Lots of companies are beginning to use ceramic bearings in their wheelsets around this price point, but Fulcrum has decided to stick with steel bearings with these wheels.

For some this might be a negative, as ceramic bearings do offer a slight performance improvement.

What that means is that the rims have been designed to work perfectly with wider tyres.

According to the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO), the minimum width of tyre that you should use with a 17mm rim is 25mm, while the maximum is a whopping 52mm.

However, I certainly wouldn’t go as far as describing these wheels as sluggish, and considering all of the other positives that the Fulcrum Racing Quattro Carbon wheels, this is not as much of a problem as it would be on other wheels.

Having the wider rim not only means a slight aerodynamic advantage as the sidewalls sit flush against the rim, but also means that you can have a greater volume of air in the tyre at any given pressure, meaning a more comfortable ride, especially when compared to some other carbon wheels.

The final thing to discuss with the rims is the braking.

As is the case with most of Fulcrum’s high end offerings, the Fulcrum Racing Quattro Carbon wheels feature the “3Diamant” braking surface treatment technology, which the Italian company says brings the braking performance close to that of an aluminium rim. It’s not quite yet on a par with the best aluminium rims, but it’s not far off.

However, ceramic bearings generally wear out quicker, and I’d personally prefer to have to put out a couple of extra watts with some steel bearings and not have to deal with worn out bearings if I choose to use these wheels year-round.

The spokes of the rear wheel are laced in a “2:1” pattern, which means that there are twice as many spokes on the drivetrain side as there are on the non-drivetrain side, while other end is held in place using magnets, with external nipples still in place to make maintenance and adjustment nice and easy.