Velocity Dyad Disc Brake Rim
The Velocity Dyad is the classic loaded-touring rim: 18.6mm wide inside, 22mm deep, eyeleted, strong enough for panniers and a long way from home, and light enough that the bike is still fun without them. The Dyad has been under more cross-country tours than we can count, and Velocity still extrudes and finishes it in the USA in a range of colors.
This page covers the Velocity Dyad Disc Brake Rim in 27in, 29in, 26in, 20in. The Dyad 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 Dyad is a double-wall aluminum rim with an 18.6mm inner bed, a 22mm-deep section and single eyelets at every spoke hole, which spread the nipple load and let the rim take the high tension a loaded wheel wants. The rim-brake version has a deep machined brake track; the disc version has a plain sidewall. It is a tube-type rim for 28 to 45mm tires.
The factory recommends 110 to 130 kgf spoke tension. We build the Dyad with 32 or 36 spokes for touring.
Velocity USA makes its rims in Jacksonville, Florida, from extrusion through drilling to anodising, and backs them with the kind of support a small American manufacturer can give: replacement rims years later, matching colors, and straight answers about what a rim is for. The published spoke-tension range of 110 to 130 kgf is on the high side for alloy, and it is part of why these rims build into wheels that stay true.
How it rides
A Dyad wheel is the definition of dependable. On a 35 to 40mm tire under a loaded bike it rides smoothly, tracks straight and stays true across thousands of miles of mixed roads. Unloaded, it is light enough to make a touring bike feel quick, which is more than can be said for most heavy-duty rims.
For tandems and very heavy loads the Atlas is stronger; for big tires and bikepacking the Cliffhanger is wider. For classic loaded touring on 28 to 45mm tires, the Dyad is the Velocity rim we recommend.
Specifications
| Wheel size | 27in, 29in, 26in, 20in |
|---|---|
| ERD | 605 (27in), 597 (29in), 535 (26in), 383 (20in) |
| Inner width | 18.6 mm |
| Depth | 22 mm |
| Drillings | 28h, 32h, 36h, 40h, 48h |
| Weight | 540g (630), 525g (700c/29in), 465g (26in), 330g (20in) |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Tire type | Clincher |
| Brake | Disc |
| Profile | Triangle |
| Nipples | External |
| Finishes | black, silver, polished, custom |
Which version this is
What this listing covers: the Dyad in 27in, 29in, 26in, 20in with 28h, 32h, 36h, 40h, 48h drilling, about 540g, 18.6mm inside, 22mm deep, disc. If you need it in another size or for the other brake type, it is listed separately.
This is the disc-brake Dyad: 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 Dyad Disc Brake Rim comes in 27in, 29in, 26in, 20in and 28h, 32h, 36h, 40h, 48h drilling, in rim-brake and disc versions; check the name on this page. We build the Dyad on Velocity Standard hubs, DT Swiss 350, Shimano, White Industries, Phil Wood and Son dynamo hubs, usually with DT Champion or Competition and Sapim Race or Strong spokes and brass nipples.
Tire range on the Dyad is 28 to 45mm. Pick 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 Dyad Disc 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 gravel and road disc, 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
Everything in this section is published by Velocity. ProWheelBuilder is the wheel builder, not the tester, and the rim reaches us as the maker ships it.
Building it at ProWheelBuilder
Velocity USA makes the Dyad; 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 Dyad 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. Our one-year wheel warranty applies to any wheel we build around this part, alongside whatever the manufacturer offers. Inside that year, broken spokes are replaced no matter how they broke, and the wheel labor is ours - truing, re-tensioning or a full rebuild. A rim or hub failure that the maker covers, we claim for you and see through; one the maker declines, we answer with an eligible replacement at 25% off current retail. Shipping both ways is yours, and components you supply yourself fall outside this cover.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Dyad Disc Brake Rim questions
What tire width suits this rim?
At 18.6mm 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 Dyad tubeless?
No. The Dyad is a tube-type touring rim; for tubeless look at the Velocity Blunt SS or Aileron.
Dyad or Atlas?
Dyad for most loaded touring; Atlas for tandems, cargo bikes and the heaviest loads.
What tires fit the Dyad?
28 to 45mm. A 35 to 40mm touring tire is the usual pairing.
How many spokes should a Dyad touring wheel have?
32 front and 36 rear is our standard for loaded touring; the configurator recommends from your bike type and weight.
Is ProWheelBuilder the manufacturer of the Velocity Dyad Disc Brake Rim?
No. The rim is made by Velocity; we are the wheel builder in Georgia who laces it into a finished wheel to your spec and stands behind the build.
Is it tubeless-ready?
Velocity lists the Dyad Disc Brake Rim as clincher. Ask us about tubeless conversion if you need it.
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.
