Velocity Chukker Disc Brake Rim
The Velocity Chukker is the everyday rim: 18.8mm wide inside, 24mm deep, with a machined brake track on the rim-brake version and a section stout enough for commuting, touring and city riding on 28 to 45mm tires. The Chukker is the rim we build for riders who want a wheel that stays true for years under daily use, and Velocity extrudes and finishes it in the USA in the colors that make a commuter bike look like it was built on purpose.
This page covers the Velocity Chukker Disc Brake Rim in 29in. The Chukker is not sold bare. You choose the hub and the rest of the build in the configurator, and it ships from our shop in Georgia laced, tensioned and trued by hand.
Design and construction
The Chukker is a double-wall aluminum rim with a 24mm-deep section that gives it stiffness and strength without much weight, a 18.8mm inner width that suits 28 to 45mm tires with tubes, and single eyelets at the spoke holes. The rim-brake version has a machined sidewall with generous material; the disc version has a plain sidewall.
The factory recommends 110 to 130 kgf spoke tension, and the Chukker is easy to bring up to it evenly, which is why it trues so well.
The Chukker's depth is what sets it apart from the flat touring rims it competes with: a 24mm section resists the side loads a rear wheel sees when a heavy bike is leaned into a corner or bumped up a curb, and it takes a spoke tension that keeps the wheel true for years. Velocity drills the spoke holes to suit the wheel's dish, so the nipples sit straight and turn cleanly all the way up.
Every Velocity rim is extruded, drilled and finished at the company's own factory in Jacksonville, Florida, and that shows in the details a builder notices: the spoke holes are drilled to suit the wheel, the joint is clean, and the ERD we measure matches the one on the box. The color range is the other reason people ask for the brand by name; anodized and powder-coated options come and go, and the ones in stock are listed in the configurator so you can match rim, hub and nipples.
How it rides
A Chukker wheel is undramatic and durable. It rides smoothly on a 32 to 38mm tire, brakes well on the machined track, shrugs off potholes and curb drops, and holds true. It is a little heavier than a Dyad or A23, which is the right trade for a bike that gets ridden every day and locked outside.
We build the Chukker for commuters, light touring bikes, city bikes and fixed-gear bikes that see real use. Fixed-gear riders like the Chukker for the same reasons: it takes skidding and hard braking on the machined track without wearing thin quickly.
Specifications
| Wheel size | 29in |
|---|---|
| ERD | 579 (29in) |
| Inner width | 18.8 mm |
| Depth | 32 mm |
| Drillings | 28h, 32h, 36h, 40h |
| Weight | 640g (700c/29in) |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Tire type | Clincher Tubeless Compatible |
| Brake | Disc |
| Profile | Triangle |
| Nipples | External |
| Finishes | black, silver, polished, custom |
This listing
This is the 29in listing of the Chukker, 28h, 32h, 36h, 40h, about 640g, 18.8mm inside, 32mm deep, disc. Pick the size that matches your frame; the profile and construction are the same across the range.
This is the disc-brake Chukker: plain sidewalls, no brake track to wear, a touch lighter. It fits any disc-brake bike and it is the version most of our customers now build; the rim-brake version is a separate listing.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Velocity Chukker Disc Brake Rim comes in 29in and 28h, 32h, 36h, 40h drilling, in rim-brake and disc versions; check the name on this page. We build the Chukker on Velocity Standard and Race hubs, Shimano, DT Swiss 350, White Industries, Phil Wood and Son dynamo hubs, usually with DT Champion or Competition and Sapim Race spokes and brass nipples.
Tire range on the Chukker is 28 to 45mm. Pick commuter or touring as your bike type in the configurator and it recommends a spoke count and lacing pattern.
Build a wheel around it
Offered for gravel and road disc, track and road single-speed and touring builds in our Custom Wheel Program. Start with the Velocity Chukker Disc Brake 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.
What Velocity says about testing
Velocity USA rolls, drills, anodizes and builds its aluminum rims at its own factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Velocity states the extrusion comes from Profile Precision Extrusions in Arizona. Production moved there from Jacksonville, Florida beginning December 2016. Rims are sleeve-joined: a piece of extrusion shaped to the rim's inner cavity is bonded in and the join heat-treated to set the bonding agent, then the rim is drilled, cleaned of swarf and anodized in Velocity's own tanks. Spoke holes are drilled at an exit angle of around 4 degrees, alternating flange bias at every other hole.
Velocity publishes no impact-energy, fatigue-cycle, ISO 4210 or third-party lab figures and no per-rim maximum tire pressure; its tubeless guidance uses 45 psi (3.1 bar) as the threshold between one and two layers of Velotape. Warranty: all Velocity products are warranted against defects in material and workmanship for the life of the product, excluding normal wear and tear, accidents, misuse, improper assembly or maintenance; repair or replacement is at Velocity's discretion.
Velocity's videos
From Velocity
Certifications
- Made in USA claim — Velocity states it rolls, drills, anodizes and builds rims and wheels by hand in Grand Rapids, MI using locally sourced materials (all production consolidated there December 2016) (source)
Sources on Velocity's site:
- Tech - Velocity USA
- About - Velocity USA
- About Us - Velocity USA
- Go Big And Get Home: Clydesdale Wheels And YOU! - Velocity USA
- Manufacturing with Passion: Velocity USA's Grand Rapids Wheel Factory - The Radavist
The figures, certificates and media above are Velocity's own. ProWheelBuilder does not run these tests; our part is the wheel we build on the rim.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Velocity USA makes the Chukker; ProWheelBuilder is an independent wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer. Every Chukker wheel we build gets spokes cut from the rim's measured ERD, is tensioned in stages with a gauge, stress-relieved and trued before it ships.
In the configurator you will only see parts that fit this drilling; combinations that are not made are struck through, and the price updates as you pick.
Warranty
Velocity's warranty. Velocity warrants its rims against defects in material and workmanship for the life of the product, repairing or replacing at its option. Normal wear, accidents, misuse, improper assembly and poor maintenance are excluded.
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.
Chukker Disc Brake Rim questions
What tire width suits this rim?
At 18.8mm 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.
Is the Chukker tubeless?
No. The Chukker is a tube-type rim. For a tubeless road or gravel rim look at the Velocity A23, Aileron or Blunt SS.
Chukker or Dyad?
The Dyad is a little wider and built for loaded touring; the Chukker is the deeper, stiffer everyday and commuting rim. Both are excellent daily rims.
What tires fit the Chukker?
28 to 45mm. A 32 to 38mm tire is the usual pairing on a commuter.
Does the Chukker come in colors?
Yes. Velocity anodises and powder-coats it in a wide range; the colors in stock are listed in the configurator.
Is it tubeless-ready?
Yes. Velocity lists the Chukker Disc Brake 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.
