# How to tell Stans 355 Disc rim from v-brake rim?



## Baulz (Sep 16, 2005)

I recently ordered a Stans 355 v-brake rim from a reputable well known mail order shop. I have a feeling they sent me the disc version. How do I tell the difference? There are no markings on the rim to indicate which it is. 

My concern is the sidewall is tiny, barely tall enough for a v-brake pad. The sidewall is also anodized black, from pictures I have searched most appear to be not anodized. There is also a blob of weld on the rim seam that will have to be ground off to be used. The weight is 355g, I thought they were supposed to be 375ish, but am happy to have something below claimed weight for a change. 

No pics of it right now, will try to grab one later today.


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## Phil335 (Feb 17, 2010)

Does it have the 6 screw holes for the rotor? Does it look like a center lock rotor mount? Its very easy to tell.


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## nathanbal (Jan 30, 2007)

you have a disc version. the 355 with the brake track will be completely visible and noticeable.

https://static.bike-components.de/i...popup_images/13618_1_notubes_ztr_355_v-br.jpg


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## MessagefromTate (Jul 12, 2007)

Phil335 said:


> Does it have the 6 screw holes for the rotor? Does it look like a center lock rotor mount? Its very easy to tell.


Do the rims you run have these features? Let's see a pic. He said rim, not wheelset.


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## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

The Notubes website definitely shows machined brake tracks on the 355 V-brake rim.


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## Baulz (Sep 16, 2005)

rockyuphill said:


> The Notubes website definitely shows machined brake tracks on the 355 V-brake rim.


I've looked at that picture, I find it hard to tell. The sidewall looks black to me at the top, but silver/machined at the bottom. Weird lighting I guess.

Thanks for the responses, hope to get a pic in a couple hours and will post it.


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## BlownCivic (Sep 12, 2006)

I have both the V brake version and the disc version. The only difference is the fact that the disc version is anodized black on the brake track. I am actually using the disc version with my V brakes. They work great. The anodizing has worn off so now it's a bare aluminum surface, but the braking performance has not changed at all.

And as far as the braking track being machined on the V brake version, and not on the disc version, I don't buy it. They both had pulsations in the lever from an uneven braking surface/track right from the get go.


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## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

Hmmmm, here's the cryptic description from the NoTubes website. That sounds like the ABT V-brake provision isn't machined so much as just not anodized. I'd be concerned about how long the sidewall of the rim would last for V-brake use.

*Rims used for rim brakes*: If using fully anodized versions of the 355 and Arch rims for rim brakes they may squeal and require you to toe out your brake pads to stop the squeal. No special pads are needed. The 355 ABT model does not require brake pad adjustment.


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## Ole (Feb 22, 2004)

The rim brake version has brushed sidewalls, not machined. The rims are too thin-walled to be machined.


Ole.


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## snowdrifter (Aug 2, 2006)

it's the year 2011, get some disc brakes!


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## 3Ronin (Feb 4, 2010)

they will be completely black on the disc brake version and silver bare metal machined surface on the V-brake version just to clear up what Ole said.


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## Baulz (Sep 16, 2005)

Here is the rim.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Looks like a disc to me! From the above pictures from their site the V brake version has non annodized sides as the annodizing diminishes braking.


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## 3Ronin (Feb 4, 2010)

yeah that looks like the disc brake version since they are black, and the weight is lower than the range for the V-brake rims.


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## BlownCivic (Sep 12, 2006)

The V brake ZTR 355s that were used for my wheel build were 355g (+/- 5g).


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## Baulz (Sep 16, 2005)

Thanks for the help everyone!

Now I have to decide what to do. Need to rebuild the King disc rear on my everyday bike, have a Sun EQ23 that I planned to use, but may go with the 355 instead. But I ride that bike hard and don't want to have to worry about the wheel, or even maintaining the wheel.


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## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

Even THIN wall rims can last a couple years of hard competition usage before the brake tracks collapse and the rim splits apart. A female expert racer I know did that in the mid-90s with a set of Mavic M230 rims. After more than two seasons on her wheels, the back rim PEELED away its sidewall during an local race. I came up on her at the top of a climb and she was sitting off to the side talking to someone and I asked if she needed help thinking she had a flat and she goes "LOOK at my wheel" and it was a good 15 seconds before i realized about 16 inches of rim sidewall was missing. She used the bike for all her cross country riding and racing at the time so it got a LOT of miles on the wheels. I'm sure NoTubes doesn't expect people ordering 355s are going to use them as both race wheels and everyday ride wheels continuously.


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## BlownCivic (Sep 12, 2006)

A Mavic 517 rim did much the same thing to me back in 1999. It'd had a bunch of use, and as I rode uphill on the road at a somewhat reduced pace (I'd been riding hard for about 2 hours) suddenly out of the blue, I experienced a rim sidewall failure. It was quite magnificient: a loud BANG! as the tube blew, and then about 12-13" of peeled over rim. I did a bunch of walking after that (probably 4-5 kms) to get home. I eventually took off my riding shoes (carbon sole) and walked barefoot for about 1/2 the distance.


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## fuzzywuzzy (Dec 6, 2010)

yeah side wall blow out happened to me ,about a third of the rim hanging off , 10 miles from home didnt feel like walking so took off my shoe laces and bound the rim tightly and un straddled the v brake and it got me home , it was a bit up and down all the way but still manaaged a decent speed


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## LuizSalles (Oct 4, 2008)

Baulz said:


> Thanks for the help everyone!
> 
> Now I have to decide what to do. Need to rebuild the King disc rear on my everyday bike, have a Sun EQ23 that I planned to use, but may go with the 355 instead. But I ride that bike hard and don't want to have to worry about the wheel, or even maintaining the wheel.


Hi Baulz... I have the same situation....... tell me please, What you did ?

Are you using the rims with V-brake ? any problem with ? or it's normal ?

thanks


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## LuizSalles (Oct 4, 2008)

BlownCivic said:


> I have both the V brake version and the disc version. The only difference is the fact that the disc version is anodized black on the brake track. I am actually using the disc version with my V brakes. They work great. The anodizing has worn off so now it's a bare aluminum surface, but the braking performance has not changed at all.
> 
> And as far as the braking track being machined on the V brake version, and not on the disc version, I don't buy it. They both had pulsations in the lever from an uneven braking surface/track right from the get go.


Please BlownCivic did you have any picture with the disc version ?

I really would like to see..... you told that don't have diference in the braking performance ?

I have the choice to buy one wheelset with ZTR 355, but is the disc version anda I use v-brake...

If you could help me....:thumbsup:

thank you


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## BlownCivic (Sep 12, 2006)

ZTR 355 rim brake version:










ZTR 355 disc brake version:










ZTR 355 disc brake version used with rim brakes for 2+ years:


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## Baulz (Sep 16, 2005)

LuizSalles said:


> Hi Baulz... I have the same situation....... tell me please, What you did ?
> 
> Are you using the rims with V-brake ? any problem with ? or it's normal ?
> 
> thanks


Have not used them yet. Was worried about braking performance on the front, so was going to use it on a real wheel. Then decided I did not want to spend any more money on a hub for now.


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## LuizSalles (Oct 4, 2008)

BlownCivic and Baulz many thank's for the reply....

But I have one more question.... BlownCivic did you have any trouble/problem with pulsation ? 

I didn't understand about pulsation, sorry, could you tell me please if you have any trouble with pulsations in the lever whem braking ?

thank you again.....


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## BlownCivic (Sep 12, 2006)

Yes, both the rim brake version and the disc brake version suffer from minor pulsation in the lever due to the braking surface not being perfectly flat.


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## fuzzywuzzy (Dec 6, 2010)

running the same rims brand new without the ano and with xtr v brakes and have not felt any pulsing whatsoever , great rims superb v braking no squeel just hard core stopping:thumbsup: i would'nt use any other rim for v's,


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## LuizSalles (Oct 4, 2008)

*BlownCivic,* thank you again...

*fuzzywuzzy,* please, Which rim are you using ? 
Tthe v-brake (ABT) version or the disc version ?


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## fuzzywuzzy (Dec 6, 2010)

hi man

like i said without the anodising so it is the ABT one's im using , the ano wont last long and you can skip the squeeling some folks get with ano (not always) as well as the braking suface looking nice and even because theyve been machined to be
if your paying 60 notes for a rim it might as well be one thats designed for the job eh !
got mine from justridingalong couldnt find them anywhere cheaper in black , i laced mine with dt revolution spokes and xtr hubs and the bike just wants to goooooooo} like a race horse , 
heres a pic of the bike with the wheels on


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## fuzzywuzzy (Dec 6, 2010)

but if your asking whether or not to get the wheel set youve been offered if its a good price then just get em i would, they will wear in, or off rather (the ano), why is he selling them ? is he a friend ? they may have been seriously punished and on last legs , it your call man :thumbsup:


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## BlownCivic (Sep 12, 2006)

I've got pulsing on both the ABT (rim brake) and the disc version. That was a complaint of mine from the get go: brand new wheelset using rim brake version of the wheel that pulsed from day one. I researched at the time, and there were many people with the same complaint. However, its not a bad pulse. Just noticeable is all. And as many people have already said, the only difference between the ABT and the disc rim is the anodizing. The sidewalls of the ABT version are not machined any more or less than the disc version.


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## fuzzywuzzy (Dec 6, 2010)

yeah im hearing what your saying fella although i cant help leaning toward the idea that they dont mask off that bit of outer rim in the ano process ,what they will have done is ano'd the entire rim and then ground it back to metal ,the masking would be messy and time consuming to get it as perfect as they do , maybe thats why they are advertised as being machined nothing major just taking the ano off before your brakes do 
just a thought :thumbsup: 

i built mine myself and the join is always gonna be bulging out slightly like 0.3.-0.5mm laterally and radially some rims are allot worse ,you gotta take that into acount when building but its just a fact of life with joining metal im afraid , i thing 355s are super rims i have zero complaints without being unrealistic,
i was thinking of stock piling a couple of sets because i hear rumours of them being discontinued ,i dont know if there is any truth in that though 

Lee


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## LuizSalles (Oct 4, 2008)

yeah Stan's will not have anymore 355.... it will be discontinued..... the crest is the new one, but is not v-brake compatible....

this is my doubt..... I still use v-brake, I used disc for a while, magura marta sl and avid seven, great but a lot of maintence....... and for my use v-brake is good enough...

I live in Brasil so I's hard to find stans rims..... my friend have a industry nine ultralite with disc hubs and the 355 rim (new) i think that will be my choice....

thanks for the replys....


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## fuzzywuzzy (Dec 6, 2010)

glad you have reached a conclusion ,

one question 
what is your source concerning stans discontinuing the ztr 355 ?
its just i hear rumours but no facts/evidence ,i understand the 650b has been dropped but nothing else as far as i know 
can you verify ? post me a link please 

cheers 
Lee


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## PhotoGus (May 14, 2008)

Your second paragraph... was that a quote from the website? (Dead link)


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