I have a junked '98 T700 rotting away in my basement. Even though the '99s were available when I got mine, I wanted a '98 because it had bar ends.
Toured on it for three years. About 10,000 miles. The wheel set (think they were Sun 17 rims) was not up to task of carrying my relatively heavy load. The rear wheel had to be replaced in Ohio during my W-E Northern Tier Tour. The front wheel had to be replaced before I went to Spain the following March.
BTW...It's helpful to shoot the drivetrain side of a bike..