FULCRUM RACING ZERO CARBON DB 2023

By respecting the fundamental points of the Racing Zero family, and interpreting the world of disc brakes, the Fulcrum R&D division has successfully risen to a decidedly complex challenge: that evolving while respecting history to make an absolutely mind-blowing product.

It all starts with the base concept: carbon and aluminum together to create a unique combination, introduced on her sister for traditional brakes, to enhance reactivity and stiffness to the total advantage of a precise, decisive ride.

The 30 mm rim profile helps with lightness uphill, while the wide 19 mm well creates the ideal contact surface for shifting limits to unseen levels. Innovative technologies, such as the new ARC covering that creates an elastic reinforcement on the spoke eyelet, help in this direction.  Unparalleled performance, technology, and innovation.

Racing Zero Carbon DB comes into its own on every double-figure uphill gradient, when power transmission is a must.
It also delivers downhill, because the wide rim and aluminum spoke support help to make you feel you can dare that extra meter.

Racing Zero Carbon DB adapts with style and character to the most diverse of contexts, establishing itself as the absolute benchmark for multi-purpose wheels.

FEATURES
tyre type    2-Way fit (for clincher and tubeless)
tyre size    28'
discipline    Road / Gravel
ASTM category    2
weight    1450 g
rim material    Carbon
rim material details    Full carbon, UD, ARC technology
profile height    Low
rim height    Front and rear: 30 mm
rim width    26,5 mm
inner rim width(channel)    19 mm
tyre width    From 23 mm to 50 mm
braking system    Disc Brake
braking surface/brakes options    AFS
front axle compatibility    QR / HH15-100 / HH12-100 (no screwers incl.)
rear axle compatibility    QR / HH12-142 / HH12-135 (no screwers incl.)
front wheel spokes    21, Two-to-one (14 Left - 7 Right)
rear wheel spokes    21, Two-to-one (7 Left - 14 Right)
spokes: material    Aluminum
spokes: profile     Aero, straight pull
nipples    Aluminum
front hub    Carbon, Aluminum oversize flange
rear hub    Aluminum, Aluminum oversize flange
bearings    USB ceramic bearings. Adjustable Cup & Cones bearing system
others    Plasma treated HG freewheel. Aluminum Axle
Weight limit     109 kg (Cyclist)
FWB options    HG11 , CAMPY, XDr

TECNOLOGIES:
_ 2-Way Fit™
2-Way Fit™ profile for tubeless and clincher.
Tubeless technology was first used by the auto industry , then by motorcycles and now has reached the cycling industry. After its debut with mountain bikes the moment has come to “put it on the road”, and that’s what we propose to do.

We have developed our 2-Way Fit™ technology to ensure the perfect compatibility of our tubeless rims with normal clincher types and tubes. 2-Way Fit™road bike wheels are perfectly multipurpose for tackling every situation. Thanks to a special impression in the valve area, the tubes are fitted with the maximum precision while keeping the tube perfectly stable inside the tyre.

Housing the valve for tubeless tyres is also risk-free, with the unquestionable advantage that there are never any air infiltrations caused by non-ideal positioning when fitting.

The advantages are indisputable: our tests have highlighted an unique increase in smoothness. Because there is no tube, the friction caused by rubbing against the tyre is eliminated, while the perfect adherence of the tyre to the rim prevents the dispersion of energy.

Tubeless tyres do not suffer from sudden deflation when punctured which is a great advantage in safety terms. There is also no risk of snake bites as there is no tube to get injured. What if a tubeless tyre gets punctured? There’s nothing to be afraid of... With the Fulcrum® 2-Way Fit™ you can remove the tubeless valve and fit in a standard clincher tire that will let you ride back home.

_ RDB™ Rim Dynamic Balance
The concept is simple and elegant: balance the weight of the gasket, with an item of similar weight placed on the exact opposite side.

For top models, this is obtained by a special operation on the section of the rim opposite the rim joint.
For entry-level models, Dynamic Balance™ is obtained by using two oversized spokes in the section opposite the joint. The result is a wheel with perfectly balanced rotational dynamics.

_ USB™ - Ceramic Ultra Smooth Bearings™
Fulcrum® has a long-standing reputation for the extremely high performance of its hubs in terms of smoothness and reliability.
In fact, all the projects are entirely developed in our R&D department and we have put obsessive care into taking care of every detail.
The hubs with USB™ ceramic bearings (Ultra Smooth Bearings) further enhance the triathlon and road bike wheels’ smoothness and reduce weight and the need for maintenance.

Comparative tests have shown that USB™ bearings are 50% smoother than standard bearings.
Now improving your performance during the race or simply going for a ride with your friends will be easier.

_ 2:1 Two-to-One™
When you push on the pedals, the rotational force on the sprocket induces a slackening of the freewheel spokes with a consequent loss of rim tension. This results in undesirable flex of the whole wheel and an unavoidable loss of energy. Fulcrum® has solved this classic cycling problem with its 2:1 Two-to-One™ Spoke Ratio patent, by doubling the spokes in the critical zones.

How does it work?
As a result there are two spokes which carry out the function of one, slackening and torsion are limited and the transfer of the athlete’s power is much more effective.
Also, thanks to this system, spoke tensions are balanced more evenly between drive and non-drive sides and the fatigue life of the rim, hub and spokes is lengthened.

_ 2:1 Two-to-One Spoke Ratio™ - Disc Brake
A system that is as simple as it is effective, the result of the ingenuity of Fulcrum® engineers and attentive observation of the results of the tests performed on the wheels on a daily basis.
These tests made it possible to understand that the forces that act on the sides of the wheels, and therefore on the spokes, are extremely different; but what’s more, the differences between the front and rear wheels are also evident and significant. The front wheel, in fact, has to remain stable even during braking of the disk on the left side, and the rear wheel, in addition to the sprocket set, has to compensate for the traction of the force on the chain side.

How can we keep the wheel perfectly in balance even when it is stressed by braking and acceleration? By doubling the number of spokes and positioning them in such a way that, for each stress on one side of the wheel, there is an equal and opposite force on the other side. This may seem like a simple solution, but especially on harsh and demanding terrains like those of off-road riding, the 2:1 Two-to-One™ system is crucial for ensuring consistent control of your bike even in the most critical situations.

_ DRSC™ - Directionated Rim-Spoke Coupling
Exclusive rim/spoke coupling system. It allows the rim, spokes, nipples and hub to align properly with the same tensioning value in all areas.

_ MoMag™
What is MoMag™?
A magnet and lots of ingenuity. This was what led to the patent for the well-tested “Mounting Magnet” system, or MoMag™.
The nipples, once inserted inside the rim via the valve hole, are “guided” to the point of connection with the spoke by means of the magnet. This simple but ingenious system makes it possible to have wheels without holes on the upper bridge, but with spokes tensioned by traditional nipples!

_ Anti-Rotation System™
This new system raises the concept of spoking to a new level of performance for road bike and triathlon wheels ( and mtb too)
The Fulcrum® engineers have redesigned the spokes and the hub housings to create a solid and unmoveable whole. The result is that the spokes
- will never lose their initial tension, thus keeping the wheel perfectly reactive and centred
- will remain in the position that have been studied in the wind tunnel tests to ensure the best aerodynamic penetration possible.
 
_ F.I.C. Fulcrum Identification Card - 100% HANDMADE QUALITY
Right from its inception Fulcrum® has been marked by feature that continues to this day: that is to design, prototype and industrialise all the wheels characterised by the red “F”. Indeed these take shape inside of the R&D, the leading-edge department that represents the beating heart of the Italian company. Every single component of the wheel, the materials chosen and the technologies applied are the tangible result of the effort that Fulcrum® makes every day to give you maximum performance and reliability.

To ensure the best performance and reliability of its products, each project, before going in the production stage, must submitted to a series of severe tests that validate what has been conceived and designed up to that moment (fatigue test, crash test, tyre burst test, enviroment test, 100% manually assembled and electronically checked).
This is why, from its 2012 range, Fulcrum® wanted to supply each wheel with its own Identity Card (F.I.C.) which uniquely identifies the wheel and certifies that it has been manually assembled and has passed all tests required by the strict quality protocol.

_ Traceability
A guarantee of quality. The keyword for our products is: traceable.
If you find a little label attached to any Fulcrum® product, do not remove it. It will provide you a guarantee in case of an ascertained defectiveness of a production batch, and so the component needed or wheel will be traceable.
All this because, devoted to its mission, Fulcrum® demands the absolute perfection and safety for its customers.

_ AFS axle system™
The Axial Fixing System™ is the solution developed by Fulcrum® to fix the disc brake to the hub. The constraint granted by the butt area of the release mechanism, greater than in familiar standard ones, makes it possible to obtain greater structural rigidity and therefore more precise and powerful braking.

The availability of the International Standard option ensures full compatibility of Fulcrum® wheels even with the most widespread braking systems that use this assembly plan.

_ One Hub Fits All

_ Rim Full Carbon technology
Full carbon Fulcrum® rims are built using combinations, developed in the laboratory, of different types of fibre, including UD and the famous 90-degree 3K of models at the top of our range. To build them we developed a special HTG (high transition grade) resin, whose glass transition point is at a higher temperature than any other fibre used in the bicycle industry.
This gives incomparable performance when braking.

Fulcrum® carbon products are also recognizable for their sophisticated workmanship: The rims are moulded with ready-made nipple holes, so no further hole-making is needed. Nor is polishing necessary to give them an impeccable appearance or make them technically ready for mounting.

_ Wide Rim Tech
Fulcrum®’s R&D department, following requests from the competition circuit, has worked to create rims that are wider than before, about 4 mm or more than previously. This technical choice provides an ideal basis for 25/28mm tyres, the sizes currently popular.
This ensures stability, excellent handling and superior comfort.

Everyone agrees that a more comfortable bicycle means less physical and mental fatigue, generating better performance and results.
The contact made by the wider tyre creates a better, more stable support, while the shape of the tyre and rim together creates regular, stable air flow, in short, more aerodynamics, less attrition.

_ Undrilled Rim Bed
No holes on the bridge connector means that the rim is uniform at every point, free from critical areas subject to stress.
The advantages are immediately clear: less weight, longer lasting rims, greater resistance to fatigue, the possibility of giving the spokes more tension and more stiffness which, in terms of performance, means improved responsiveness and acceleration.

_ Cup & Cone
The cup-and-cone bearing differs from the classic cartridge bearing because it works in perfect alignment with the forces involved, weight and thrust from the frame, as the bearings run in a race positioned directly opposing these forces.
The adjusting ring lets you pre-load the bearing, so you can eliminate side-to-side play and have optimum adjustment once the wheel is mounted on the frame.

_ Disc Specific Rim

_ Carbon hubs
In line with their aim to save every possible gram of weight and to choose the most advanced technological solutions, the R&D department has developed a seamless carbon hub. The fibre selected is woven at 90 degrees, for enhanced balance of torque when pedalling.

_ Plasma freehub
The Plasma treatment makes the aluminium especially hard and resistant to surface abrasion and wear. This has allowed thickness of materials to be reduced to a minimum, achieving advantages of lighter weight, while maintaining lifespan and reliability.

_ Oversize Flange
The Oversize Flange was developed from the need to create a system to transmit every watt to the ground without dispersion, stiffening the wheel system where necessary, without having to add spokes or superstructures that increase weight.
The oversize flange uses physics to solve the problem. It increases dishing and enables spokes to be shortened. Doubling the spokes creates a balanced system that is excellent at transmitting torque.

_ Monoblock hub for Disc
The rear hub of a top-quality disc brake wheel is a technical problem to be solved. Fulcrum®’s R&D department found itself facing a fundamental choice: on which side to put the oversize flange of the Two-to-one™ system? Disc or sprocket side? Without question - must stay on the sprocket side.
To combat the loss of braking power from flex and torque of the connector between the two sides of the hub, a special one-piece system has been devised with internal stiffening ribs.

The end result is maximum torque transmission while pedalling and forces coming from the disc on the opposite side when braking.
In this way the system works both accelerating and braking, when spokes that are more numerous and with more dishing are involved.
At the same time, the other side confirms the spokes’ radial layout, saving precious weight.

ARC technology
Material only where needed, not where it is superfluous.  Orienting the carbon fibers with the desired result in mind, thinking of the rim and the sort of wheel we are creating. This is the concept that inspired the Fulcrum R&D division in their development of ARC, the new technology used for layering the sheets of carbon in the mold to create different zones depending on vibration during racing.

During study of the rim, the stress points and directions of the forces when accelerating and braking are analyzed to help decide which carbon to use and how to layer it in the finished project.

The critical zones, where reinforcement is needed, are usually the spoke eyelets, while the rest of the rim is lightened as much as possible. The difference in material between these two zones can be as much as 20%, acting as reinforcement trussing for the pillars of a bridge.

When requirements are different why use the same structure? Better to choose the most suitable in terms of lightness or fiber direction.

For rim construction, we have chosen T800 high modulus carbon, which guarantees the best weight/performance ratio, as well as enabling complex processing directly in the mold without the need for further stages.

Its outside-the-box look therefore derives from a technical requirement, enhancing the character of the wheel and above all further raising the level of the wheel’s response modulation during racing:  every cm² is called on to do its job in creating the best combination.