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* Purchase Fulcrum Racing 3 [2025/07/26(Sat) 08:40:00]

I purchased a bicycle wheel, the “Fulcrum Racing 3 C17.” My bicycle is a Bridgestone Anchor Equipe based on the 105 model, and I replaced the Dura-Ace WH-9000-C24-CL.

I purchased the WH-9000-C24-CL nine years ago and wrote a blog post titled “Purchased WH-9000-C24-CL” at that time, but nine years have passed since then.

Every time I took the bike in for maintenance, the shop told me the rims were worn and it was time to replace them. While I considered it the end of its lifespan, the rim indicators were still visible, so I didn’t feel it had reached its limit. Recently, I’ve been using cheaper wheels for daily rides and saving the Fulcrum Racing 3 C17 for long rides and hill climbs.For downhill sections during hill climbs, I’d use a bus to transport the bike to avoid wearing down the rims, but such cost-saving measures have their limits. Ultimately, I decided that my life is more important than money or sentimental value, so I decided to replace the wheels.

Over the past nine years, the mainstream has shifted from rim brakes to disc brakes, and there are now fewer options for mid-range rim brake wheels.The successor to the WH-9000-C24-CL is currently the WH-R9270-C36-TU, but it doesn’t have a 24mm rim height, and even the lowest model is 36mm, prioritizing aerodynamics. This isn’t suitable for me, who prioritizes lightness.

I had expected a product of equivalent quality at the same price as nine years ago, but in 2016, when the exchange rate was around 100 yen per dollar, it is now around 150 yen. Additionally, overseas prices and wages have risen significantly (Japan is the only country where wages have not increased in the past 30 years), and the price of road bikes has roughly doubled compared to nine years ago. Shimano is a Japanese manufacturer, but since it sells products globally, prices in Japan are set based on global standards, so they cannot be purchased at a lower price due to the weak yen.The WH-R9270-C36-TU mentioned earlier also costs over 200,000 yen, nearly double the price of the same Dura-Ace model.

For these reasons, I opted for Fulcrum (an Italian brand under Campagnolo) with the Racing 3 grade. While the previous setup weighed under 1,400 grams front and rear, the new setup exceeds 1,500 grams.

My initial impression of the Fulcrum Racing 3 after a short ride is that it feels heavy when starting to pedal. With the WH-9000-C24-CL, I could reach 28.5 km/h on flat, windless terrain, but it feels heavier to reach that speed.Since the comparison is with the 1300g WH-9000-C24-CL, it might be a placebo effect, but I can't help but feel that it's “cheap and cheerful.”

While the Fulcrum Racing 3 is highly praised in reviews on Amazon and other sites, the Racing 4 and Racing 6 are also highly praised, so many people are comparing them to wheels weighing around 2kg front and rear, which makes sense why they're praised.

The most noticeable difference is that the brakes work better. The previous wheels had a concave center on the rim, so the brake pads didn't make much contact with the rim. The Racing 3 has a flat rim, so the brake pads make solid contact with the rim. It's a basic feature, but having brakes that work well is reassuring.

Like tasting sake, you might not be able to fully appreciate the quality of the wheels unless you ride the bike with the wheel name hidden and compare the impressions.Alternatively, measuring time on a long course like the Fuji Hill Climb with different wheels might provide numerical data. I’d like to test the 105, Racing 3, and Dura-Ace wheels for braking performance and time measurement to objectively assess their performance through both subjective feel and numerical data. Compared to nine years ago, I’m nine years older, so my physical condition has naturally declined by nine years. Therefore, when comparing the impressions from nine years ago to the current ones, it’s important to consider the effects of aging.

Additionally, if there had been a nine-year improvement in global economic power, I might have opted for something like the WH-R9270-C36-TU or Racing Zero. However, that hasn’t been the case. I prioritize safety over speed performance, focusing on reducing rim damage and improving brake performance. I aim to ride safely, train my legs and heart rate, maintain my health, and resist aging without relying on equipment.