw it all together.


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## roadworthy

I look forward to your thread when you get it all together. I have a soft spot for the early Paramounts because these were the most desirable bikes when I was a kid. Most of us rode Varsities and Continentals and Paramounts were a bit out of reach for the average kid. Of course we know what happened to Schwinn moving forward...



headloss said:


> It's a 60th anniversary Paramount built in Redmond, WA. (1998). It's mostly built up, but I'll probably change a few things out as I work out the kinks (the grey anodized centaur brakes that I picked up clash with the red in the paint, for example, so I'll likely just grab a set of the Athena skeleton calipers. The main thing that I'm waiting on, at the moment, is the wheels... I like the Fulcrum 3, with the white hub, and the spoke pattern. I'm not as fond of the spoke pattern on the Zondas. I don't care for the larger gaps between sets. Anyways, it will be a mixed Chorus(RD, ERGO)/ Centaur (FD, UT Crank, brakes) build. Also considering the 32h Record/DTS465 combo that handspun makes, WhiteT11/OpenPro combo from VeloMine, or possibly (if I can find some NOS silver hubs for a reasonable price), matching them up with Velocity asymmetric a23's with the polished silver look. I'll start a thread when I throw it all together.
> 
> View attachment 288562


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## dougrocky123

I switched my Fulcrums from my 2014 Roubaix Expert to a set of Neuvations with Mich PRO 4 tires. The bike lost 13 oz. Its down to 16 lb. 12 oz in a size 54cm with pedals and cages.


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## darwinosx

dougrocky123 said:


> I switched my Fulcrums from my 2014 Roubaix Expert to a set of Neuvations with Mich PRO 4 tires. The bike lost 13 oz. Its down to 16 lb. 12 oz in a size 54cm with pedals and cages.


Mine have held up pretty well considering my size but I'm going to get some Ultegra 6800 hubs and have them laced to Pacenti SL 23 rims. I want something more bulletproof with better hubs.


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## ChristopherL

REYES said:


> I know that these 4s are OEM on a new bike but how do they compare to the Mavic Kysrium SL wheels? I'm looking to get a Roubaix Expert but the warden says I have to sell my current bike and wheelset beforre I place the order. So just curious as to know how these stock wheels compare.


I got my Roubaix Expert in Oct and swapped the Fulcrum 4's for the Ksyrium Elites S's I had on my old bike. The Mavics might be a little stiffer and a little lighter but was actually expecting a bigger difference. I do like the Mavics because they stay true - not sure that will be the case with the Fulcrums.


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## darwinosx

ChristopherL said:


> I got my Roubaix Expert in Oct and swapped the Fulcrum 4's for the Ksyrium Elites S's I had on my old bike. The Mavics might be a little stiffer and a little lighter but was actually expecting a bigger difference. I do like the Mavics because they stay true - not sure that will be the case with the Fulcrums.
> _Ksyrium Elite_ S |


I don't know about the Mavic's but I'm not impressed with the Fulcrums. The seams are noticeable in braking and I don't think the hubs are that great. They do seem to be holding up so far though.
If they were going to use Fulcrums they could have at least used a higher level model on a $4,000 bike.


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## darwinosx

I ended up replacing the Fulcrums with custom wheels using Ultegra 6800 hubs and Hed C2 rims. I'm a big guy so went with 32 spoke. Very nice wheels, stable, stiff, make the bike ride more like one piece.






darwinosx said:


> I don't know about the Mavic's but I'm not impressed with the Fulcrums. The seams are noticeable in braking and I don't think the hubs are that great. They do seem to be holding up so far though.
> If they were going to use Fulcrums they could have at least used a higher level model on a $4,000 bike.


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## headloss

I like it... higher spoke count and rebuildable FTW! Looks good too!


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## darwinosx

Yeah thanks..the pictures don't do it justice but the black spokes look great with the matte black bike. Black instead of silver spokes is a little radical for me but my wheel builder talked me into it. 
Rebuildable and fixale at any shop still matter to me too.
I really like those He'd C2 rims too.
I haven't had the Fulcrums long so guess i'll Craigslist em for whatever I can get.



headloss said:


> I like it... higher spoke count and rebuildable FTW! Looks good too!


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## roadworthy

darwinosx said:


> I ended up replacing the Fulcrums with custom wheels using Ultegra 6800 hubs and Hed C2 rims. I'm a big guy so went with 32 spoke. Very nice wheels, stable, stiff, make the bike ride more like one piece.


Even though I am a huge fan of Fulcrum wheels and have been riding different versions for well over a decade with 0 issues, the combination of hubs, spoke count and rim type is a very good choice for a clyde. Did you have a local wheel builder put them together for you?


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## darwinosx

roadworthy said:


> Even though I am a huge fan of Fulcrum wheels and have been riding different versions for well over a decade with 0 issues, the combination of hubs, spoke count and rim type is a very good choice for a clyde. Did you have a local wheel builder put them together for you?


Yes I thought you would like that. I had them built by a guy named Ken at Bike Religion here in Dana Point. He also built my Pacenti/Ultegra hub wheels last year. i was going to do Pacenti again but thought I would try the Hed's. I got the impression that maybe they were a little better rims even though the Pacenti's are quite good. I think I saw a comment by you sort of saying that.
The spokes are DT straight gauge btw.
No matter how good the Fulcrums are that spoke count was too low for me in the long run and the front rim had a pronounced seam that ticked when I braked which I really don't like. I'm now realizing the true potential and road feel of this bike with wheels better suited to my size and weight. I also am a huge fan of wide rims having preached that people should be riding 25's or higher long before it was cool.
Still planning to try tubeless once these Gatorskin hard-shells wear out which could be awhile as I bought them new with the bike a few months ago.


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## darwinosx

Updated post above with better pictures. The black spokes against th matte black frame are nice.


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## _rw

darwinosx said:


> I received a reply back from Fulcrum;
> "Racing 4 is OEM only and customer for specialized only, it is not sold after market so therefore not on our website. Racing 4 in fact is a racing 3 rim (clincher) racing 5 hub and custom spokes."


I stumbled across this post when researching the same and since it's a couple years later figured I'd e-mail Fulcrum too. Unfortunately, their reply further confused things. They refused to provide the specs, citing that they are produced OEM for Specialized, but then, at the end they included, "Anyway please consider it in the range of Racing 7."

The Racing 7 hub certainly looks a lot more like the Fulcrum S4's on my 2015 Roubaix Expert, but it's not an exact match. Anyway, at this point I'm not sure what to make of it.


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## darwinosx

To me they are throwaway wheels and Specialized knows it. They can do better rather than cheaping out on the wheels for a 3 or 4,000 bike. My new Cannondale came with Mavic Aksium one wheels and tires that are at least decent. of course I used custom built wheels for that bike too but at least the Aksiums are worth something.



_rw said:


> I stumbled across this post when researching the same and since it's a couple years later figured I'd e-mail Fulcrum too. Unfortunately, their reply further confused things. They refused to provide the specs, citing that they are produced OEM for Specialized, but then, at the end they included, "Anyway please consider it in the range of Racing 7."
> 
> The Racing 7 hub certainly looks a lot more like the Fulcrum S4's on my 2015 Roubaix Expert, but it's not an exact match. Anyway, at this point I'm not sure what to make of it.


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