Chris Boardman was testing an Italian
road bike with the Fulcrum Racing1 wheelset
"The Fulcrum Racing-1 wheels were unmistakably similar in design to the Mavic Ksyrium (some aspects still under licence I believe) with a couple of design changes of their own. The elliptical section of the alloy spokes become wider and flatter as they approach the rim (where the relative airspeed is highest) and rather than Mavic's 18-21 spoke numbers, Fulcrum use 16 front and 21 rear; the latter being split between 14 crossed on the drive side and just seven on the off side. Altogether, with their aero section rim, tapered spokes and clean hubs, I think the Fulcrum wheels have the edge over their slightly 'blocky' French cousins."

ProCycling July 2005