The five-pointed star shape of the hub flanges has a smaller frontal area than a normal hub, in order to cut a smaller footprint through the air.
As a consequence, they feel faster than other race wheels with a tailwind, though we noted some brake rub on uphill gradients, so they aren’t as stiff as they look.
The very short spokes mean there is little dissipation of shocks, and on poor road surfaces these wheels feel extremely harsh. At this point it’s too early to tell whether the small distance between the hub flanges, together with extreme vertical stiffness, places undue strain on the cartridge bearings.
Keeping all this in mind, we would have thought that these wheels would feature a deep section rim to complement the aerodynamic hub. Instead, what you get is a midi-section, 25mm depth rim so there’s clearly room for further development. Titanium skewers are included.
THE French Roval name resurfaced after a 20-year absence when Specialized got the rights to use it. The Fusee Stars are specced on the Specialized Tarmac Pro.