twentynine inches • one gear • zero travel

Black & White Fulcrum Racing Zero Wheels

One item where saved to keep the price of the Ultegra equipped Mares CX 2.0 low, are the inexpensive Fulcrum Racing 7 CX wheels. These wheels are sturdy, reliable wheels but at 1850 grams awfully weighty. When I bought the bike I knew that these would have to be replaced with a wheel set of the caliper of this racy cross bike. Initially, the idea was to ride the Racing 7 wheels through the winter and get a lighter wheel set some time next spring. But things never quite happen that way, do they? I ran across a deal on black & white Fulcrum Racing Zero wheels at Bike-Components.de which I just couldn’t pass up. Just like another few goodies, the wheels arrived via DHL this week. These are the wheels that truly belong onto a black & white Mares. They feature USB ceramic bearings, ’s legendary 2:1 spoke pattern, triple milled rims, aluminum spokes and nipples, over-sized aluminum axles and a carbon hub body. Claimed weight is 1430 grams, so over 400 grams saved against the Racing 7 wheels.

Big Fat Plastic Wheels

I took my lunch early today to drive to the post office one more time. I was picking up the wheelset I had built by Mike Curiak. I first expected them in early April but Mike was able to lace them up before taking off to Alaska for a 1000 mile journey through snow. In the two boxes that arrived from the US were two WTB Prowler SL tires sitting on top of some really sweet Edge Composites All Mountain rims. Solid Chris King singlespeed hubs in red build the center of the wheels and black DT Aerolite spokes hold it all together. I wanted a strong, reliable set of wheels for a rigid singlespeed and fat tires. Mike recommended the AM rim and although they’ve only made it out of the box so far and have not been ridden yet, I’m sure these will be a killer wheelset for my type of riding. This evening the Formula rotors will go on and the tires will be mounted. A ride report will follow once the new bike is built. For now I’m offering a few photos.

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