Velo Orange Voyager Polished Rim
The Velo Orange Voyager is the touring rim for riders who want classic polished looks on a modern wide bed: a double-wall 6061-T6 aluminum rim with a tubeless-compatible bead and a width that suits everything from a 38mm touring tire to a 2.4in mountain tire. It comes in 26in at about 576 grams, 650b at 597 and 700c at 638, in 32 and 36 hole, and it is the rim we build for polished randonneur, touring and gravel bikes that need a wide tire.
This page covers the Velo Orange Voyager Polished Rim in 700c, 650b, 26in. The Voyager is built to order here. Choose the hub, spokes and nipples in the configurator; the wheel leaves Georgia laced, tensioned and trued.
Design and construction
The Voyager is a double-wall rim with a wide inner bed, a shallow section that keeps the ride comfortable and a bead that seals with tape and a tubeless-ready tire (Velo Orange specifies folding-bead tires only). The polished finish is the point: it looks like a rim from the 1970s and takes a tire from this decade. Velo Orange rates the one rim for both rim and disc brakes, so the same Voyager builds a rim-brake wheel or a disc wheel.
Standard nipples, J-bend spokes, 32 and 36 hole.
How it rides
A Voyager wheel on a 42 to 50mm tire is comfortable, stable and quietly handsome. The wide bed lets you run pressure low for dirt roads, 32 or 36 spokes keep the wheel true under a touring load, and the polished finish matches a Velo Orange or Phil Wood hub for a wheel that looks built on purpose. For narrower tires the Velo Orange Enterprise is the classic box-section rim; for wide tires on a polished bike, the Voyager is the Velo Orange rim we recommend.
Specifications
| Wheel size | 700c, 650b, 26in |
|---|---|
| ERD | 601.4 (29in), 566.5 (27.5in), 541.7 (26in) |
| Inner width | 22.1 mm |
| Depth | 19 mm |
| Drillings | 32h, 36h |
| Weight | 638g (700c/29in), 597g (650b/27.5in), 576g (26in) |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Nipples | External |
| Finishes | polished |
Which version this is
What this listing covers: the Voyager in 700c, 650b, 26in with 32h, 36h drilling, about 638g, 22.1mm inside, 19mm deep, for rim or disc brakes. Size and drilling are chosen in the configurator.
There is one Voyager, not separate rim-brake and disc versions: Velo Orange rates the same rim for both. On a disc bike the sidewall simply goes unused; on a bike with cantilever, V-brake or caliper brakes the pads run on it. Pick a disc or rim-brake hub in the configurator and the rest of the build follows.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Velo Orange Voyager Polished Rim comes in 700c, 650b, 26in and 32h, 36h drilling. We build the Voyager on Velo Orange hubs, Phil Wood, White Industries, Paul, Shimano, Son and Shimano dynamo and Velocity Standard hubs, usually with DT Champion or Competition and Sapim Race or Strong spokes and brass nipples.
Tire range on the Voyager is 38mm to 2.4in. Pick touring, randonneur or gravel as your bike type in the configurator and it recommends a spoke count and lacing pattern.
Build a wheel around it
Offered for road rim brake, gravel and road disc, track and road single-speed and touring builds in our Custom Wheel Program. Start with the Velo Orange Voyager Polished Rim and the configurator pins it for you, then checks each choice you make against it.
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.
Velo Orange's testing and certifications
Velo Orange rims are made from 6061-T6 aluminum alloy by partner factories in Taiwan; Velo Orange states it has "been working with our partner factories in Taiwan for the better part of two decades", with a different specialist factory for each product line, including one for rims. The Voyager is a double-wall, box-section, tubeless-compatible rim with a 22.1mm internal width, listed at 576g (26"), 597g (650b) and 638g (700c) in 32 or 36 hole, for tires from 38mm to 2.4" and both rim and disc brakes. The Enterprise is a polished box-section rim, 16.3mm internal, not tubeless compatible, for 25-38mm tires; the 27" version keeps stainless steel eyelets while the 700c version is non-eyeletted.
Warranty: Velo Orange states "Defective parts/accessories can be exchanged for one year from purchase date", with proof of purchase required.
Certifications
- Made in Taiwan (partner factories) — "We've been working with our partner factories in Taiwan for the better part of two decades" (factory-visit blog, 2025) (source)
Sources on Velo Orange's site:
The figures, certificates and media above are Velo Orange's own. ProWheelBuilder does not run these tests; our part is the wheel we build on the rim.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Velo Orange makes the Voyager; ProWheelBuilder is an independent wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer. The build is the same every time: measured ERD, spokes cut to the half millimeter, staged tensioning with a gauge, stress relief, a final true, and tubeless tape and a valve on request.
The configurator shows only hubs and spokes that match the Voyager drilling, strikes through combinations that are not made, and prices the wheel live.
Warranty
Velo Orange's warranty. Velo Orange exchanges defective parts and accessories, its rims and hubs among them, for one year from the purchase date. Proof of purchase is required, because the warranty period runs from the day the part was bought.
ProWheelBuilder. Wheels we build around this part are covered by our own one-year warranty alongside the maker's. Within the year: broken spokes replaced regardless of cause, and the labor on the wheel - truing, re-tensioning or a complete rebuild - included. A manufacturer-covered rim or hub failure is a claim we make and manage for you; one they will not cover is answered with an eligible replacement at 25% off retail. Shipping each way is yours. Parts you supply yourself fall outside it.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Voyager Polished Rim questions
What tire width suits this rim?
Velo Orange rates the Voyager for 38mm to 2.4in tires. With 22.1mm inside, a 42 to 50mm touring or gravel tire is the sweet spot: wide enough to hold its shape at low pressure, and the bed still supports a 38mm randonneur tire. For anything narrower, the Enterprise is the better rim.
Is the Voyager tubeless?
It is tubeless-compatible with tape and a tubeless-ready tire; we fit tape and a valve on request. Velo Orange recommends folding-bead tires only on the Voyager.
Voyager or Enterprise?
Voyager for 38mm and wider tires and a tubeless option; Enterprise for 25 to 38mm tires and the classic box-section look.
What tires fit the Voyager?
38mm to 2.4in. A 42 to 48mm tire is the usual pairing on a 650b or 700c touring bike.
Does the Voyager work with disc brakes?
Yes. It is one rim rated for both rim and disc brakes, so it pairs with a disc hub or a rim-brake hub.
Is ProWheelBuilder the manufacturer of the Velo Orange Voyager Polished Rim?
No. Velo Orange makes the rim. ProWheelBuilder is an independent custom wheel builder in Georgia that builds it into a finished wheel to your spec.
Not sure? Email info@prowheelbuilder.com (fastest) or leave a voicemail on 470-253-0929 — you will be talking to the people who build the wheels.
