Solid 650b wheelset?
 

Hey folks,

I have a *seasoned* 96 Gary Fisher Wahoo frame I wanted to build up into a grocery hauler and Im looking for a cheap, but decent, 650b wheelset I can throw on it. Something nice, but cheap enough that I don't have to worry about not giving them much use other than making trips to the store. Weight isn't really an issue. Any recommendations?

Out of curiosity why 650b when the bike was designed for 26" wheels? Inexpensive 26" wheels are a dime a dozen.

I got lucky and got a velo orange set from someone on here, but even brand new they're reasonable. They're great on my 26" to 650b conversion.

650b rim brake options are somewhat limited; since most 650b bikes are disc. I think Sun makes one.

You can buy the velo orange as rims only, so if you don't mind re-using your hubs you could build your own... If course if you're like me and don't want to mess with building your own wheels, the cost of a wheel build might equal or surpass buying a complete wheel pretty quickly.

How are you planning on making the brakes work? The frame is designed for cantilever or vbrakes. The frame is designed for 26" wheels, there are tons of great choices of the wheel size the bike is designed for

Lol this is insane, people have been doing 26 to 650b since forever. Tektro cr720 have enough adjustability for most frames. And 26" suck.

oh geez you guys are right, 26''ers. Not sure how I got that mixed up (facepalm).

Im looking at some options right now, but I dont have much experience and Im a little worried I'll pick something that doesn't quite work out. Other than the spacing for the wheels, 100mm on the front 135mm on the rear, and the cassette spacing, is there anything else I have to be mindful of?

edit: after reading ksryder's post, should I just go with 650b?

26" sucks? Then 650b must suck as well because technically it has been part of the 26" family for a long time before it got all trendy and called it self 27.5.

What is wrong with 26" My old Klein seems fine (granted I haven't put as many miles on it as I would like as I am awaiting a new steerer tube) and my Surly Disc Trucker 26" was great as was the old Trek before. 26" is a fine size and I see no need to disparage unless talking the fractional sizes that come on Schwinns and old British 3 speeds and bikes like that but good old 584 and 559 are fine sizes.