Fulcrum E-Racing 4: Special impeller for e-road and e-gravel bikes

E-Performance: In view of the constant growth in e-bikes, Fulcrum has developed the first all-round wheel specifically for e-road and e-gravel. With this technical adjustment, the wheel specialist is taking a consistent approach, in view of the higher technical demands on the e-bike market. Since more and more e-gravel bikes and e-road bikes are appearing on the market, this is only understandable.

In recent years, the motors in e-road bikes and e-gravel bikes have become increasingly powerful. This results in the need for a special impeller that can cope with the greater loads on all components in terms of weight, torsional load and bearing play.

At the same time, bicycles must be as light and as easy to handle as possible in order for frame/motor system developments to take full effect. Wheels play an essential role here and the reliability that is the hallmark of all Fulcrum projects comes into its own.

Fulcrum E-Racing 4: Special stress from the engine

First, a special rim profile with an inner rim width of 4 mm (ideal for tires between 22 and 30 mm) was developed for the E-Racing 45. This was followed by special long head self-locking nipples and special spokes. As with the development of E-MTB wheels, the motor increases the load on the freewheel, which has to absorb greater torsional loads over longer periods of time.

Fulcrum E-Racing 4: freewheel as the weakest link in the chain

The freehub body is the point of contact where the driving force is transferred from the cassette to the wheel, and it is subjected to higher stresses due to the higher forces and shocks caused when the motor is activated. That's why Fulcrum uses a hardened steel freewheel body with its own locking blades in the E-Racing 4. These withstand a 30% higher breaking stress. The results of a laboratory analysis of the behavior of the individual pawls for more than a billion cycles are unequivocal: the life of hardened steel is twice the life of Ergal pawls used for conventional road freewheels.

Fulcrum E-Racing 4 price and availability

The new wheel set is available immediately. By using the much more stable materials, it is even approved for a total weight of 135 kg. The price of the Fulcrum E-Racing 4 is not that high, so it is available with an HG11 freewheel from €467. With an XDR freewheel, it costs €8 more and comes to a suggested retail price of €475.

All information can be found at www.fulcrumwheels.com

Fulcrum E-Racing 4: technical details