Fulcrum's new Red Zone 5 and Metal Zone 5 wheelsets start at £390
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Fulcrum has added two new wheelsets to the mountain bike range. This time, the Red Zone 5 and Red Metal 5 fill the role of the entry-level wheels designed to offer a balance of durability and performance at a friendlier price point.
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Kicking off with the Red Zone 5, it's Fulcrum's new wheelset that's designed for cross country and marathon riding. The Red Metal 5 is then focused on trail use. With these wheels, Fulcrum wanted to create a product that can be used both for training and general larking about in the woods. They're designed to be versatile but capable of coping with intense daily use.
Both wheels employ the same hub shell as what's used in the higher end Red Zone Carbon and Red Zone 3 wheels but here they use slightly different sealed bearings which can be micro-adjusted thanks to an adjustment ring. They also rotate around a different axle.
The wheelsets run a 2-WAY FIT READY, asymmetrical rim with the aim of ensuring the best spoke tension balance, says Fulcrum. That rim is then 18.6mm tall.
While there are plenty of similarities between the cross country and trail wheelsets, the difference between the two lies within their rim widths. The Red Zone 5 comes with a 27mm internal rim width while the Red Metal 5 gets a 30mm measurement. Both models come ready to be set up tubeless too, which is very handy.
The cross country and marathon, Red Zone 5 wheelset is claimed to weigh in at 1,840g while the trail-ready Red Metal 5 is said to be just 50g weightier at 1,890g.
2022 fulcrum Red_Metal_5-Action_10.jpg, by Liam Mercer
Both wheelsets are available with HG11, XD, and MicroSpline 12 freehubs and only in a 29" size. Prices start at £390 for the Red Zone 5 kitted with a HG11 freehub which then goes up to £400 if you need a MicroSpline freehub. The Red Metal 5 is a little pricer at £410, going up to £420 depending on your choice of freehub.
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