Velocity Chukker Rim 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 Rim Brake Rim in 700c. The Chukker 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 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 | 700c |
|---|---|
| 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 | Rim brake-brake |
| Profile | Triangle |
| Nipples | External |
| Finishes | black, silver, polished, custom |
Which version this is
What this listing covers: the Chukker in 700c with 28h, 32h, 36h, 40h drilling, about 640g, 18.8mm inside, 32mm deep, rim-brake. If you need it in another size or for the other brake type, it is listed separately.
This is the rim-brake Chukker, with machined sidewalls for caliper, cantilever or V-brakes. Choose it for a rim-brake frame; for a disc-brake bike the disc version, listed separately, drops the brake track and a few grams.
Sizes, fit and compatibility
The Velocity Chukker Rim Brake Rim comes in 700c 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.
Put it in a custom wheel
Build a custom wheel around the Velocity Chukker Rim Brake Rim — the link drops you into our Custom Wheel Program with this rim pinned, ready for you to choose the rest. It is set up for road rim brake, track and road single-speed and touring builds.
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.
Velocity's testing and certifications
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 states that "Rims and wheels are checked for quality at every step of our process" and that it tests rims on an in-house load machine it calls the "Killdozer" "so that we can simulate a larger rider and calculate how many spokes result in a sturdy, quality wheel." Its spoke-count guidance by total rider-plus-gear weight is 200-229 lb: 32 spokes; 230-259 lb: 36; 260-300 lb: 36 front / 40 rear. Velocity recommends building to between 110 kgf and 130 kgf spoke tension and builds its Clydesdale wheels to 120 kgf.
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
Velocity publishes those results; ProWheelBuilder builds the rim into a wheel and does not test it in a lab.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Velocity USA makes the Chukker; 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 Chukker drilling and color you choose, strikes through combinations that are not made, and prices the wheel live.
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. If we lace this into a wheel for you, that wheel also carries ProWheelBuilder's own one-year warranty, which covers broken spokes regardless of cause and all wheel-related labor, including truing and rebuilding, for a year from purchase. Where a rim or hub is covered by its maker, we make the manufacturer's claim for you and coordinate it; where it is not, we offer an eligible replacement rim or hub at 25% off current retail. Shipping to and from us is the customer's. This cover does not extend to wheels built from components you supply yourself.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Chukker Rim 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 ProWheelBuilder the manufacturer of the Velocity Chukker Rim Brake Rim?
We are not. Velocity manufactures the rim; ProWheelBuilder's part is the wheel: measuring, lacing, tensioning and truing it here in Georgia.
Is it tubeless-ready?
Yes. Velocity lists the Chukker Rim Brake Rim as clincher tubeless compatible; we tape and fit a valve when you choose the tubeless option.
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.
