Fulcrum Sharq 42 Carbon SRAM XDR T/L Disc Brake Road Wheelset – Cycling News | Bike Reviews

The Fulcrum Sharq 42 Carbon SRAM XDR T/L Disc Brake Road Wheelset covers all the bases required for the modern road/all-road/gravel wheel including a wide internal width, a hooked rim and full tubeless and clincher compatibility – without you needing to change a thing. The build quality is fully traceable, and I must say that the ride quality is very impressive.

The Sharq 42s are designed as a road wheelset that is perfectly capable of taking to the gravel and everything in between. Their 25mm internal rim width makes them compatible with tyres ranging from 29mm right up to rather overkill 76mm, and the inclusion of what Fulcrum calls a ‘mini-hook’ means they are compatible with both tubeless and clincher tyres.

I found fitting 30mm road tyres and 45mm gravel tyres to the Sharqs relatively easy, and using a standard track pump I got their beads to pop up under the hook of the rim without issue.

For years Fulcrum has manufactured its rims with a solid rim bed, which means no rim tape is required regardless of whether you are using tubeless tyres or running inner tubes – and they’re always leak free.

The only downside to this design is that it’s trickier to replace a spoke should the need arise. Fulcrum calls this technology MoMag, short for ‘Mounting Magnet’ system, and as it features no outer rim holes, you need to guide the nipples from the valve hole to their destination using a magnet.

This is a bit more of a faff than just dropping a nipple in through the spoke hole on a traditional rim. And you’ll also need a Fulcrum T-10 magnetic-attracting nipple insert, as aluminium isn’t magnetic.

That said, I’ve owned a couple of pairs of Fulcrum wheels for years and had no issues with either the spokes or nipples.

For the rest of the build Fulcrum has specced its own aluminium-bodied hubs that use ceramic bearings and a cup and cone system for adjustment. On the rear wheel, the freehub options are SRAM’s XDR, Shimano’s MS12 (Microspline) and HG, plus Campagnolo’s N3W.

The spokes are straight-pull, stainless steel, double-butted affairs with an aero profile. Both front and rear have 24 spokes, with the rear wheel laced in a 2:1 ratio.

All of the components are manufactured in Europe, and each wheel is 100% hand-built. Fulcrum backs this up with a two-year warranty and there is full traceability via the identification card and the QR code sticker applied to the wheels.

The Sharq 42s have an all-up weight limit of 120kg.

An impressive spec list, though that’s all irrelevant if they ride like a bag of spanners. Thankfully, though, that’s far from the case – these are such nice wheels to use.

The ride quality of a set of wheels is one of the smallest variables to influence how your bike feels, but it is there and as I ride around 30 to 40 sets of wheels a year with the same tyres and pressure, I can spot the differences.

I’ve always found that Fulcrum’s carbon wheels have a great road feel. Never buzzy, or harsh even on broken tarmac, and with a smooth, solid feel to them – and these Sharqs are no different. They feel like they are very high-quality product.

The ‘shark-tooth’ rim profile has a varying height of 42-47mm, which gives them a noticeable aero advantage as your speed picks up, but they don’t seem to be affected by crosswinds in the same way as something like a 50mm standard-shaped rim.

We’ve had some stormy weather here lately and in 30-40mph winds I never felt them to be a handful. Yes, going past a gateway with a full-on crosswind I’d feel the effects of the wind pressure on the rim through the handlebar, but the wheels never behaved in a way that made the handling feel twitchy.

If you want a set of wheels that you can use in all kinds of conditions while still offering you an aero boost, these would be a great choice.

Their lateral stiffness is very good with hard efforts out of the saddle not highlighting any issues with flex, and with that comes a feeling of efficiency.

At 1,472g without valves and of course, no tape, they aren’t the lightest wheels I’ve ridden in the last 12 months, but they are still in the range of what I’d call ‘lightweight’.

They certainly felt nippy when spinning them up to speed, and riding in urban areas where I’d be constantly changing pace to keep up with the flow of the traffic there wasn’t any lag, or weightiness sapping leg power.

In fact, from a ride quality and usability point of view I really can’t fault the Fulcrums.

Value

Price-wise, as well as in terms of performance and weight, they face some tough opposition.

These’ll cost you £2,499.99, which includes a set of wheel bags.

That’s nearly £800 more expensive than the Zipp 303 SW wheels I was reviewing at the same time. The Zipps are 30g lighter than the Fulcrums, (including the valves, pressure monitoring system and tape) and they have a 40mm deep rim with a 25mm inner rim width.

Though you may not want a digital monitoring system and we know that their hookless rims will put some people off.

If you aren’t worried about any gravel crossover then Hunt’s 44-46 Aerodynamicist wheels fit the same bill as the Fulcrums. The front rim is 44mm deep, while the rear is 46mm and they have an internal width of 22mm. The rims are hooked.

I reviewed the UD Carbon Spoke option that costs just £1,579 and weighs in at 1,297g on our scales.

With standard spokes they are about 50g heavier and cost £1,179.

George recently declared that the Oquo RP50LTD wheels were the best he’d ridden in the last 20 years. They are a bit deeper than the Sharqs at 50mm, but they have the same 25mm internal rim width and have a hooked design.

Their weight was 1,462g and they’re priced at £2,110.

If the price of the Sharqs is a little steep for you then Fulcrum also offers the Wind 42 Carbon. There’s no swoopy rim profile and the 42mm deep rim has an internal width of 23mm but Fulcrum says they’re capable of some light gravel, all-road shenanigans.

They weigh 1,534g and cost £1,449.99 – so a saving of more than a grand.

For more options, check out our best road bike wheels buyers guide and our best gravel wheels buyer’s guide if you’re looking to be more adventurous.

Conclusion

The first point you’ll probably pick up on is the price – and while obviously important, I wouldn’t let that be the defining factor. For the money you are a getting a great set of wheels with a lovely ride, which are manufactured to an incredibly high standard – and they look the business too.

I’m not saying some of the less expensive wheels won’t offer you this, but I am saying if you shell out £2,500 for them you won’t be disappointed.

From a ride point of view I can’t fault them at all.