lhbernhardt

Yeah, they do look good until the "grain" on the brake track gets washed out, then they look like aluminum rims with wood grain painted on.

The A23's are a good choice. I used them for Furnace Creek/Trona 353 on the fixie with 23mm tires. (Aside: If you're riding fixed at FC, your rims can be no higher than 25mm, hence the low-profile rims. You do have to adjust the brakes outward a bit for the wider rim, but if the brakes are adjusted for Deep V's, merely opening the quick release will accommodate the A23's almost exactly! (If you're using Ergopower levers (with QR) with Campag calipers (with no QR), you're out of luck. I like to run a Campag lever with non-Campag caliper so I get two QR's.))

I like using a lower-profile rim; less weight to carry uphill, less susceptible to crosswinds. Although the Deep V is not a really high profile, not like the 44mm-and-up carbon
fiber rims you can get. Higher profile rims also tend to be much stronger, so you can use fewer spokes.

If you get the A23's, consider using the Velocity "Veloplugs" instead of rim tape. Because of the width of the rim, if you use tape that is the least bit narrow, you could develop punctures where there's a gap when the tape doesn't completely cover the hole (the holes are slightly staggered). Veloplugs are also supposed to be lighter than tape. You might hear stories that Veloplugs don't work with A23's. They do; I've got four wheels, inflated to 120 lbs, that work.

Luis