

First time building a bike. I bought this rear wheel but then noticed that the grooved out bit where the brake pads go isn’t there. But it says they are compatible even on the packaging. Should I get a different rear wheel? If so, who makes a cheap 26”, tubeless ready rear wheel? It took me a while to find this one.
by beefcalahan
7 Comments
How else would you stop it?
yes
No hub interface for a rotor. So I am assuming yes!
Not all rims that can tolerate rim brakes have that wear indicator groove.
I have 2 sets of these. 700c and 26″ and both on rim brakes.
Are you referring to machined sidewall? They come in those as well- but it’s not necessary for braking.
If its flat, you can brake with it. Just looks like it’s not machined so it’ll tend to squeal a bit more and will look shitty when the ano wears off.
Cheap and tubeless 26″ is not going to be an easy to find combo.. I’d go for velocity rims.. https://www.velocityusa.com/product/rims/cliff-hanger-559
Machined sidewalls are, historically speaking, a fairly recent development. Non-machined ones worked perfectly well for decades prior. They may squeal under braking when new, but they’ll eventually quiet down. I recommend KoolStop “salmon” brake pads. Non-machined sidewalls have more material on them and, theoretically, a longer lifespan.