I'm thinking about putting a front brake on for riding on the road. How well would a brake work on the non-machined surface of a Velocity Deep V? I'd like to find out before I waste money...thanks!

my bike has that set up. i use dure ace pads/brake - no problem!

we all went a long time without machined sidewalls, it a recent advance in marketing

The machined surfaces are only to keep them looking better. Cosmetics.

Depends on which Deep V. If you have a powdercoated rim, braking on a powdercoated surface is erratic and unpredictable, plus it embeds bits of powdercoating in your brake pads that will score your rims more aggressively. Plus, when the brake pads finally break through the powdercoating layer, it looks really horrible.

If you have anodized Deep V rims, it has no effect except for the cosmetic effect of scraping off the anodizing, which the machining would have done anyway.

Most of the really wild colors are powdercoat. The anodized colors are silver, gold, grey, one of the browns, black (which I've also seen powdercoated), and a couple other colors that come and go. Just be sure it's an anodized color.

The actual braking surface is still extruded flat on all the rims, and on the machine rims is simply finished flat -- it is a little flatter but it's not even like on many box-section rims from the 70s and 80s that had fairly curved braking surfaces. I'd go so far as to say that the non-machined rims up close look to have a braking surface that detracts a bit from my ideal track-wheel look which wouldn't have a braking surface at all.

(Some of the answers above appear to be from folks who want to help but don't realize that Deep V's have these finishing issues.)

If your rim is completely powdercoated (pc), you can remove the pc from the rim walls with a flat file.

You need the tire removed and bike in a workstand. This lets you rotate rim against file surface so that you can remove the pc without damaging wheel. I recommend a new, sharp file for this job.

This is a long, tedious process, during which you will gain a great appreciation of the toughness of polyester. It's essential that you control the file to keep rim walls flat and perpendicular to the wheel's axle. If you complete this job, you will never do it again - it's that hard.

Finish off with 400 grit sandpaper on a sanding block. I got good results with only one blemish where my file slipped and scratched the pc in the center of the rim.

Naturally, be careful to not remove any more than the minimum amount of aluminum from the rim wall necessary to achieve a nice clean finish. It's easy to "feel" when you get to the underlying aluminum layer, because it cuts easier than powdercoat - you'll be able to rotate the wheel easier against the file.

It's quicker to rebuild the wheel with a new rim with machined walls.

I did this only because I found some Synergy (offset spoke hole) rims at low cost, but they came only fully pc. I use them on rear wheels to counter the cassette dish.

As was said, only use brakes on the anodized deep v's - do not use them on the painted deep v's !

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/velocity.asp

Scroll down to the eggplant rims where they talk about the difference between machined and non-machined deep v's