Originally Posted by
HeyPip
Eyelets in a rim are so much nicer when building or truing a wheel because they reduce the friction between the rim and the spoke nipple and you can closer feel the "real" tension in the spoke and not just friction. When I designed some rims for Weinman, the wall thicker of the rim had to be thicker for non eyeletted rims.
The first wheel I ever built was a 700C Weinman Concave. That rim was a benchmark in its day.
Pip
Weinmann Concaves as mentioned were not light, nor were most of the alternatives, so eyelets were not required.
But, they made a more predictable wheel build, the process of tensioning a wheel would cause some deformation of the aluminum and the friction would vary, especially on the rear wheel.
Eyelets provided a steel surface that was more predictable.
Later the "Bomb proof" rim was an Araya Aero, also a non eyeleted rim.