Some insights... I think it was my mechanic/wheelbuilder buddy who told me that a 36 spoke wheel may be superior to a 32 because if you use thinner spokes you'll save more weight and the greater flex of thinner spokes absorbs shocks so the wheel stays in true. I'm not certain this is true, but it seems like a logical explanation.

Good for you for avoiding Deep-Vs. Who cares if they're popular, but I care that they weigh 500g each. True that they are bombproof, though. I hate the ones I have on my build (although the deep section matches the thick aluminum frame tubing, not to mention the matching black) mostly because of their weight. But I commute on it often so I'll probably keep them and get a nice lightweight tubular pair for the track and weekend rides (thinking Cane Creek Volos). If I did, my ride would be down to 15 and a half pounds with a front brake. Guess I'm a weight weenie :p

Longtime listener, first time caller, weighing in. Deep Vs, Phil Woods, 36 spoke, 3X. Tough as nails.

i did google search for these and can't find. can u post a pic? are there open pros w/out machined surface? i want a black rim set, something new.

If you're going to make an effort, do it right:

http://www.carbonsports.com/Produkte...laufraeder.jpg

I ride these exclusively.

If you like deep v's but dont want to be like everyone else, take a look at the weinmann offerings (specifically the dp18). They make deep dish rims that look exactly like deep v's and in a few color options. I cant find them anywhere online so good luck finding them, but ive seen them in red,white, black, and i think i saw them in gold somewhere(and i remember that they looked better than gold deep vs).

I dont know how they perform relative to any other rims, my guess is that there comparable to velocities. Open pros are good rims, and ive heard good things about the dt swiss rims.

Or if you got the money you can buy just the rim from a zipp wheelset and you can also get phil wood to do custom hole drillings, combine these 2 and you got the ultimate deep dish wheelset. Bottomline for performance id recommend mavic OP's, and for style get the velocity deep v's

I'm gonna run these.
http://i19.ebayimg.com/02/i/000/c7/93/9192_1.JPG

ebay is basically infested with these things.
look harder grom.

teh sex.

I ride araya rims that I got when I took a trip in the way-back machine. They're super solid, but my read wheel weights 880 grams all told. So, yeah, not exactly lightweight. But pimped.

i was told that these sun cr18s 34 4x would be bulletproof and cheap and light

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...7&category=860

any comment on that? bad info? or good info?

36 hole Araya rims work well for me.

Gale

I have some 36-hole CR-18s laced to formula hubs on my cyclocross bike. They're OK... but heavy. It's hard to get tires on them. But, they are a great value. Get them if you want a decently priced rim that is fairly tough and you intend to run wide tires (28c or higher). Don't get them if you're concerned with weight or want to run narrow tires.

I agree with this. I have some 36 hole CR18s laced to Surly hubs, and they are very strong and reliable. But getting tires on and off is a huge pain. While they are strong rims, the quality control is a little variable. I have never been able to get my pair of CR18 wheels perfectly round and true...there remains a slight hop and wobble in the rear. I've always gotten more perfect wheels with Mavic rims.

I like that you have looks first and strength fourth.

I've built up around a dozen Sun rims and every one of them starts with a hop right at the join...but they are very cheap.

Yeah..and the hop isn't all that big of a deal. You can't feel it while riding. Its just annoying if you are anal about your bike stuff.

All this talk about Deep V's colors...looks...

Reminds me of women talking about shoes with matching handbags.:D

dt swiss RR 1.2 Deep Section Rim. techno alternative to deep v!

we built up some dt 1.1's on small flange da7710's for a customer recently - he's extremely happy with them...

if anything, dt might be a little over engineered... apparently they subcontract some of their machining to their watch making neighbours...

mavic open pro cd (hard anodized) are fantastic. durable lightweight rim - ran them laced to phils for 5 years as one of my messenger wheelsets without any problems

having a good time with da7600's on deep v's right now... was a tad skeptical of the weight of the rim, but they roll great on the street... the heavier weight gives a bit of extra momentum... and they take the cr*p outta manchester streets...

dont forget, the quality of the ride will also depend on the quality of your wheelbuilder. but you knew that anyway...

i didnt see any dp18 rims on ebay, they just have prebuilt wheelsets that use them and ****ty formulas, and hes asking about rim recommendations.

I've got Weinmanns, Mavic(Open Sport), Sun, Aeroheads, Alex, Shimano, Bontrager. All be good to me. I do group rides with roadies with their King or Campy hubs going Zinnnngggg! while mine are stealthy quiet. They go no faster than I do. I'm on steel, they ride carbon; yet no faster than me. I hop curbs, race across grass, gravel, mud, rocks, railroad tracks. They go EEEEEEKKKK!!!!! and take the long way around.

Don't get so freakin' hung up on what wheels you've got. Save your dough for good beer instead. Seriously.

building up a wheelset like this now, what kind of spokes did you use?