heidelbergensis 

Greetings!

I'm currently in the market for a 650b wheelset - open to basically any configuration, as long as the wheelset is for rim brakes. Wanting to convert my 700c Raleigh Gran Course frame to 650b as an experiment. Ideally, the hub would be 8sp+ Shimano compatible, but as I said, I would consider older spec wheels, too. Thank you fellow C&Vers!

ehcoplex 

I suspect your best/cheapest way to just try it out/experiment is a wheel set from Cycles Toussaint. Back a couple years ago when I wanted to give a 650b conversion a try there was nothing to be found used as far as rim brake wheel sets, and at the time there was also nothing available new, either! I ended up learning how to build my own wheels. But depending on the shipping, the Toussaint wheels seem like a real steal.

heidelbergensis 

That's wild! I hadn't heard of Cycles Toussaint! I'll definitely have to take a closer look at that wheelset, as $170 is pretty much unbeatable.

ehcoplex 

IIRC in another recent thread a forum member who has a set said they were actually decent wheels. I wonder if the current exchange rate also has something to do with the price..

beicster 

I have a set. They are on my Raleigh International. I stole those off my wife's Fuji Sagres mixte conversion because she is not currently riding due to a shoulder injury. She is feeling better so I ordered a replacement set just this past weekend. The shipping is tough but worth it, I think. I think the wheelset was $250 shipped to Kentucky. Still not bad.

heidelbergensis 

​​​​beicster Thanks for chiming in here! Have you got a lot of miles on them? I just assume that they are a fairly no-frills machine-built wheelset with sealed bearings and straight-gauge spokes. Even with shipping, that's not bad at all. I've started to think that the premium one pays for components from more established brands is oftentimes unwarranted, especially if they are sourcing their components from the same manufacturers abroad as, say, wherever these CT wheels are made.

My LBS is rebuilding a wheelset for me currently, and they had to warranty two separate sets of Velo-Orange Enterprise rims due to quality issues. Horribly welded joints, certain nipples not allowing for adequate spoke tension/angle, etc. They basically came with radial "hops" built into their shape. The mechanic has 30 years of wheelbuilding experience, and was shocked to see this level of "quality" from an $80 rim, esp. when CR18s are much cheaper (though perpetually out of stock). We ended up sourcing some TB14s, so hopefully those will build up better.

My point is, I'm ready to look past the stickers on the rims and anodizing on the hubs as guarantors of quality.

beicster 

They are definitely not high end wheels but they are several steps above the sta tru wheels I purchased in the past. I love the high flange look. I think the spokes are straight 15 gauge. The rims are kinda narrow. I have 42’s on there now and I don’t think I’d be comfortable with 48’s. I had 45’s on there briefly but they were too big for the frame so I don’t know how they would have rolled with them.

had them on my wife’s bike which was converted to electric. They carried quite a bit of weight over probably 700-800 miles and they are still holding up nicely. I liked them enough to order a second set.

MrGastrognome

[QUOTE=heidelbergensis;22847781]​​​​beicster Thanks for chiming in here! Have you got a lot of miles on them? I just assume that they are a fairly no-frills machine-built wheelset with sealed bearings and straight-gauge spokes. Even with shipping, that's not bad at all. I've started to think that the premium one pays for components from more established brands is oftentimes unwarranted, especially if they are sourcing their components from the same manufacturers abroad as, say, wherever these CT wheels are made.

They're butted spokes. My local mechanic who specializes in vintage stuff was pretty impressed with the quality when he was doing some work on my 650b swap.. I paid $245 all in and they're still a good deal. They're using high flange Chosen hubs which I believe are from Taiwan... Likely a big factory that produces a number of brands. My guy thought the sounded familiar in a good way and mentioned another brand that he thought they were the same as. Rivendell also offers 650b rim brake wheelsets with Deore hubs that run $330-$370 + shipping but they appear to be sold out currently.

I've only got about 1000+ miles on mine but so far they get thumbs up. I trued them up at around 500 miles and they seem to be holding their shape just fine.