FULCRUM SHARQ ALL-ROAD WHEELSET $2.289

Fulcrum's apex predator that laughs in the face of sidewinds

- Simon Fellows

AIl-road wheels are nothing new, and we've seen both Zipp and Princeton test the waters with wavy wheelsets in the past - most notably Zipp with its NSW range and Princeton with pretty much every wheel in its line-up.

The wonderfully evocatively named Sharq - think speed, menace, juvenile hijinks - is, however, a double-first for Fulcrum. The Sharq sits between the brand's road Speed and gravel Rapid Red product categories while borrowing inspiration from its aero Wind line, too. It's the first time Fulcrum has produced an all-road wheel, let alone an aero one with a squiggly rim.

This is a wheelset for rapid rides down wind-blown, pothole-pocked rural lanes, farm tracks and fast gravel. The fun stuff.

New wave

Fulcrum says that the aero, wavy rim is 21% more stable in sidewinds at angles of 0° to 10° and up to 30% steadier between 10° and 20°, compared to a typical rim profile of the same depth. Rim height for the Sharq varies from 42mm in the troughs to a sizeable 47mm at the nipple holes. This stability is mainly due to the rim's curious profile: it's symmetrical at the peaks but asymmetrical in the valleys.