Dear Scrod,

I recently converted a '72 Bottecchia Professional to 650b fixed. It's a lot of fun, but the BB is just too low for comfort (255mm) and pedal strike at speed is just too unnerving for me. So, I'm going to buy or build a classic looking 700c wheelset. l like the idea of the polished TB14 and will probably go with 32/32 as the 28h version isn't readily available. I plan to buy from my LBS. So. . . . two questions:

Hubs: I was considering the Velo Orange fixed set, perhaps the Suzue Pro Max (wish they had cut outs in the flanges). . . . what else is out there that fits the bill?

Spokes: I typically build with Sapim Race spokes and brass nipples. Is there a compelling reason to go with a different spoke or is this build beefy enough that I the benefit of super skinny spokes isn't really worth the hassle (twisting of the spokes, etc)?

I could use the Paul hubs on the 650b set, but they're silver anodized (not polished) and it seems like a bit of shame to disassemble a perfectly good wheelset.