There are two note worthy rim makers in Japan, Araya and Ukai. They are note worthy because each of them has had their rims sold as original equipment on new bicycles and at one point both had their rims sold in the US as after market replacement parts. Both are well known for excellent quality and workmanship, however, at the moment, only Araya seems to have rims available in the US for after market replacements.
Ukai's participation in the United States parts distribution system dropped off beginning in the fall of 1987, after the G7 meeting drove the value of the dollar down and Japanese goods edged their way toward double the Yen price. Ukai is reported to have been the maker of the Specialized and also made the Ritchey rims that are sold on new bikes as original equipment. The Ukai manufactured Ritchey rims can be identified bt their welded rather than sleeved joint.
Right: Sectional View of Araya joint.
Both of these rim makers sell their goods through importer/distributors who have to make a value judgement in terms of what they think will sell to retailers in a reasonable period of time. The importer/distributor then places an order through a Japanese export trading company for delivery 90 to 120 days in the future. If they predict wrong they will have an overstock, tying up their capital. By nature, these organizations, when it comes to bulky items like rims, buy very conservatively which leads to occasional stateside shortages of either models, colors, or drillings.
The RM-400 was introduced in 1990. It uses double wall construction and is made of 7000 series aluminum alloy. The rim has a Box shape design with slightly concave sidewalls. The RM-400 Pro doesn't use eyelets to prevent spoke nipple pull through, but instead has a slightly thickened spoke bed. Once the extrusion has been rolled into its hoop shape the ends are joined by TIG welding them together. The welding "flash" left inside the rim is ground away. The three outer surfaces are smoothly machined and polished leaving no visible evidence of the seam or its weld for brake pads to hang up on. After joining the ends, and polishing, the rim is drilled for the spoke and valve holes then Clear anodized leaving it a Silver color. We sell the RM-400 Pro rim in either a 32 or 36 spoke hole with a Presta valve drilling. Specifics about the rim are available in the Rims table.
RM-400 26" (Hole-32-36)
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