rims. any help??
 

i am putting together my first fixed gear and already have everything with the exception of the rims...i have a set of dura-ace 32 hole hubs, and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to what rims i should go with...the bike will be used everyday, for communting and as a messenger. thanks...

Price? Mavic MA-3's are generally a good low-cost rim. Open Pro's are a really nice higher priced rim. I deal not in the dark art of the aero.

yeah, my goal is really something that is fairly affordable, and durable...if anyone knows any sites, i am from charlotte, NC...and we have **** for shops around here...

I recently built up a new set of wheels using Mavic MA3s. Rock solid so far. I use them on my commuting bike and can't imagine why I'd need anything more. I bought mine through nashbar for about $27 each. (My LBS wanted $40 each, so ordering online was a no brainer.)

ma2s.

Where can Jason find these??

I've got an MA3 for the rear on my fixed gear commuter and I've been very happy with it. My road bike, however, has Open Pros and those wheels have not been so great.

This almost certainly has more to do with the quality of the wheel build than the rims. I suppose it could have something to do with the fact that the Open Pro is on a wheel that had to be dished to accommodate a 9-speed cassette, whereas the MA3 did not, but I think it is more likely due to the wheel build. I built the MA3 wheel myself-- I'm not saying I'm particularly good at it, but I did it carefully and used the correct spoke tension. On the other hand, for the Open Pro wheel I bought it complete from the mail order company that had the cheapest price...I suppose it should be no surprise that it was laced poorly I've had several broken spokes and frequent truing. I've since retensioned the spokes and it seems to be holding up better.

My point is just that I think you're fine saving some cash on the rims-- just don't skimp on how the wheel is assembled (or do it yourself).

http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?c...it=y&pagename=

Lots of sale prices.

The Sun CR-18 is bulletproof and a good value to boot. I got mine from Airbomb.

To this, I will add that apparently hard anodized rims are structurally weaker than lightly anodized (the type that's usually used to dye Al) or non-anodized rims. So sayeth Lord Brandt:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/anodized-rims.html

On an email (or was it netnews? whatever.) discussion, he mentioned that non-ano rims are harder and harder to come by. The Sun M13II was mentioned as a decent double-walled non-ano rim. I'm not sure if they're still in production, but when I got hit by a car a while back my bike shop had a machine built with an M13II for only $40 (cheapo Shimano HB-2200 hub). Just look for the shiny polished alloy rims, not the dull finish or black.

edit: I just did my homework. No, the question was about whether the M13II was ano or not. The poster claimed it wasn't because it was silver, but it seems like it's just a silver hard ano. Yes they're still in production. No you can't buy them, they're OEM only.
http://www.bicycle-forum.net/tech/Ne...ms_486154.html

im looking at open pro, ma3, velocity fusion, and velocity aerohead

I find the Sun CR-18 are a bit to soft for me. The spokes always seemed to be coming loose. The rim has to much play.

many open pros have been very good for me, they come nice and straight and stay together very well, but they are always expensive.