When you think of champion mountain bike wheels a few American companies come to mind, one Swiss company and maybe a French one. Just maybe. You'd just as soon associate Fulcrum, an Italian company, with the tarmac side of cycling before putting them anywhere near a World Championship or World Cup podium. It's hard to believe that Fulcrum's three-year-old mountain bike division has been so successful on the competitive circuit in such a short period of time. But, believe it.
A new contribution to the fledgling but flourishing Fulcrum mountain bike wheel division is the Red Metal 29XL. I'm not sure what Red Metal means exactly, but I do know that XL is short for: Extra Light. At 1750g, the Red Metal 29XL certainly is on the lighter side of the rotational spectrum. The redesigned tubeless rim, the new circular section aluminum straight-head spokes and Two-to-One spoke ratio mate to make a lightweight, rigid and reliable big wheel bonus. Of course, you can't forget the added benefits of the larger wheel platform which most of you likely know by now but if you don't, I'll save you some time: 29-inch wheels are faster, handle better, take hits better and...they are, faster.
The new Red Metal 29XL is also available in standard Quick Release 9mm with a Thru-Axle 15mm conversion kit so you won't run into compatibility problems if you switch forks down the road.
It's certainly been an exciting start for the young company and with the likes of Julien Absalon, the former World Champion and current French National Champion riding Fulcrum wheels all over the planet...the stepping stones to the Fulcrum legacy are being laid as we sit and watch. But why sit when you can ride?
