Hello, all --
It's been brought to my attention that my previous posts in this matter might be interpreted as condescending and arrogant. If so, please accept my apologies and be assured that that was the furthest thing from my intentions. I meant to be helpful, not offensive!
I actually expended a *lot* of time and effort searching the Net for information on l'Abeille bicycles. When I came up with nothing, I felt bad about telling Rob to just measure the rim and find a match because it's pretty hard to do accurately, and in some cases if you're just a wee bit off you get the wrong size. Finally, I thought it would be ironic if after all that effort, the wheel turned out to be a relatively mainstream "oddball" size like 650B.
Anyway, I'm new to CRV (and to mailing lists generally) and I'm not used to writing informally to people who aren't already familiar with my sense of humor, which I admit is sometimes overly dry. If it comes across as condescending or sardonic, it's absolutely not directed at fellow cyclists but rather an expression of shared exasperation. In the future, I'll try to keep it in check.
CORRECTION:
In my original reponse, I accidentally duplicated the link for rim sizing instead of giving the link for tire sizing. The correct link is:
Sheldon Brown/John Allen on Tire Sizing
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/
All the best.
Peter Craig Martin
Seattle USA