Rim

[I Want Sachs?]

Deciding about rims for a wheelset buildup. Choosing between Open Pro ceramic, DT Swiss RR 1.1, and Velocity Aerohead O/C.

Advantage of OC in the rear for Velocity to decrease dish. Other than that, any other thoughts? The weight seems to be within 20 grams of each other with advange to Velocity, then DT, and lastly Mavic.

One question about ceramic thought. Is there any reason not to get ceramic other than cost and maybe 10 grams? If the ceramic coating makes the wheels last much longer, why does the industry seem to have very little ceramic coated rims? Thanks.

[11.4]

Offset rims are a product for the obsessive compulsive (pardon my frankness here). They won't make up for a bad build, and a good build doesn't need them. A good hub and a good build will give you a good wheel.

As for ceramic, I've had several. The newest Mavic coating on the Open Pro is the first not to flake off in patches within a year or so. It eats brake pads faster and brakes faster in rain but slower elsewhere. And if you maintain your pads and rims, a bare aluminum rim will out perform the ceramic under all conditions. Its one significant advantage is that it doesn't show abrasion -- the rims look nearly new even after significant use. The ceramic doesn't cope with fine clay which tends to clog the granular pattern of the ceramic.

I'd encourage you to check out the DT RR 1.2. It's a deeper section rim that's beautifully made and extraordinarily durable. I've found it outperforms the other DT rims and the Mavic clincher line.

[Gothard]

I'll have to (gasp!) disagree here.
I have 3 sets of Mavic ceramic rims, of which 2 sets date from early 90's, and have well over 10K miles on each set.
Not one flake of ceramic, Used in summer, winter, rain, dirt, etc.
I also feel they brake better in the wet.

[saab2000]

I have massive respect for 11.4's opinions.

That said, I have had good luck with my offset Velocity rims. I had less success with my Record/OP combinations.

I have two sets of wheels with Velocity rims with the O/C in the rear wheel and have been quite happy with them. Happier than I was with the non-OC rims.

[Too Tall]

+1 Velocity and +1+2 for not using the offset, they look weird and are not really necessary. That's a very strong rim.

[ergott]

I'm using the offset less and less. They don't make for bad wheels, but they don't necessarily make the wheel better. The trade-off is better tension and the cost of some lateral stiffness. You might be gaining right side bracing angle, but reducing the non-drive does drop the overall lateral stiffness a little. Jeremy has been doing lateral deflection tests and verified this.

If I know that non drive tension might be an issue with a certain combination (parts, rider and conditions), I will still use them, but not automatically anymore.