About a year ago, Fulcrum released its Sharq wheel line. It was their first venture into variable rim profiles, with the 42 (42 to 47mm depth) and the 57 (57 to 62mm depth) providing a flowing wave shape. Each spoke meets the rim at the high point before the rim makes a smooth transition down to the low point. For 2025, Fulcrum is back with the Soniq, which offers the same Sharq shape, but at a lower cost.
The new Soniq 42 uses the same asymmetrical design, keeping the 42 and 47mm rim heights. The 2-Wave Rim profile is more sculpted than other flowing wave shapes on some rims. The leading edge is a little steeper before a plateau for the spoke. From there, the wave begins to flow down on the back end, before joining the front of the next wave. This creates a responsive wheelset that is versatile enough to ride every day, no matter where the road takes you, and stable enough for any condition.
Inside, Fulcrum uses their FF80 lamination, developed for maximum comfort and all-day riding, even on mixed surfaces. Nesseled just under their FF100 lamination used on the Sharq, which prioritizes stiffness and light weight for their top racing wheels, the FF80 uses a different mix of carbon and epoxy to focus more on lateral stiffness and vertical compliance. The Soniq 42 also features the hooked, 2-Way Fit Technology with a no-drill rim bed. Essentially, this means that the rims only have one hole in the rim bed for the valve stem. This provides additional strength by molding all of the holes into rim instead of drilling and not drilling into the bed for spoke holes. It also means you don’t need rim tape for a quick and easy tubeless or tubed setup. As long as you have a good seal at the valve, it eliminates the chance of pressurized air getting inside the rim and causing damage. The 25mm internal width and 29.8mm external width mean they are made for 29-76mm tires.
For hubs, Fulcrum took inspiration from the Wind series, known for its smoothness and reliability. They include steel sealed bearings (versus the ceramic CULT bearings on the Sharq) and preload adjustment to ensure long-lasting, smooth rolling, and a precise steering feel. The hubs mount centerlock disc rotors, and freehubs are available in HG, XDR, N3W, MS12 configurations.
The total package comes in at 1,595 grams, about 155g more than the Sharq.
Besides standard bearings and weighing a little more, you might think that the Soniq is just a stripped down version of the Sharq, but that isn’t entirely true. The big difference is the FF80 layup versus the FF100 on the Sharq. While the Sharq is for the rider focused on speed and weight, the Soniq is made for riders that are looking for the same aerodynamic benefits of the Sharq shape, but with a little more comfort. This makes them great for riders looking to ride long distance, mixed terrain, or more demanding conditions than smooth tarmac, and also those looking for the mix of performance, comfort, durability and price.
At USD $2,079, they are about $800 less than the Sharq 42, which is already a few hundred dollars less than their competitors with wave style rims.
The Soniq 42 is available now. If Fulcrum follows the same path as the Sharq, we could see a Soniq 57 in the near future too.
www.fulcrumwheels.com
Based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Scott joined Bike World News as the Cyclocross Editor in 2012 before taking over as Tech Editor in 2016. He has also worked as a photographer for various pro teams and shoot races along the east coast of the US, including the 2012 US MTB National Championships, 2013 UCI Cyclocross World Championships, and 2016 UCI Road World Championships. Scott has a passion for performance and technology, with 35 years of riding and mechanic experience. He also enjoys soccer, running, teaching group fitness classes, and is the founder of Lancaster Beard Company.
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