Does anyone know anything about Julian V2 or Velocity B43 I was considering getting a set of strong rims for the winter, (I know they are heavy) but don't know the difference between the two.
As far as the difference its probably only quality and slight difference in shape. I don't know anything about 1/8. Velocity makes a decent rim.
I'd go with the Salsa Delgado Cross, they are a lot lighter have eyelets and are plenty strong. Get 36 hole ones and I would doubt you would have a problem. You will also have to worry about cross winds with those 42 or 43mm rims. In the winter when there are no leaves on trees you might get tossed back and forth a lot.
+1 to Eric's suggestion. Salsa Delgados darn good rims.
What kind of brakes are you using?
What size tires?
What type of bike?
Bike Trek Portland,
Brakes Disc
Tire size 700x25, 700x28, 700x35, and 700x40
I've had good experiences with the Salsa Delgados and Velocity Dyad rims for 700x28-700x42 on my commuter and rando bikes.
Delgados are probably better value for the money...I went with a Dyad to build up a rear to match a pre-existing front. Darn nice rim, but I don't know what the extra money gets you IRL.
The Sun Equalizer rims come in a 21mm width, disc only. Welded seam (stronger than pinned/sleeved) about $45 each.
The B43s or V2s would probably be overkill for a commuter unless you destroy standard rims.
I've never been a Delgado fan, but I think that was from some bad experiences years ago with seams that made noise. Could have changed in the meantime.
There is no question the B43s and V2 and other triple wall, super deep rims are strong. I had a set of similar Brev M rims for a bit and they just don't go out of true. They are so heavy though that unless you really really like the fashion of them or have some compelling reason why you need these super strong rims I'd look for something considerably lighter.
Those rims push 800g each. Saving 250g each with a Delgado or something is going to make a huge difference in the way your wheels feel.
DT Swiss TK540 is my recommendation. They are rated for tires from 1" to about 2.2" welded seam, double wall, eyeletted, built for touring and available from handspun with xt hubs for a decent price (assuming that you need a 135mm touring/mtb hub?).
Of course, the Velocity Dyads, the Salsa Delgados, and Mavic A719s are all popular touring rims.
Try to find a prebuilt wheel, it's a lot cheaper than having something put together by a bike shop where you will most likely pay full retail on all the parts plus a shop fee of $40 minimum to have each one put together.
I'm a fan of the QBP/Handspun wheels which can be bought through just about any bike shop. http://handspunwheels.com/
I sent you a PM with some of my bookmarks. I ride a Kona Dew Deluxe which I believe is a similar setup to the Trek Portland (although a bit lacking in the component area when stock).
So much to choose from. The only reason I was asking about deep V rims is because they have the "pro look at a cheaper price. Much like the car I see with spinning hubcaps instead of rims driving around East Lib. But also wanted something to take a beating in the winter now that my commute is around 20 miles a day rain, snow, or shine (and maybe lightning)
Looks like the Portland uses a 130mm road bike hub in the rear, so you probably won't find anything prebuilt with a 130mm hub AND disc brake compatible. Both mtb and road bikes use 100mm in the front so at least you could save a few bucks and get your front wheel prebuilt...
This idea is starting to get expensive. Maybe I'm stuck with stock
rear brakes are over rated anyways! 
i've done over 5000 miles of rain, snow and lightening with my portland and alls i've done is wear down a few tires, a dozen brake pads, a set of rotors, a cassette and chain.
the rims seem okay, unless i'm missing something.
12 sets of brake pads in 5000 miles?
Or 6 sets? Either way sounds pretty crazy.
Well I haven't had any problems with the Portland or its rims, I just wanted to try to improve the commute.
Just a follow up for anyone watching this thread. Velocity makes a reasonably priced 130mm disc hub for about $100. Phil Wood makes a more expensive option (almost $400). FSA makes a wheelset (RD-460) for about $400. There is also the Bontrager SSR that comes stock on the Portland for $300/wheel... but I have only been able to find a complete wheel and not the hub.
why are we talking about wheelsets when you asked about rims? you could swap out your rim pretty easily yourself on the same hub and spokes (assuming the measurements are right, may be more limited in selection that way)
I have a delgado in the rear and it beats the pants off the original Bontrager Maverick in the brake surface (not of your concern) and not cracking department.
"why are we talking about wheelsets when you asked about rims?"
Same reason that I'd talk about used cars if someone was shopping for a new one... keeping options open. Sometimes, it is just a better price if you can find a prebuilt wheel that meets your needs. DId I go that far off topic?
Either way, good point about just having the rim swapped (and spokes replaced, the OP wanted a deep V rim so I assume the spokes would be shorter?)
@ headloss you can never have too much information. I dont think anythings wrong with covering it all
As for what other people were saying...
I have stock something or another disc wheels and have done well over 5k on them year round also and they're still going strong.
My front wheel has been out of true for about at least 3k of those miles and is also still doing fine
I honestly don't have a real problem with my stock wheels and I could get by with them I just want something nicer and with a more aero look. If I was going to buy something I just want to make sure its an improvement over stock and that its gonna last forever
"more aero look" and "stronger" are usually somewhat opposed to each other...
+1 for salsa delgado cross, fwiw. strong, but definitely not "aero". the "aero" looking alexrims wheel that used to be on my back wheel is now in a trash heap somewhere.
My wife cut off my bike project money, something about "how much was the rear blinky" sooo no rims for me.
Well now, we know who wears the spandex in your family.
*rim shot*
Hahaha, cant be mad because its true. Following orders keeps me out of trouble.
A co-worker is trying to sell me 29er mountain bike wheels, he says that they are the same as 700c rims they just hold wider tires. He says I shouldn't have any problem mounting them. He is selling them priced rock bottom but still don't want to blow money if they don't fit. I would only use them for deep snow or really bad conditions what do you all have to say about this.
If they are mountain bike hubs then they are most likely 135mm wide, which might or might not be a problem with your bike.
portlands are aluminum, correct? pretty sure they are spaced 130mm and stretching to 135mm to fit a mountain hub is a no go with aluminum.
Yea its aluminum, I had a feeling it wouldn't work. The guy was a little too eager/pushy to sell before I did research. Thanks for the help.
Yup, dmtroyer is right. They are a no go. 
I got a set of Velocity Chukker rims under the tree on Sunday. I don't know much about these rims any info would be nice. Also I need to have them built for my Trek Portland, I don't really know how much it cost to build a wheel or even who builds them. Does the fact that the Portland takes disc brakes make this more complicated
The Chukker's are the old mountain Deep-V extrusion that has been returned from the dead as a bike polo specific rim. I run the 26" versions on my polo bike, they're pretty great for that. In my opinion they're too heavy for much other than really abusive riding -- like polo or fixed freestyle.
You'll need to get hubs that have the same number of spokes as the rims you purchased and are compatible with whatever sort of rotors you have (6-bolt or centerlock). Any shop worth going to can build wheels and help you with the spoke, nipple and lacing pattern selection. Between the labor and cost of individual spokes from a shop building custom wheels can be pricey.
Will my 700x25 Thick Slicks fit the Chukker rims or do I need wider tires. This sounds like an expensive project. Chukker probably wouldn't be my first choice of rim but the are a gift so I will use them if this build isn't too expensive.
25mm wide tires will fit on the 24mm wide Chukkers, but just barely. They're really meant for wider tires than that.
Thanks for the help. I really appreciate your advice. I'll update how this goes when done building.
Anyone have any input about the wheelbuilding classes via Freeride?
Also, this is probably the cheapest disc brake hub that you'll find that meets your requirements http://www.shopatron.com/products/productdetail/part_number=h58-XX/7455.0.1.1 (I'm assuming that your rim is 32 spokes... if not, you are looking at a pricey hub. The Portland is a 6-bolt rotor based on what I'm seeing online, so I also made that assumption).
@ Headloss thanks, you are right it's 32 hole spokes.
It's funny how much money a gift will end up costing me, the price to build rims I could have bought a whole bike.
You can get Shimano disc hubs way cheaper than that that are arguably nicer than the Velocity one. There is really no difference in cost between 32 and 36 hole hubs, the prospects narrow when you go lower/higher spoke counts than those and depending on spacing/spokecount/brake/gears you can get backed into some expensive choices. The sky is the limit, but spending a bunch of money on a lightweight hub and then lacing it to one of the heaviest rim choices out there doesn't make much sense. It's the rotating weight that matters anyway, not so much the hubs. On the other hand, using the cheapest hub possible on a pricey custom build (labor and spokes aren't cheap at shops) doesn't make any sense either.
Yup, wheels can easily surpass what a complete bike costs. Wheels are important, and there's a lot going on there.
You also need to get a hub that is spaced appropriately for your bike. I don't know if it is 130mm or 135mm rear spacing on that bike.
From what I've read, it's 130mm. I didn't think that Shimano made a 130mm 6-bolt disc hub? Jamis uses a Formula hub on the Bossanova, but that one doesn't seem to be available as an aftermarket part. They use a Shimano center lock on the Aurora Elite. Kona has a 130mm disc hub on the Honkey Inc. but they don't specify what hub they use. The Portland itself uses a Bontrager hub which I can't seem to find as an aftermarket part either (although I assume a bike shop can order it?).
Aside from that, the only hubs I'm seeing are White, King, DT Swiss, etc. ie. $$$.
The Shimano MTB group would definitely work for the front since road and mountain spacing is 100mm for both. If they made a 130mm 6-bolt disc hub for the rear, I can't find it. It's probably best to call around local shops, as I'm sure their catalogs have more options than a google search.
@Brad, any thoughts on the Shimano Centerlock to 6-Bolt Rotor Adaptor?
Most 130mm disc hubs are available OEM and that's it. Velocity (rebranded Formula) does a 130 road sealed disc hub. And Phil Wood (but the hub alone is probably $450 at least.) This came up when trying to build out a carbon Redline Conquest with discs. Not many options currently, though word has it that White is planning one for 2012.
You can theoretically space a Shimano mountain hub to 130, but you run into problems with the caliper spacing... and no, you can't take the 5mm from the DS without experiencing similar problems. Lots of machining of the caliper adaptor is what would be needed. Definitely not a plug and play solution.
Holy crap, not hearing anything here that reduces my curmudgeonly resistance to adopting disc technology.
@edmonds, the sticking point is the 130mm spacing. The nice thing about most of the production steel bikes at the moment, is that they use a 132.5 spacing and can use road or mtb hubs. The Portland, though a great bike, has limited choices. It sounds like 130mm disc hubs are the next big thing though, now that disc brakes are legal for cyclocross.
I might go to Trek of Pittsburgh and have the rims built, they probably have the bontrager hubs in stock, I don't know the difference between good hub and cheap hubs because the two bikes I have owned both had the same hubs.
I can't believe I am going to spend a lot of money to put 50 pound rims on my bike.
There has got to be some benefit to having these 100 pound Velocity Chukkers on my bike.....
do you care about the stock wheels? if not then just re-use the hubs.
sheldon has an article about spreading your frame... i dunno how advisable that is but http://sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html
@ salty I've considered taking apart the old wheels to built the new, but I decided against it only because if I absolutely hate the Chukkers I still have my old wheels
Don't spread aluminum. Steel only. Even the article says that..
Oops, i didn't realize the Portland was Al...
At the risk of offending the gift giver, I'd be tempted to abandon the whole pursuit and take the rims back... but then again I didn't get what you were hoping to accomplish in the first place.
I had given up my rim project months ago after good advice from the board. The gift giver my sister doesn't live in the U.S. so returning would be difficult and it would make her mad because of how much effort she put in to buy me "the perfect" gift. I don't know where she got the rims but it probably was the internet or a closeout sale somewhere. I might delay the build or just use them for my commute, mrs. marvelous thinks the heavy wheels will just give me stronger legs for group rides.
For the price, you might be better off buying a new set of wheels like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-CycloCross-ROAD-BIKE-WHEELS-DISC-Wheel-Set-700c-/170701010594?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27be92b6a2
Take them apart, sell the rims (spokes too if anyone is buying), keep the hubs.
To save some cash you should try building them yourself. Stiff rims like the Chukkers make for easy wheel builds.
@ Eric building wheels myself is a no-go, I have 0 mechanical ability. I know nothing about bike repair or have the tools to do it. I have considered going to free ride to learn but I don't want to go alone, one day I'll team up with someone and check it out.
Well the new rims are finally finished the weight difference isn't as extreme as I expected. I didn't realize I would need to make adjustment to the brakes every time I switched between the new and old rims. I need to adjust the brake pads, and just the brake caliper, and adjust the shifting of the chain so it doesn't shift into my spokes. I really don't know how to do any of that so the Chukkers are here to stay.
I really do like them and the way they feel once I get up to speed, I was thinking I should take up bike polo now that I have cool rims.... ok I'll just watch bike polo.
@ Everyone who gave me advice thank you and my next pointless project coming soon.
So what hub did you end up going with?
On a side note, I've had three different disc wheels on my bike and I've never had to adjust the brakes or the chain... Just your luck I guess. :p
I can only guess that it's a slight difference in dishing/spoke tension on your wheels.
I ended up with the Velocity hubs you suggested. I got to play with a couple choices and like the build quality of the Velocity ones the best. Yes there is a slight difference between Bontrager and Velocity hubs.
Hey, if nothing else you'll have experience with both for future comparison. 
Congrats on the shiny new wheels!
^ Thanks for your help, couldn't of done it without you and BradQ
for all intensive purposes your rite
sounds like the new wheel is dished differently?
Could it be possible that my new wheels are lighter than my old wheels. I know the Chukkers are heavy but I have had better acceleration with them. When I pedal it feels more solid thru the stroke than before. It felt a little mushy on the old wheels compared to the new ones. It makes no sense but I'm faster on the Chukkers. Could it be the hubs or the quality of the wheel.
@mr m: A lighter wallet usually makes a perceptible difference. 
@ reddan LMAO you made me spit my Starbucks everywhere.
Starbucks?!?! I guess your wallet isn't light enough yet!
Also, you might want to have the shop check the bearing preload on your OEM hubs.
bearing preload? Ok I'll ask thanks.
How many miles are on your old wheels? Your new wheels will be tight and immediately responsive, maybe your old wheels need to have the spokes re-tensioned, that could cause a little softness feeling.
my old wheels have WELL over 5k on them.
Spoke tension has no bearing on wheel stiffness once the wheel is tensioned enough that the rim does not flop around.
Spoke type, hole count, rim choice, hub choice, bracing angle. These are what matter for stiffness. Tension is for durability and longevity.
