“Designed to elevate ride feel on mixed terrain routes, from tarmac to gravel, SHARQ is the latest wheel to come out of Fulcrum’s Red Room Lab.” – Fulcrum Wheels
“The result of painstaking research and advanced engineering SHARQ provides a unique combination of handling, aerodynamics, reactivity and resistance, thanks to the new design of the rim and spokes.”
“On our twentieth anniversary SHARQ marks a landmark for us at Fulcrum: the first product designed specifically for endurance and all road use. The name SHARQ encapsulates the essence of this wheel and its well-defined character: an unprecedented blend of smoothness, handling, aerodynamics, reactivity and comfort, characteristics inherited from the experience we have garnered with the Speed, Wind and Rapid Red Carbon models.”
“Designed to elevate ride feel on mixed terrain routes, from tarmac to gravel roads, SHARQ is the result of painstaking research, advanced engineering and extensive work in design and testing, to achieve the best performance possible. The whole production process is 100% under our control and all components are manufactured in Europe and assembled in our own plants.”
“The new SHARQ has an inner rim width of 25 mm, an effective compromise both for road tyres with a minimum width of 30 mm, guaranteeing good aerodynamics and improved rolling resistance, as well as for wider knobby tyres, which will have a solid support for off road use. To ensure that the rim can be used for tubeless systems and with inner tubes, it features mini-hooks that provide maximum safety. As is customary for Fulcrum the bridge is not drilled and, therefore, it is tubeless native, without the need for any additional tape.”
Two-Wave Rim: An Exclusive Combination of Waves
“The new design of the rim (patent pending) is the result of an experimental process where we analysed the reactions of different solutions to head and side winds, which affect handling and aerodynamics.”
“We named the resulting shape 2-Wave Rim and it is one of the distinctive elements of SHARQ. The rim has a regular symmetrical wave close to the nose which blends with an asymmetrical wave at the sides. The height of the profile varies between 42 and 47 mm, respectively from the highest to the lowest part of the wave. This new design achieves an optimal balance between handling and reactivity, as well as excellent aerodynamics. “
“The new shape, along with a lamination featuring a mix of proprietary Fulcrum FF100 carbon fibres and resins, has allowed us to create a light and reactive rim. The total weight for the pair of wheels is merely 1,440 grams, whilst in terms of resistance to side winds, we have achieved a 21% improvement in winds from 0° to 10° and up to 30% between 10° and 20°, compared to a traditional profile of equal height.”
Aerodynamic Advantage of the New A3ro Spokes
“SHARQ is revolutionary but at the same time traditional. This new wheel fully embraces Fulcrum’s philosophy, as well as our commitment to deliver exclusive technologies and specific products to provide riders with the finest ride feel and top level performance.”
“With this in mind, to increase the performance of SHARQ, we have developed A3RO, a new flat steel spoke, 3 mm wide and 0.8 mm thick, which provides considerable aerodynamic advantages. We have also revised the hub-spoke interface. The hole has two additional gaps paired with a specific flattening of the base of the spoke, so that it can remain aligned and not rotate, guaranteeing a constant aerodynamic support.”
“The spokes never touch each other (non-touching spokes), ensuring that they maintain their long term tension and therefore provide the same level of performance throughout the life of the product, without the need for any mechanical interventions to remedy any losses in tension.”
“The design of the hub follows the minimalist lines seen on the Speed wheels, with Cup & Cone technology. The bearings used are USBTM ceramic ball bearings, rolling on through axles with adjustment ring, to achieve an extremely precise preload and maximum smoothness.”
“Excellence Achieved”
“SHARQ is able to cross all types of terrain, from tarmac to gravel, with confidence and speed. It is easy to handle in all conditions, even strong side winds, marrying levels of aerodynamics and reactivity on a par with the fastest road wheels, with the ability to resist strong impacts and absorb rough terrain like the best gravel wheels.”
“The latest member of the range is the result of a research and development process that required more than 4000 hours of design, laboratory tests and field trials. Most of the SHARQ components, similarly to our other wheels, are manufactured in-house. For the external parts we call upon a certified network of European partners that guarantee production thoroughness and social responsibility. This allows us to work with extreme precision, offering a product that can truly make the difference, with advantages that can be felt right from the first pedal stroke, for the perfect ride feel.”
Available freehub bodies: Campagnolo N3W, Shimano HG, Shimano Microspline, and SRAM XDR.
Priced at € 2,460.00 | £ 2,289.00 | $ 2,807.00
Learn more at the Fulcrum Wheels Website
waiting for the Zipp-Princeton-Sharq shootout!