Introducing FKT - A New Frontier For Speed
At Parcours, we are always “ENGINEERING FOR SPEED" and the FKT wheelset is born out of just this. Chasing an FKT or ‘Fastest Known Time’ is something which is synonymous to those who ride & race off-road. 
The FKT wheelset is the first truly aero-optimised gravel wheel. FKT is all about optimising performance in gravel racing rather than looking to mitigate the aerodynamic penalty of a gravel tyre. Our innovative hybrid truncated virtual foil design helps to manage air flow from the wider tyre reducing turbulence caused by the more extreme tread required for gravel riding.
However, the FKT takes in the bigger picture for gravel performance. The rim design is based around a 40mm gravel tyre, and airflow conditions are anchored to the Panaracer GravelKing X1 tread pattern. FKT offers maximal performance benefits when fitted with 35-45mm tyres. The Panaracer GravelKing X1 was chosen as the benchmark tyre based on extensive discussions with athletes around their race use case and can already be seen as one of the go-to options for gravel racers. 
The FKT’s rim design uses a hybrid truncated virtual foil to simulate airflow conditions around a much deeper NACA-based airfoil. Unlike Parcours #thinkwider road rims, the FKT wheelset uses a symmetrical front/rear rim design as our real-world wind data collection process showed a significantly reduced difference in yaw conditions for gravel racing environments and speeds.
The FKT has a hookless rim with a 27mm internal width and so is fully ISO and ETRTO compliant from a 35mm tyre width upwards. It will continue to utilise the same IMPACT+ technology as seen in our existing Alta rims with a more compliant resin used at the rim edge increasing durability and impact-resistance meaning our racers can be confident in their wheels, whatever the parcours.
The hubs used in the FKT are Parcours' tried and tested road disc model, which has been validated and raced at the highest level in both triathlon and road. The drive mechanism uses a 6-pawl freehub running on a 44T ratchet ring.
The FKT is designed for those who want to go fast on gravel, those who have an interest in tangible gains in their sport and those that want to see transparency and proven data, recognising the benefit that good aerodynamics can have on their performance. Race proven by Parcours athletes Maddy Nutt and Joe Laverick, the FKT’s have been ridden to both wins and top 10s in the UCI Gravel World Series and a podium finish at the Migration Gravel Race. 
The FKT is for ultimate performance meaning you no longer have to make any performance compromises when heading to the start line of your next off-road challenge. FKT represents the next frontier for speed.
