PWB Ventus 45C Carbon Textured Brake Track Rim
The Ventus 45C is the rim-brake version of our own 45mm carbon road rim: the same depth and rounded aero section as the 45CD with a textured carbon brake track that gives rim brakes real bite in the dry and the wet, a hooked tubeless-ready bead for 25 to 28mm tires, and a layup we chose after building and riding a lot of rims at this depth. Deep rim-brake carbon rims are getting rare, and the Ventus 45C is one of the few we still build for riders on rim-brake bikes. We do not manufacture it; we specify it, test it and put our name on it. This page covers the PWB Ventus 45C Carbon Textured Brake Track Rim.
The Ventus 45C comes from us only as a finished wheel: pick the hub, spokes and nipples, and we lace, tension and true it by hand in Georgia before it ships.
Design and construction
Forty-five millimeters is the depth that balances aero, weight and crosswind manners for most road riders, and the Ventus 45CD is shaped the modern way: wide at the bead so a 28mm tire flows into the rim, rounded through the section so the airflow stays attached in a gust, and tubeless-ready with a hooked bead that works with tubes, tubeless-ready tires and ordinary clinchers at normal pressures. The disc version has no brake track and saves weight; the 45C is the rim-brake version with a textured carbon brake track; the 45CDW is the wider disc version. External nipples, standard J-bend spokes.
How it rides
A Ventus 45C wheelset is fast and calm in the wind, and the textured brake track works far better than the smooth carbon tracks of a decade ago with the carbon-specific pads we supply with the wheel. With a 25 or 28mm tire it climbs and descends like a modern carbon road wheel should. It is the rim we suggest for a rim-brake road bike that wants a deep carbon wheel.
Specifications
| Wheel size | 700c |
|---|---|
| Inner width | 17 mm |
| Depth | 45 mm |
| Drillings | 20h, 24h, 28h |
| Weight | 475g (700c/29in) |
| Material | Carbon Fiber |
| Tire type | clincher tubeless compatible |
| Brake | Rim brake-brake |
| Profile | Triangle |
| Nipples | External |
| Finishes | black |
About this listing
Version notes. 700c, 20h, 24h, 28h, about 475g, 17mm inside, 45mm deep, disc. The other sizes and brake versions of the Ventus 45C have their own listings; this page is for this one.
The disc version of the Ventus 45C has no brake track, so the sidewall is a plain extrusion that saves a little weight and never wears; it is the one to choose for any disc-brake frame. The rim-brake version, listed separately, has a machined sidewall.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The PWB Ventus 45C Carbon Textured Brake Track Rim comes in the drillings listed on this page. It is a rim-brake road rim with a textured carbon brake track. We build the Ventus 45C on Bitex RAF and RAR 12, DT Swiss 350 and 240, White Industries T11, Chris King R45 and Velocity Race Road hubs, usually with Sapim CX-Ray or Laser spokes or DT Aerolite, and brass or alloy nipples.
Tire range on the Ventus 45C is 25 to 28mm. Pick road as your bike type in the configurator and it recommends a spoke count and lacing pattern.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
PWB makes the Ventus 45C; ProWheelBuilder is an independent wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer. We measure the rim before we cut a spoke, bring the wheel up in three or four rounds with a gauge, stress-relieve it between rounds and true it last, then tape it and fit a valve if you want it tubeless.
Only compatible hubs and spokes appear in the configurator, impossible combinations are struck through rather than hidden, and the price is live.
Warranty
PWB's warranty. This is our own house-brand rim, so there is no third-party manufacturer to claim against: we stand behind it directly. Ask us about cover on a bare rim, and see the wheel warranty below for a rim we build into a wheel for you.
ProWheelBuilder. Lace this into a wheel here and the finished wheel gets our own one-year warranty as well as the maker's. For twelve months we replace broken spokes however they broke, and the work on the wheel is on us - truing, re-tensioning, a rebuild where it is needed. If the rim or hub is covered by its manufacturer we put the claim in and chase it; if it is not, we supply an eligible replacement rim or hub at 25% off the current retail price. Carriage both ways is the customer's, and this does not cover wheels built from parts you send in.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Build it with us
We build this rim to order. Open the Custom Wheel Program with the PWB Ventus 45C Carbon Textured Brake Track Rim already selected and pick the parts around it; it is offered for road rim brake, touring and track and road single-speed builds, and the configurator will not let you assemble a combination we would not build.
Spoke head is decided by the hub, not the rim: this rim builds equally well with J-bend or straight-pull spokes, and the configurator only offers the spokes that match the hub you pick.
Ventus 45C Carbon Textured Brake Track Rim questions
What tire width suits this rim?
At 17mm inside this is a road width. It suits roughly 25 to 32mm tires, which is where most road bikes now sit, and it will run a 23 if you still want one. Go much wider than 32 on this rim and the tire starts to balloon above the sidewalls and squirm when you lean on it.
What is the textured brake track?
A machined texture in the carbon brake surface that gives rim brakes more bite than a smooth carbon track, especially in the wet. Use carbon-specific pads, which we supply.
Is the Ventus 45C tubeless?
Yes. It has a hooked, tubeless-ready bead; we tape and fit a valve on request.
Who makes the Ventus?
A carbon rim factory makes it to our specification; ProWheelBuilder tests it, builds it and warranties it. We are the wheel builder, not the manufacturer.
What tires fit the Ventus 45C?
25 to 28mm. A 25mm tire is the usual pairing on a rim-brake bike.
Is it tubeless-ready?
Yes. PWB lists the Ventus 45C Carbon Textured Brake Track Rim as clincher tubeless compatible; we tape and fit a valve when you choose the tubeless option.
Which spoke count should I choose?
It depends on your weight, terrain and the hub, not the rim alone. The configurator recommends a count from your bike type and rider weight, within the drillings this rim is made in.
Not sure? Text or leave a voicemail on 470-253-0929 or email info@prowheelbuilder.com — you will be talking to the people who build the wheels.
