Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club

DHBC Brains Trust

The trusty Ultegra wheels on my existing bike have nearly had it. The rim wear indicator is all but gone.

I am looking at upgrading to either the Shimano Dura-Ace 7850 24CL
or
Fulcrum Racing 3's

Has anyone ridden either of these wheels?

(background - I have ridden on the current Ultegra wheels for nearly 4 years and never been able to get them more than 2mm out of true even though I use and abuse them for commuting, club and Audax rides. This has been a pleasant surprise as the wheels are a very low spoke count 16F and 20R and I am 'not built for climbing')

Fulcrum Racing 3 is essentially a Racing 1 but less shaving on the rim (weight difference) and cheaper. It mirrors Campagnolo's Zonda apart from the lacing pattern. Along with Racing 1 and 0, they all share Record level hubs and components. It's a nice stiff wheel like the Eurus I have. The 2:1 rear wheel lacing is also a feature that makes mechanical sense.

No experience in comparing with 7850 24CL.

Having you considered the Shimano RS80's? Same rims as the 7850's, almost the same weight and much cheaper.

I have a set of these and they are really nice. Probably the best value for money right now. Another option to consider is getting a set of TWE wheels built.

I'd go with the Dura-Ace wheels or the RS80's. I believe the main difference with the RS80's is they have ultegra level hubs, but a quick search and they seem to be out of stock in most places (can still order them from chainreaction though).

Cant comment on the 3s but can comment on Fulcrum Racing 5s which I believe is next level down.

Sturdy and good shape for heavier dudes like me.

Good for training rides and for raciung.

Well priced.

Tight rims and bloody hard to get tyres on.

Fills up with water when riding in the wet. Both my wheels were full of water one week after my ride two weeks ago in the wet.

Fills up with water when riding in the wet. Both my wheels were full of water one week after my ride two weeks ago in the wet.

My Eurus has a drainage hole in the rim for this exact purpose (but I don't use it in the rain), so I'd expect the same with Racing 1, and most likely Racing 3 too.

My Racing 5 also fills with water and a tyre deflation cycle is usually needed after a wet ride. Carrying an extra 100g of water in the rim would make it equivalent in weight to Racing 7.

Dura-Ace it is.

The idea of having to remove the tyre to empty the water from the wheel after every wet ride sounds like a pain in the a...

The idea of having to remove the tyre to empty the water from the wheel after every wet ride sounds like a pain in the a...

That only applied to Racing 5, not Racing 3. But I don't think you can go wrong with either.

That only applied to Racing 5, not Racing 3. But I don't think you can go wrong with either.

I've never had this problem with the racing 5's but then I hardly ever ride in the rain .... although I agree 100% with Geoff's comment re being hard to get tyres on and off

Just noticed that the 7850 24CL is a lot more expensive than Racing 3... Double. Also noticed that the 7850 24CL needs rim tapes while Racing 3 doesn't.

Had my first ride with the new Dura-Ace wheels on the Audax ride last weekend.

They are very light and stiff and probably worth 1 - 2 gears on the climb.

Been riding the Shimano's for a couple of weeks now, they have replaced an old set of Mavic Ksyrium ES's. All in all extremely happy - light (1425g including rim tape on my scales), stiff, fast and paid jut $680 from the UK...