Bicycle Mechanics - Building Cyclocross Wheelset

I was hoping to build a set of Velocity Aerohead rims to a set of White Industry H3 hubs, but especially the rims a are more of a lightweight road rim and I'm not sure they are tough enough to stand up to any Cross riding.

I'm not a cross guy but given what I've seen come standard on cross bike, it seems that most road wheels are more than capable of handling cross. Go check out the bikes in the cross forum and see if anyone is running a similar combination to what you want to build if you are really concerned about it. Spoke count and a proper build will be more important than the specific rim you select, in my opinion. I wouldn't worry about using any quality hub. They should all handle it just fine.

I was hoping to build a set of Velocity Aerohead rims to a set of White Industry H3 hubs, but especially the rims a are more of a lightweight road rim and I'm not sure they are tough enough to stand up to any Cross riding.

We put on a cyclocross race series this past fall and winter, and it was for the most part a typical cross section (no pun intended) of road wheels/rims that were on the bikes. Everything from Ksyrium Elite wheelsets to Open Pros to Aeroheads to less expensive Alex road rims. The all seemed to do fine. It was more often than not a soft, gritty, muddy course, so the real problem for the rims was the brake surface getting chewed up.

Personally, if I were to build a cyclocross wheelset for myself, I'd probably use Mavic CXP-33's. I like the profile and characteristics of those rims. But the Aeroheads you mention should be fine, at least they would have been fine for the cross courses we set up.

I would stick with the aeroheads but build the rear with the asymmetric version. It builds a stronger wheel because it equalizes the tension between the drive side and the non-drive side spokes.

Keep in mind that you will be running a 32mm+ tire and that provides a fair amount of protection for the rim. Also, when racing, keep your pressure as low as possible, it will make all the difference in the world.

Thanks for all the responses, this makes me far more confident in a fairly lightweight wheelset.