Ok I need lots of help!!!
 

Let me give you just a lil history.. I used to race BMX in the late 80s to the mid 90s, and built all my own bikes as a kid. when I became old enough to work my first job ever was building bikes at Toys r us, so I promise I'm not a complete idiot with mechanics.
Now, I have not ridden a bicyle in about 10 years but last summer I bought my girlfriend and myself specialized MTBs we rode them on a couple camping trips then hung them in the garage for a year.

Now on with the questions!!!
Ok so I bought my girl and I so road bike frames cause we have been riding alot on road. one is a LOTUS LEDGEND from what I can tell its an 80-82?? no wheels tho :(
Also I bought a CONSTANTE GIRARDENGO frame from the 50s, all it has is frame/fork, and Ambrosio stem.

What I need to know is where oh where can I get wheels for these beasts??? I am sure that these modern wheelsets won't work with all the cogs and added width. what other hurdles will I need to cross?? brake pad alignment ??

Please help!!!

If you guys need pics, just let me know what area and i'll load them up here. The LBS here said that i'll have to cold set the frame and spread the rear tri... I don't wanna do that cant there be older style hubs??? He told me that they don't make hubs that size anymore (126mm) 130mm or nothing, I don't believe him and I probably will not be going back, unless you guys tell me he's right, then I'll go back with my tail between my legs!!!

Thanks!!

P.s. sorry if my post is all over the place! watching the kids while Momma is at work! If it's silent for more than one minute then you can guarantee they're doing something wrong!!!lol

Pics would very much help. :)

LBS is wrong. 126mm hubs/wheel sets are plentiful on ebay both new & used. The bike from the 1950 maybe 110mm(?) so I would measure that w/ a metric tape measure and begin by looking on ebay.

Ebay, Craigslist, etc. Wheels won't be a problem at all.

I think your CONSTANTE GIRARDENGO is likely quite the nice Italian bike - Some pics would be welcomed. I suspect it was built for tubulars, and if it's really a 50's issue, the frame may already have been bumped out from 120 to 126 to accommodate a 6 speed FW. I definitely would not bend it any further.
If I were you I would order a Quando/Sun Sealed Bearing Wheelset from Harris Cyclery. They are available with 126 mm hubs.

I suspect your GF bike has 27" wheels - the difference is 8mm in diameter overall, such that the brake calipers may not be long enough to reach the rims if you substitute 700's but Harris sells 27" wheelsets also. Tire availability on 27" is limited but the Panaracer Pasellas are about as good as most 700c clinchers costing two or three times as much.

Staying away from that LBS is a good thought.

these are bare frames, or just missing the wheels? unless the you have lots of spares and some know how on building your better off looking for used complete bikes.

maybe we can find a fellow BFer near you to give you some guideance.

we definitely need pics. PSSSST *** whisper **** some of these old guys can't read so without pics you get no help LOL

The answer could be of near gigantic proportions. Ebay is always the best source for vintage bicycle parts, in my opinion, wheel sets included. But take the time to learn a thing or two about shopping on-line or be prepared for some disappointment.

Also, I built MY "TEN SPEEDS" hoping to help people, just like the OP and me, with our vintage bicycle interest, questions and problems. Perhaps the information contained there will help chip away at that potentially huge answer the OP seeks. My bet is that he/she will have a lot of fun seeking and learning.

Welcome to the Bike Forums.

In for pics.

Hey everyone, thanks for posting so fast and all the good advice. I promise I'll post pics of the Girardengo ASAP as I'm not near it right now. Just to give you guys an idea as what I'm wanting to do, I'd like to go with Shimano tri-color group with down tube shifters(clamp on) would love to keep it all Italian with campagnolo NR but that might be outta price range!!!

P.s. I plan on doing a build thread here... do you guys do that here??? I've restored a '73 toyota fj-40, '78 honda cb750-4, '75 Honda cb 360t all full frame-off restos. so this shouldn't be a problem;)

Yes, build threads are welcome. You'll likely have issues mounting downtube shifters, but we'll see.