by Igor
I've spoken about my wheel obsession before, so I'll talk about it some more! This time I'll be a bit more focused on rims, because they are your friends. Rims, like our other offerings, following the basic law of design, form follows function. So let's have a look-see at our current offerings from narrowest to widest.
The PBP rim is our narrowest offering. The outside width measures 19mm and inside width measures 13.2mm. This design allows for tire sizes between 20mm (does anyone use this anymore?) and 32mm. Construction is double walled for strength and rigidity. Weight is a very respectable 450g. Lace these rims to our hi-lo hubset, and you've got yourself a very nice race day or training wheelset without taking out a home equity loan.
Next is my personal favorite: RAID. It's hard to find a good double eyeleted, double walled rim anymore. Cut the rim in half and you can see hows it's built. The tube that spans the walls is the double eyelet. This design allows for the ultimate balance between strength and weight. The rim measures 22mm (outside) and 16.1mm (inside). This means that you can mount tires from the meat and potatoes of the tire world: 25mm to 38mm. Throw on some slicks for your group ride, then slap on your knobbies for a weekend off road tour.
Lastly (for now), is Diagonale. Available in 650b and 700c, its primary use is for wide tires and loaded touring. It is designed to be our workhorse and has seen a lot of action over a lot of miles. The triple box section design is super strong and sturdy without the huge weight penalty for a touring rim (550g for 650b, 570g for 700c). Widths measure 25mm outside and 18.3mm inside. Appropriate tires measure 29mm-47mm. With the success of the Diagonale, we have put a 26" version into production featuring alternating offset eyelets for a super strong wheel. Note that the 650b Diagonale rims have had none of the size issues that seem to plague newly introduced 650b rims; if the tire is made to specs it'll fit as it should.
In anticipation for the Camargue's springtime release, we will have a whole new line to be released: the Escapade rims. More details on that to come.
Remember that we do offer complete wheels in various configurations laced to our hubs. Are there any other combinations you'd like to see?
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14 comments:
I don't have any wheel builds in my immediate future, but I would be quite interested in the 26" version of the Diagonale if I did. Sounds like a good offering, provided it would be able to take my beloved 26x2 Schwalbes.
More 650b options are always appreciated!
Are these rims welded or pinned? I really like the high polish finish and 36 hole offerings
looking forward to the Camargue release and seeing the details on the Escapade rims. I'll be interested in adding one to my stable as a fun, do-it-all, versatile bike. But since you asked, I'd actually love to see a 135mm MTB chainline spaced fixed/free, flip/flop, single speed rear hub option to take advantage of those semi horizontal drop-outs.
Having a couple geared bikes already I'd love to start using the Camargue on some local trails and paths as a single speeder until the other bikes need some upgrading and I could move some parts and racks over to the Camargue for some geared weekend touring/bikepacking as it's intended.
Can't wait to hear more about the Escapade Rims, Just picked up one of the proto Camargues and I really would like to see what they are about, don't keep us waiting too long. Was going to go with Velocity Atlas, but it will take me awhile to get all the other parts I need to build it up. So I have awhile to hear about these new rims.
Thank you for the overview of the rims, and especially the cross-sections. The sidewalls of the Diagonale are much too tall to offer good tire fit. The part under the hooks should be as tall as the bead of the tire, otherwise, the tire won't seat itself when you inflate it. Unlike what you state, this isn't a "size issue", but a design flaw in the rim profile. Do you have any plans to fix this?
michael m, these are pinned rims, welding would add $25-$30 to the price and after doing a lot of research and thinking we couldn't see a big benefit.
Annon, what you say about sidewall height is just plain silly, both from an engineering perspective and from practical experience. If there is room for the bead then it will seat--period--just as with most modern rims. We've been riding these rims for years using a dozen or more types of tires and sold thousands with no report of seating problems.
Disc hubs, please; with quality sealed cartridge bearings and tool-free serviceable freehub like the touring hubs. The gap between inexpensive quality hubs (SRAM X7, Shimano XT) and the other stuff (King, Hope, DT, etc.) leaves a lot of opportunity.
I would like to see the PBP rim (or the Raid rim) available in 40-hole. There are many "vintage" bike guys looking to rebuild their old Campagnolo 32 front x 40 rear (British style) wheels - but vintage looking 40-hole rims are unobtanium. You might wish to consider a run of these - and see how they sell.
@Velo Orange, what Anon 1/20/14, 9:05 AM is referring to is actually not silly, and, IIRC, is the same reason Jan Heine stopped selling the Grand Bois rims: if there is too much room inside the rim, between the bead or hook of the rim and the second, inner wall of the rim (ie. more height than the bead of the tire), some tires will not seat correctly.
It's not a case of the sidewall being too high of course, it's a case of the interior of the rim being too high in this area. This is extremely annoying, as it means your tire will have a built in bump if it doesn't seat. It's happened to me (not with VO or GB rims).
I believe it's a relevant design issue that deserves a serious answer. Jan's answer was unequivocal: a sales stop until the rim can be redesigned. What will VO's answer be?
Alex,
Tens (probably hundreds) of thousands of miles of use with many tires has shown no such issue with any properly sized tire. If it happened to you with some particular tires, then I suspect there is a design issue with that tire.
Any chance of the PBP rim getting spoke sockets like what RAID has?
@Anon 9/23/14,
No chance. Since they are fairly similar widths, if you like the double eyelet design, go with the RAID rim.
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