I just bought two NOS tubular rims from my second choice LBS. I went in to ask if they could do anything for my wheel, which has a flat spot and a bit of a dent. The chief mechanic said that he could not fix it, and that there were starting to be cracks in the ferrules around the spoke holes. I wasn't really buying the cracks theory; they looked ok to me. Then he said that he had some old rims in a box upstairs. After some sorting, I came up with this pair of Ukai rims. They are silver, but not polished. they have a red decal that says Ukai Yanagihara Kogyo C. LTD. They do not have ferrules. I hope that is the right term. A Mavic GP4 has brass colored pieces that go from the outer surface of the rim to the inner. I have always called them ferrules. I think every rim I have ever built has them. These Ukais do not. I asked, and the mechanic said that they do not require washers, and indeed it does look like there is some reinforcement around the inner surface. You can see a rivet in the tire bed on either side of the joint. The rivets have been filed flush with the bed.
The rims felt light, but what do I know? The bike store had no scale. Does anyone know about Ukai rims?
Best regards, Marcus Helman Feeling a little better thanks to Roger Penski in Detroit, MI