Fulcrum Racing Quattro Wheel Review

Fulcrum's Racing Quattro offers the most wheel for the money we have seen. Wheel technology has come a long way in the last few years and what we once got for around $1000 is not up to what Fulcrum now offer for only $559.

The Racing Quattro is for the most part a Racing 3 (see review) with deeper aero shaped rims, they have the same cup and cone Campagnolo hubs with a large drive side flange and radial front hub laced with some great quality bladed aero spokes. The rims are aero looking at 35mm deep which Fulcrum claim is the ideal depth to gain an aero advantage yet maintain a smooth not to hash ride. The Racing Quattro set comes in at a little over 1700g which makes it a little too heavy to be considered a real race wheel but everything else about the Quattro says race me. 

Without any real data on a aero advantage of the 35mm deep rim we would have to assume it's very little and perhaps nothing over a standard box rim but without any doubt the additional depth of the rims makes for a great looking and very stiff wheelset. Never harsh but certainly not plush or smooth the Racing Quattro feels stiff out of the saddle and very firm in corners. Once up to speed they really seem to hold speed and very much like Mavic's Cosmic Carbone they are fantastic in a fast pace line  Acceleration is not stellar, this is most likely because of the weight. For a larger more powerful sprinter they are a great wheelset and don't get all squishy when you need to take it up just that little more at 30mph/50kmp out of the saddle.

In my mind these wheels replace the Mavic Ksyrium and some other far more expensive wheels we once used as our do it all race/train wheels and are the perfect starting point anytime you purchase a new bike. The price of the Racing Quattro leaves enough room for you to get the perfect bike now and come back in some time for a pair of real race wheels that might well cost more than your frame. 

No published weight limit from Fulcrum but my expectation is these wheels can manage even the heaviest of riders and in some cases might be the ultimate race wheel for a taller stronger rider needing a wheel that will hold speed and manage some serious torq. 

Also available in a Cyclocross version that have additional seals for the bearings to prevent water and dirt from getting through in the most extreme conditions. Not tested but this sounds like a great option of you are going to use them as commuter or wet weather training wheels.base plate 

All black rims, hubs and spokes with some pretty cool looking red nipples are for more than just good looks the Racing Quattro enjoys technologies from the high end Fulcrum and Campagnolo wheels and this is part of that makes them such good value. The rim has no holes and needs no rim tape while the nipples pass through the valve hole and with the help of a steel pilot bolt and magnet are moved to the spoke holes. The rim is also weighted to give a smoother ride. Fulcrum call this "Dynamic Balance" it's a pretty cool feature and really does deliver a smooth ride at higher speeds.

Machined braking surface and some pretty secure quick release skewers make for a very well rounded wheelset that leaves nothing to gripe about but weight which can easily be forgiven at this price. Expect to see these on many of the complete built bikes in our Special Bike Build section. 

Fulcrum Racing Quattro