Your problem is not a design or function problem...it's a quality control issue.

The following is important for all rims - but especially more important as you go deeper and deeper in the aero rim sections due to the increased rigidity:

1. The ends of the rim before rolling must be cut a perfect 90 degrees.
2. The rolling maneuver must be torsion controlled for the entire circumference to insure:

- The joint mates and aligns correctly.
- The rim when assembled can be tensioned rather evenly - tensioned within 10% from hole to hole.

Sleeves do result in a slight increase in nipple fricton - but not enough to prevent proper tensioning of the wheel. Long as you lube the nipple seats it should not be an issue.

Lately I've had a beef with Velocity in regard to their DeepV and B43s and Chukkers. They are by name label a rim that demands a premium price much like Mavic. And obviously with the increased demand they had to increase production. However I get the impression that instead of bringing in another line of automated assembly line machines - they instead chose to speed up their current machinery...resulting in reduced quality control...

In the last 6 months over 80% of the DeepVs and B43's and Chukkers I have built have had defective joints - some so bad you can cut your finger skimming the joint. Others were so badly off the 90 degree cut requirement that you could see with the naked eye a flare at the joint approaching 3 mm - something that can cannot be corrected via truing - and results in one spoke super tight and one spoke super loose.

I'm talking approximately 50-60 rims in the past 6 months...

Hopefully Velocity will correct the problem...else myself and my customers will have to go with something else.

The Alex G6000 seems to be a decent alternative for a (GASP!) 29er wheel...otherwise known as a 700c wheel.

=8-)