Originally Posted by
Ironfish653
But if you’re talking about an OE wheelset on a 7/8/9-sp era bike, like the OP we’re responding to, it’s more than likely NOT a 11-sp wheel.
I’d find it highly unlikely that a mid-range Y2K Cannondale would have been fitted with a 11-sp wheelset, because it wasn’t a thing yet.
Probably why the OP was told by his shop, that a 11-sp cassette wouldn’t fit on his bike, without making a lot of other changes.
For sure, if the wheels are the original ones. A wheel is, can be, the least expensive part of all that though.
I'm mainly still going on about the need to double-check details if he builds his own. I would check whether that wheel really is incompatible with 11-speed, just so that I know what my options are.