noobinsf 

First world hand wringing, I know, but...

I'm building up my 71-72 Moto GR, and I had made the decision, after much back-and-forth, to build up some new wheels with 700c rims. Moving confidently forward, I saw a good deal on some lightly used Super Champion rims that were exactly what I needed -- 700c, 36 hole, clincher. Purchased, took delivery, everything looks great. Then I hold one up to my modern bike's wheel with 700c, and this new rim looks slightly bigger. I hold it up to my old steel 27" Rigidas, and it looks to be the same size. I hold both new rims up together, and they match. The seller mislabeled them and sold me 27" rims. Grr.

Now I'm not sure what to do, because these are nice rims, but not exactly what I wanted. I could sell them and recoup my money, start over. (Returning them is more of a headache than simply selling locally, I think.) I'd look at new Sun rims and avoid the headache of used. Or, I could just build them. Nobody will die as a result of this decision. It's not keeping me up at night. But still, interested in your thoughts.

[Also, I'm shamelessly trying to get up to 50 posts so I can send PM's if the need ever arises...]

3speedslow

Contact the seller, he might have sent you the wrong set and is sitting with your 700's

Just a thought.

noobinsf 

Honestly hadn't thought of that. It was eBay, and they look exactly as pictured, so I'm fairly certain I got what they intended to send. But yes, I'll get in touch just in case this is what happened...

jimmuller 

Look at this way. You have a set of decent rims. If you have no use for them sell them, or build up wheels and find another bike.

Just for clarification, you have Super Champion 27" rims? Are they labeled one way or another?

Narhay

Technically if a seller misrepresents the item (listing it as the wrong size) or it is damaged and they say it is excellent condition - then you are entitled to a full refund including initial shipping + seller pays return shipping. Paying return shipping is only if you don't want it anymore, they listed it correctly, etc.

noobinsf 

Yes, they have the red oval that reads only "Super Champion." I've read elsewhere that the pre-Wolber company used the red oval on 700c exclusively at one point, but later (but still pre-Wolber), the label was applied with less accuracy, so I assume this threw off the seller.

Fahrenheit531 

The question is really nobody but yours to answer:
For this particular bike, is almost what I wanted good enough? The answer to that question will point you on your way.

(I've had lots of bikes where the answer to that question was yes, and a few where it was absofreakinglutely not.)

Lascauxcaveman 

I'm of two minds. If it was such a good deal that I could say, "Well, I'll use them for something, someday" then I'd just sit on them until then. OTOH, If I paid top dollar for something very specific, and then the seller sent me that which I did not buy, I'd send them back with extreme prejudice. Obviously, I'd be polite about it, because it's was very likely an honest mistake.

Vintage Raleigh

Had a similar experience with the 74 Raleigh - 700c more tyre choices etc, but by chance rode an old bike with 27s and just liked how it rolled along so went with 27s. Happy with my decision and it makes the bike more about the wheels aesthetically. Of course if you were originally running tubulars then the 700c's are the correct size.

old's'cool

+1 you should have no trouble getting satisfaction on Ebay if you haven't let too much time go by since the transaction.

eschlwc

dilemma is one of my favorite words. it's up there with ennui, foreboding, irony, dissonance, existence, yes, motobécane, music, love, ...

i'd keep the rims and ask the seller for a discount pronto.

win/win.

not sure what were your brake caliper options going into this 700c conversion. did you already acquire new long-reach calipers for the smaller diameter 700c rims? that may direct your ... dilemma.

noobinsf 

MAFAC Racers, which only invite more brooding, since they would work with either configuration.

I actually really enjoy the look of your 700c GR, eschlwc, and it was one of the reasons I tipped over into the 700c bucket. I think for this bike, though, I'm going to keep the rims and build them, since they're period correct for this bike, and I saw a NOS set today that was priced more than 10x what I paid for this used pair. Today was the first day in a while I was able to spend in the garage, and I'm happy to move past this overthinking.

eschlwc

hey, cool. thanks for the note.

the mafac racers on my '80 pkn10 were about the best vintage brakes i ever owned. i installed those wide kool-stops (for mafac) and used to scream down the steep hill by my house, always with great confidence.

Pawlus

Are you 100% sure they are 27"? Perhaps you could try to get 700c tire on it to be sure?

Also, if you decide to let them go or just buy new 28" rims, I'd recommend Mavic A319 or A719. They come in both silver and black and 36h. Top quality too.

rhm

I would not be happy! I'm systematically retiring all my 27" wheels and hope to never buy 27" tires again. Even if there's nothing wrong with them, it's a nuisance to have two different sizes of tires in the bins. Definitely tell the seller what went wrong and see what he can do about it. If that's not enough, contact eBay.

noobinsf 

Well, the seller is willing to kick back some of the purchase price once I send a couple of pics to verify the mistake. In the end, I'll have paid a little over $10 per rim, so I'm pretty pleased. Thanks, all, for your encouragement to seek a correction...

Yes -- holding it against the old Rigida steelie, every spoke hole lines up exactly, and they're clearly bigger than the 700c's on my other bike... Thanks for the suggestion of the new rims, Pawlus...