The DCR carbon rim range we have worked with Venn Cycling, all rims are unbranded/plain finish and made to an exemplary standard for building some of the best carbon wheels money can buy.
Venn rims are manufactured by a couple of different factories using mostly proprietary tooling or layups or both. Where possible the rims have been made to provide a matching finish, however two separate factories are used to produce the best range at the best price points, one allows for the use of slit tape filament winding, the other uses a pre-preg style, the latter rims are more economical in price but also come with a 5 year manufacturer warranty rather than a 2 year for the slit tape (VAR) process. The VAR rims are VAR finish (similar to UD matt), however the 37mm profile has an unusual woven finish which is more striking and contrasting. Also, all rims use external nipples with the exception of the VAR 507 which is internal only.
All VAR rims, rather than VAR finish rims, use slit tape filament winding for maximum consistency in layup. The VAR finish rims are produced in a finish designed to be close to the VAR finish, however they are a pre-preg layup. Disc rims use a disc resin and rim brake rims use specific high Tg resins. The resins in the VAR rim brake rims have the greatest heat resilience of any – partly because of the Tg of the resins themselves but also because the length of the fibres allowed by the winding process draws heat away from the braking surface. Temperatures are kept lower as well as being tolerated.
The profiles:
Venn 30 (rim brake) – £290 (VAR finish)
An entry level rim brake rim. 435g, 5 year warranty, tubeless, 30mm deep, a good solid all round profile for those looking for a light climbing rim. Available in 20/24h.
Venn 30 (SL) rim brake – £320 (VAR finish, textured graphene braking surface)
A premium rim brake rim, 400g, 5 year warranty, tubeless, 30mm deep. Graphene impregnated super high temperature tolerant rim with textured braking surface. Available in 20/24h.
Venn 30 disc brake – £220 (VAR finish)
An economical disc brake rim, 390g, 5 year warranty, tubeless, 30mm deep. A nice wide profile that would be suitable for road disc and gravel applications – a great option for an entry level disc brake wheelset. Available in 24h only. Tyres from 25c upwards are compatible with this rim, making it a particularly versatile option. It is sufficiently shallow that it provides excellent stability in a range of conditions – the profile is arguably aero however has not been meticulously optimised in this way. It would be an aero alternative to a box section aluminium rim, however aerodynamically is a poor performer against the Venn 37, 507 and 77 rims.
Venn 259 disc brake – £275 (VAR finish)
An excellent gravel rim, 370g, 5 year warranty, tubeless, 26mm internal. The layup has been specifically manipulated to provide the best possible level of compliance. The rim suits true gravel applications – so 32c tyres at an absolute minimum – ideally 35c+. The rim is very light for a lively ride. It can be used for XC MTB applications as well. Available in 24h only. Being hookless the rim is not compatible with all tyres, however it is a good choice for those looking to run 35c+ tyres tubeless at lower pressures. If you wanted an all road rim, the 30mm would be a better choice – allowing instead tyres down to 25c.
Venn 35mm rim brake – Not currently available – VAR layup
A solid all round rim brake rim – 470g. Good for those looking for a robust, all purpose rim brake rim, made using the VAR technique this provides the greatest resilience available to heat failure. Available in 20/24h.
Venn 35mm disc brake (SL) – Not currently available – VAR layup
An excellent disc brake rim – 410g – nice and light and 21mm internal – a deeper alternative to the Venn 30 made using the VAR process. Available in 24h only. The VAR 35mm rim here is the same profile as the rim brake counterpart however the layup has been manipulated to provide a significant weight saving over the rim brake version. Both 35mm versions are high end manufacturing of ‘generic’ profiles, rather than aerodynamically optimised profiles such as the 37, 507 and 77mm.
Venn 37 disc brake – £400 – VAR layup
At 435g/rim this is a bit heavier than the 35mm and only 2mm deeper with the same 21mm internal. Nevertheless it is born out of the lessons learned from the 507 (see below) to provide significant gains over the 35mm in stability and reduction in drag. For this reason, the 35mm becomes less appealing in the range with the 37 being the sensible aero choice and the 30mm being the sensible light/economy choice. However the 37 makes a strong case for itself for a versatile rim. The profile is aerodynamic with 25c and 28c tyres fitted providing an advantage over the 30mm and 35mm yet more stable and more aerodynamically suited to wider tyres fitted than the 507 and 77 – so as an all-rounder for those looking for a light rim some of the time, aero some of the time, a strong candidate. You could use the 37mm as a gravel rim as it is shallow enough to remain stable with such a large tyre and wide enough to support it. We risk a DCR rant here as ‘aero gravel’ is a concept we take exception to – rims are aero OR gravel, not both especially with mudguards – this rim works for gravel as an ‘all road’ option, 25c/28c tyres as a nice aero option, fit a 38c gravel tyre and it will be well supported, strong and a good weight but no longer aero.
Venn 507 – rim brake/disc brake – £400 – VAR layup
A fantastic achievement from aerodynamics expert Victor Major – a phenomenally stable and unquestionably fast rim – 490g. If you are looking for an aero rim for use with a road bike 25c tyres, then this is an exceptional option. While costing more than the others in the range, in aerodynamics terms it is head and shoulders above almost anything else and worth the premium if relevant for the rider. The profile is capable of supporting tyres far wider than 25c, however the drag reduction will be significantly undermined with tyres over 25c – there is still a reduction with 28c however beyond the profile becomes an ill-advised choice. The rim brake version provides enormous resilience to heat, so this rims is a suitable option even in hilly terrain. This should be the go to road bike rim of choice. If you wish for an ‘all road’ alternative the 30 and 259 rims provide better alternatives.
Venn 77 – rim brake/disc brake – £490 – VAR layup
Developed following lessons learned from the 507 but predating the 37, this was an AI developed rim with a very special profile. Drag is lower on this than the 507 and so is stability – nevertheless stability for the depth is exceptional. For best aerodynamic results, pair with a 25c tyre.
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