Weekend Rides with Fulcrum Racing Zero
2 days of solids 80km rides with the FRZs and so far so good. Speedwise, for my application, I guess they do not lose out to the HEDs (though I do believe that going 40+km/h and into headwind is probably the HED's biggest advantage but I'm not that 'pro' to take full adv of that!) but bling-wise the deep section carbon look melds better with the entire bike. So as with everything else, there are compromises and since the speed is ok, I've no complaints since I'm getting alloy braking as opposed to crummy carbon braking.
Saturday : 80km West Loop with KL.
Met KL at 5.45am at AML, as usual and I think we took it rather relaxed. I started to push after Mandai into Neo Tiew, averaging 33-34km/h and there was some headwind..pretty much spent after that but we managed to hit ave 30km/h prior to LCK. Picked up speed at Jalan Buroh and into West Coast highway but it started to rain very heavily as we got into the viaduct.
A huge truck was in front of us doing like 26-27km/h....we were pretty much behind this truck for 2/3 of the way until I got pretty fed up and overtook it. KL followed suit but I did not wait for him. I just carried on into 42-43km/h territory. I was very surprised how this wheel held that speed and I was not on full effort even (not even close). Plus points over here.
Then on we went to the usual Kopitiam for a drink and adjourned to our homes. Manage average speed of 30+km/h so despite the slow start and the rain, it was a very decent effort. Good new was that my ave HR was just 140bpm for this ride! I've never had a 30+km/h ave ride on that kind of HR (usually 145-150 for a 2 person ride).
I had 100/110PSI on the 25C tires and due to the plenty stiff characteristics of the wheel, my ass got an unusual beating. Pretty bumpy ride.
Sunday : 80km East West Solo (To Tuas and Back)
This route is my personal route where no many people like follow. Mainly because it goes into Tuas and the roads there are pretty bad at some spots, not to mention the slew of heavy vehicles and dusty conditions. For me it was a great opportunity to test out the FZRs on such roads. I pumped in 90/95PSI this time around, based on the ass-breaking experience of yesterday. Better.
I started faster than usual and by the time I was at Nicoll, I was already doing 30km/h average. At the viaduct, I picked up speed to about 37-40km/h and by the time I hit the end of Jalan Buroh I was at 32.1km/h.....Tuas slowed that down a lot! Many traffic lights and by the time I reached the u-turn point I was down to 31.1km/h. I took advantage of some tail wind and managed to get this back to 32.1km/h but only after the viaduct. Then it was a struggle not to let this drop.
In the end it was a personal best for this route and 80km route solo (with absolutely no-one to draft) with an average speed of 31.6-31.7km/h thereabout. Very decent.....HR ave was 143bpm which is also quite low for such an effort!
The FZRs....
So far, not bad at all....a comparison after riding the HED Stinger 6 Tubs for the whole of last year!
- climbing up slopes is slightly better but by not much, its very stiff
- does not feel as comfortable as the HED on Tubs though this could be improved with some experimentation on tyre pressure
- definitely not as bling as any deep section wheel but still looks better than most alloys out there
- braking is BETTER....also tested in the wet! The HEDs just don't stop in the wet
- not as light but don't feel a difference on the road
All in all, I'm pretty happy from these 2 rides. I'll be satisfied completely when I take these for a test ride on my West Hills route. These were bought because I have plans to climb mountains this year.
Saturday : 80km West Loop with KL.
Met KL at 5.45am at AML, as usual and I think we took it rather relaxed. I started to push after Mandai into Neo Tiew, averaging 33-34km/h and there was some headwind..pretty much spent after that but we managed to hit ave 30km/h prior to LCK. Picked up speed at Jalan Buroh and into West Coast highway but it started to rain very heavily as we got into the viaduct.
A huge truck was in front of us doing like 26-27km/h....we were pretty much behind this truck for 2/3 of the way until I got pretty fed up and overtook it. KL followed suit but I did not wait for him. I just carried on into 42-43km/h territory. I was very surprised how this wheel held that speed and I was not on full effort even (not even close). Plus points over here.
Then on we went to the usual Kopitiam for a drink and adjourned to our homes. Manage average speed of 30+km/h so despite the slow start and the rain, it was a very decent effort. Good new was that my ave HR was just 140bpm for this ride! I've never had a 30+km/h ave ride on that kind of HR (usually 145-150 for a 2 person ride).
I had 100/110PSI on the 25C tires and due to the plenty stiff characteristics of the wheel, my ass got an unusual beating. Pretty bumpy ride.
Sunday : 80km East West Solo (To Tuas and Back)
This route is my personal route where no many people like follow. Mainly because it goes into Tuas and the roads there are pretty bad at some spots, not to mention the slew of heavy vehicles and dusty conditions. For me it was a great opportunity to test out the FZRs on such roads. I pumped in 90/95PSI this time around, based on the ass-breaking experience of yesterday. Better.
I started faster than usual and by the time I was at Nicoll, I was already doing 30km/h average. At the viaduct, I picked up speed to about 37-40km/h and by the time I hit the end of Jalan Buroh I was at 32.1km/h.....Tuas slowed that down a lot! Many traffic lights and by the time I reached the u-turn point I was down to 31.1km/h. I took advantage of some tail wind and managed to get this back to 32.1km/h but only after the viaduct. Then it was a struggle not to let this drop.
In the end it was a personal best for this route and 80km route solo (with absolutely no-one to draft) with an average speed of 31.6-31.7km/h thereabout. Very decent.....HR ave was 143bpm which is also quite low for such an effort!
The FZRs....
So far, not bad at all....a comparison after riding the HED Stinger 6 Tubs for the whole of last year!
- climbing up slopes is slightly better but by not much, its very stiff
- does not feel as comfortable as the HED on Tubs though this could be improved with some experimentation on tyre pressure
- definitely not as bling as any deep section wheel but still looks better than most alloys out there
- braking is BETTER....also tested in the wet! The HEDs just don't stop in the wet
- not as light but don't feel a difference on the road
All in all, I'm pretty happy from these 2 rides. I'll be satisfied completely when I take these for a test ride on my West Hills route. These were bought because I have plans to climb mountains this year.
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