Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - velocity b43, or any other beefy wheel for that matter

ive been reading around trying to find all the pro's and cons of deep rims, and im not finding very focused answers.

so....does anyone here know the merits of deep rims, i hear trick riding a whole lot, but thats not what im into....i weigh about 210 and i ride on the street. are these b43's or the 42 mm h+son's sturdier for a guy like me?

pros: they may be more aero but really they're really just super hip

cons: they're heavy as hell

you don't need super deep rims to have a sturdy wheel. any properly tensioned hand-built aluminum wheel with a high enough spoke count will do for street riding and will be a lot lighter. so unless you're just into the aesthetic appeal of the b43's, i'd go with something else.

I have a set of Mavic MA2 rims laced to low flange hubs with 36 spokes each. I am about your weight and they hold up exceptionally well. The components matter only as much as the actual build of the wheel.

any properly tensioned hand-built aluminum wheel with a high enough spoke count will do for street riding and will be a lot lighter.

This.

I've got 48 spoke Cliffhangers hanging on mine (26"), and if you want something real heavy duty I think they make the Chukkars in 700 or maybe some Salsa Gordos but really it's overkill.
By a blind guess, I'd say that each of my wheels weigh as much as my frame, these wheels are built for punishment, not just normal riding.

I hate how so much Velocity stuff only comes in 32 spoke.

Velocity makes nice stuff, but probably 80% of the people who drop the cash on them are just doing it for the look rather than any actual benefit to the riding (thus you'll see the flock of 110-lb hipsters all sporting b43's). I was beginning to think it was purely cosmetic, then I saw a sweet photo from an old 3Rensho catalogue (http://sweetnourishingbikes.blogspot.com/2006/11/3rensho-catalog.html) (pdf linked) with a bike sporting the black b43 look:

136590

So yeah, there's definitely some benefits to the b43 design but it will really make no difference for someone your size. You're not big enough for it to really be a problem and the b43 wouldn't make that much of a difference for you (unless you were doing time trials or something). The difference will really be pretty much nil.

velocity makes some sh*t rims. I have heard of quite a few builders who refuse to work with their stuff because of the poor quality control. H+Son rims are great.

But like others said, you don't need the deepest rims to have them support 210lbs. Plenty of quality 27mm or even even smaller rims out there that would do the job great

Deep rims are obviously vertically stiffer. They are also make the wheel laterally stiffer because they shorten the spoke and increase the angle that the spokes enter the rim. High flange hubs have the same benefit. This makes the wheel both stronger and more fatigue resistant. Therefore you can run fewer spokes. Fewer spokes reduce drag and this is perhaps a greater benefit than the aerodynamic profile of the rim itself. The consequence of a deeper rim is slightly more weight. At your weight, a boat anchor 43mm deep rim built with a full compliment of spokes is going to be redundant. If I were you, I'd select something a little more all-purpose, with intermediate depth, such as a Deep V, Fusion, Mavic CXP33, or Kinlin XR-300. Rims such as the XR-300 are deep enough (30mm) to significantly increase the strength of the wheel, and allow you to reduce the spoke count, and are barely heavier than standard box section rims. Build it with 24-28 spokes in front and 28-32 in the rear, depending on rim depth, hub choice, and your riding style. Use double butted spokes. Build it correctly, and a wheel like that will easily hold your weight and roll true for a very long time.

I hate how so much Velocity stuff only comes in 32 spoke.

you're probably only finding it in 32 holes, but Velocity actually offers drillings all the way from 16h to 48h.
I have a pair of 28h velocity rims that I bought online, so you just have to look harder.

Deep rims are obviously vertically stiffer. They are also make the wheel laterally stiffer because they shorten the spoke and increase the angle that the spokes enter the rim. High flange hubs have the same benefit. This makes the wheel both stronger and more fatigue resistant. Therefore you can run fewer spokes. Fewer spokes reduce drag and this is perhaps a greater benefit than the aerodynamic profile of the rim itself. The consequence of a deeper rim is slightly more weight. At your weight, a boat anchor 43mm deep rim built with a full compliment of spokes is going to be redundant. If I were you, I'd select something a little more all-purpose, with intermediate depth, such as a Deep V, Fusion, Mavic CXP33, or Kinlin XR-300. Rims such as the XR-300 are deep enough (30mm) to significantly increase the strength of the wheel, and allow you to reduce the spoke count, and are barely heavier than standard box section rims. Build it with 24-28 spokes in front and 28-32 in the rear, depending on rim depth, hub choice, and your riding style. Use double butted spokes. Build it correctly, and a wheel like that will easily hold your weight and roll true for a very long time.

+1

I'd take a serious look at Mavic Open Pros. My set probably has had 10,000 miles on it since the last true and are not too heavy. Just sayin...


FWIW I weigh between 170-185 lbs

I outweigh you by 50 pounds and do fine with regular Velocity Deep Vs.

32 rear, 28 front, 3-cross.