Originally Posted by
romperrr
Might have something to do with import/export taxes. That's why, I believe, some Raleigh mtbs of that era had 650b wheels. Cheapest way I know to try out 650b is sourcing a wheelset from one of them. That's why I did with my Raleigh Competition conversion. I'd suggest replacing the tires.
Makes sense. Weird, but manufacturers during this time often did interesting things for various reasons.