Bought this thing just to see what it is (tubular wheels with decent hubs and a frame) for $129.
Did I get ripped off? What is this frame? I recognize orbea as a cool brand but I have no idea if it’s a knock off..
Also the listing claimed 650b tubular road wheels. Are these a thing? Thought about rebuilding the wheels with standard rims since it has ultegra hubs which seem nice, and I dunno if I want tubular wheels. No idea what these wheels are or what to do with them. Thoughts?
I’ll probably just build and ride it regardless, but what do y’all think.
by SaleEffective8666
5 Comments
Oh forgot to note it does have a derailuer hangar and a 9 speed cassette on the drive side. Otherwise what’s in the picture is what it is
Why is it missing so many bits? Is this a build that someone’s abandoned? Or did they leave it locked up outside for too long and people started helping themselves to parts?
It is likely real, just 25ish years old. Late 90s to early 00s. The 650b wheels will be a pain to work with as you would need calipers with some crazy reach. Fork is [very similar](https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1998-giant-tcr.481934/) to stuff [Giant was doing in that time period](https://www.flickr.com/photos/93558807@N00/2255266639). That is not unusual Giant is an OEM for many brands. Orbea probably used Giant as their OEM.
The frame could be a Orbea aluminium frame from early to mid 2000’s. The fork and paint job i am not recognizing as stock Orbea options but I could be wrong. Is it actually a XSmall frame designed for 650b wheels or does it fit 700c better? Road bikes of this age with 9 speed drivetrains can be had complete in good condition for 200-350 dollars so unless you have access to a good collection of used parts it’s going to be hard to say this was a really economical purchase. Tubular wheels have become a real niche and 650b for road has always only been a niche so these wheels are hard to sell but they are a thing. Harvesting the hubs is a good idea.
From 1 low res pic …. Those wheels look like Velocity 650c Deep V. 650b has been relatively rare for modern road bikes, 650c was fairly common in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. A few more pictures would help.