Originally Posted by
SpinnerPC
Looking for recommandations for good alloy deep-rim wheelset for road tandem ? (40 to 55 mm; rim brake)
Thanks !
How come you want an alloy rim so deep? If you’re going for aerodynamic drag reduction, you’re better off matching the width of your tire to the rim. The DT RR511, Kinlin XR31T, HED Belgium +, Velocity Cliffhanger are solid choices at 23, 24, 25, and 30mm widths, respectively.
Keeping with the 40-55mm goal, you’re limited to H+Son SL42 and a host of copies of it. At 19mm wide externally, it’s aero benefit is limited to 18-21mm tires. The SL42 does make a good heatsink, though.
Further down that rabbit hole, there are loads of 50mm deep x 20mm wide rims in tons of colors for the fixie crowd from ~12 years ago. Those rims weigh about 900-1100g each (or twice what normal rims weigh).
Finally, if you want an aero advantage, but won’t be cooking the rims on hills, you can get carbon rims with an alloy braking surface. These are generally available in 23 and 25mm widths and 38, 50, 60, and 80mm depths. You’d generally have to get those straight from the manufacturer or your wheel builder. I’m fairly confident that a tandem team could melt the epoxy on these if you’re not careful.