Ya, after seeing that Velo Routier kit I would suggest just going that route too, buying all the small bits like seatpost collars, headsets, cables and housings does tend to add up if you have to do it all at a retail level. The crank in that kit is probably made in the same factory as the VO crank and it's got the microshift stuff which is pretty solid from what I've heard about it. I've read the paris-moto tires aren't a long-wearing tire so you can upgrade to compass tires after a few months of riding. The wheels in that kit are 32 spoke wheels but if you take them to a shop with a good wheel builder and get them stress-relieved, re-trued, and evenly tensioned they should be worry-free for a lot of miles. I've done about 10,000km on a pair of 24 spoke wheels, including my first 1200 and only had one spoke break on the front wheel and I didn't have to DNF the ride because of it... just got out the spoke wrench and took most of the wobble out. I'm 210 right now and was heavier when I did the 1200... and they were 28mm tires on those wheels so a 650B with wider tires should be better protected.