Fulcrum Sharq wheelset review: fast aero all-road wheels that are smooth, stable and squiggly

Fulcrum’s aero apex predator laughs in the face of side winds

Fulcrum Sharq rim with silver logo
(Image credit: Future/Simon Fellows)
Cycling Weekly Verdict

Don't let the slightly juvenile name put you off. These are beautiful all-road wheels - gorgeous to behold and super-smooth to ride. My experiences both on and off tarmac appear to back up Fulcrum's claims - they are very stable in blustery conditions.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Stunning to look at

  • +

    Epic in blustery side winds

  • +

    Premium build quality

  • +

    Very smooth ride feel

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Pricey, but then quality costs

  • -

    Not much else

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

All-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 lineup.

The evocatively named Sharq – think speed, menace, bite – 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.

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Andy Carr
Tech Editor

Tech Editor, Andy Carr came to cycling journalism after ten years in the cycle trade, writing blogs and content whilst designing award winning bikes, for his own custom bike brand.

A life long cycling fan and rider, he left the City life in 2015, moving away to the Alps, where he worked as a ride guide, running pro-camps, and eventually started designing and building custom bikes.

Over a decade, that escape grew into a business, and Andy’s bike designs became well known in the industry.

He has always used his platform to champion higher standards in fit, design, and fabrication and his own products won awards and five star reviews in most of the major magazines.

Having run a bike shop, workshop, and award winning paint shop, producing custom bikes in metal and composite for customers all over the world, Andy has real life experience of the processes and work that go into producing great bikes and components; from desk work like FEA and CFD to physically testing products in wind tunnels, opening moulds for composite work, and getting products out of his head and into stores - alongside some of the insider processes few get to see.