Velocity Fusion Rim Brake Rim
The Velocity Fusion is the light road racing rim in the Velocity range: 26mm deep, around 13.9mm wide inside, and built to be the lightest way to get a stiff, fast alloy road wheel in a Velocity color. The Fusion is the rim we build for climbers and racers who want an alloy training or racing wheel with a little more depth than a box rim and a lot less weight than a Deep V. Velocity extrudes and finishes it in the USA.
This page covers the Velocity Fusion Rim Brake Rim in 700c. The Fusion 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 Fusion is a double-wall aluminum rim with a 26mm semi-V section that gives it more stiffness than a shallow box rim at a lower weight than the 30mm Deep V and Aerohead. The rim-brake version has a machined brake track; the disc version has a plain sidewall. It takes 23 to 28mm tires with tubes and is at its best on 25mm.
The factory recommends 110 to 130 kgf spoke tension. The Fusion builds well with 24 to 32 spokes.
Velocity USA runs its own extrusion, drilling and anodising in Jacksonville, Florida, which is rare in an industry where most alloy rims come out of the same handful of Asian factories. It means the profile, the alloy and the finish are all Velocity's own, the color range changes when the company decides it should, and a rim ordered this year matches one ordered five years ago. For a wheel builder it also means consistent ERDs and clean spoke holes, and for a rider it means a rim that can be replaced or matched later.
How it rides
A Fusion wheel is quick and precise. It climbs well, holds a line in a fast corner and gives a firmer, racier feel than a wide box rim. With a 25mm tire it is comfortable enough for long rides and fast enough for racing. It is not a tubeless rim and it does not suit tires wider than 28mm; for those the A23 or Aileron is the choice.
For a light, colorful alloy racing wheel the Fusion is the Velocity rim we recommend.
Specifications
| Wheel size | 700c |
|---|---|
| ERD | 590 (29in) |
| Inner width | 13.9 mm |
| Depth | 25 mm |
| Drillings | 28h, 32h, 36h |
| Weight | 460g (700c/29in) |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Tire type | Clincher |
| Brake | Rim brake-brake |
| Profile | Triangle |
| Nipples | External |
| Finishes | black, silver, polished, custom |
This listing
This is the 700c listing of the Fusion, 28h, 32h, 36h, about 460g, 13.9mm inside, 25mm deep, rim-brake. Pick the size that matches your frame; the profile and construction are the same across the range.
This is the rim-brake Fusion, 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 Fusion Rim Brake Rim comes in 700c and 28h, 32h, 36h drilling, in rim-brake and disc versions; check the name on this page. We build the Fusion on Velocity Race hubs, DT Swiss 350 and 240, Shimano, White Industries T11 and CLD and Bitex hubs, usually with Sapim CX-Ray, Laser or Race spokes or DT Aerolite and Competition.
Tire range on the Fusion is 23 to 28mm. Pick road 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, track and road single-speed and touring builds in our Custom Wheel Program. Start with the Velocity Fusion Rim 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
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 Fusion; ProWheelBuilder is an independent wheel builder in Georgia, not the manufacturer. Every Fusion 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. Built into a wheel by us, this part is covered by our own one-year wheel warranty on top of the maker's. For a year we replace broken spokes whatever caused them, and we cover the labor on the wheel - truing, re-tensioning, a rebuild if it needs one. If a rim or hub fails and its maker covers it, we run that claim for you; if the maker says no, you get an eligible replacement rim or hub at 25% off retail. You pay the shipping each way. Wheels built from parts you send us are excluded.
Full terms are on our Policies & Warranty page.
Fusion Rim Brake Rim questions
What tire width suits this rim?
At 13.9mm 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 Fusion tubeless?
No. The Fusion is a tube-type rim. For a tubeless road rim look at the Velocity A23 or Aileron.
Fusion or Deep V?
Fusion for a lighter climbing and racing wheel; Deep V for maximum stiffness and toughness on a track, fixed-gear or city bike.
What tires fit the Fusion?
23 to 28mm. A 25mm tire is the usual pairing.
What spoke count suits the Fusion?
24 to 28 for a light rider on a race wheel, 32 for everyday riding; the configurator recommends from your weight.
Is it tubeless-ready?
Velocity lists the Fusion Rim Brake Rim as clincher. Ask us about tubeless conversion if you need it.
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.
