Velo Orange are proud proponents of classic bike style, but by no means are they adverse to new technology. Their latest Voyager polished alloy rims are the perfect example – bringing modern wide tubeless performance to a mirror finish box section alloy rim in 3 wheel sizes. And while you are eliminating flats from your classic ride, why not add a shiny new set of matching polished fenders as well…
Velo Orange Voyager modern box section tubeless rims
You can’t call Velo Orange (VO) luddites with great modern tech like this. It’s hard to argue with the classic good looks of a traditional road or touring bike with a polished aluminum groupset and matching shiny alloy wheels. Now, VO can bring the smoother ride & fewer flats benefits of modern tubeless tires to that old bike while keeping its good looks. Paired with the fact that the most popular all-road & gravel tires now come with a tan/skin/brown wall option, it’s getting easier to mix retro & modern – on or off-road.
Tech details
From the outside the Voyager maintains the looks of a traditional box section alloy rim. But the 19mm deep polished aluminum rim is entirely modern, and built to handle a mix or road & gravel trail conditions.
The Voyager has a modern 27mm external width, 22.1mm internal to fit tires from 38mm up to 2.4″ (61mm) wide, according to VO. You can probably dial it back down to 28mm or 30mm road tires as well as we have seen with most other tubeless wheel producers on similarly wide rims.
The new rims aren’t just wider, but get a proper set of bead shelf locking lips to snap your tubeless tires securely into place. VO also says they kept the center of the rim channel relatively shallow to make an easy seal for simple first inflation of a tubeless setup with a floor pump, while still making it easy enough to get the tire on in the first place.
The disc brake Voyager rim (no machined braking surface, but you can still apparently use rim brakes too since it has flat, parallel sidewalls) is all about versatility and comes in three different rim diameters (ISO), all with the same profile: 26″ (559), 650b/27.5″ (584), and 700c/29″ (622). The rims aren’t intended to build super lightweight wheels, but rather durable mixed-surface road & touring wheels so they all get stainless steel eyelets and come in 32 or 36 hole spoke drilling. Claimed single rim weights are: 576g for 26″, 597g for 650b & 638g for 700c.
All three diameters or drillings sell for the same $85 price per rim, available direct from Velo Orange.
Velo Orange Enterprise alloy touring rims
Not nearly as advanced, VO has also updated their classic Enterprise box section alloy touring rims with a move to single eyelets, saving weight & maintaining durability. They say that improvements in alloys, nipples & spokes means they can drop a bunch of weight without performance sacrifice. The new $85 Enterprise rims are 16.3mm internal for 25-38mm tires, and are offered in 700c (622) & 27″ (630) and 32 or 36 hole drilling.
Velo Orange Smooth Fenders for 650b or 700c all-road & gravel
VO makes a number of patterned alloy full-coverage fenders – wavy, fluted, hammered, or even snakeskin. Now by popular demand from all-road gravel riders, they’ve added a simple Smooth look as well.
Available in 650b x 58mm (to fit up to 50mm tires) and 700c x 38mm (to fit 30mm tires) either Smooth Fender pair sells for $76 and comes in either polished Silver or shiny black Noir. Fenders come pre-drilled and include matching (sliver or black) alloy stays & all mounting hardware.
