Would a 16" 305 wheel rim fit a Brompton bike?

[Thamosy]

Somewhere in these pages I remember reading that a kit bike obtained from any of the suppliers offering a 16" wheel is usually a 305 (ETRTO) wheel and that these wouldn't fit a Brompton. (Sorry, I've been searching high and low and can no longer find the reference).

By "not fit" does that mean it literally will not fit between brakes and forks, or is it more a case of aesthetics and not looking quite right?

I'm not bothered about a bit of discrepancy in appearance, but (wanting a quick result) I don't want to order a wheel and then find I end up re-building it.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You're correct about the sizes. I'm not sure about whether it will work. he main problem I see is whether the brake lines up with the rim. Lookat the adjustment slot. You'll need about 10mm below where it is at present. Can you get different calipers, or what about a disc conversion?
Kinetics – Recumbents, Folding Bikes, Custom Bicycles | Brompton Disc Brakes

 

[Thamosy]

Thanks. I had a look at the Brompton front brake position and with the 349 wheel there's only around 5mm of additional 'drop' available so no way would a 305 fit. Then I discovered (Sheldon Brown) that the figures actually refer to the 'bead seat' where the tyre would sit inside the rim, and with my calculations that means I'd probably need a good bit more than a 10mm drop anyway.

I'd never thought of going 'disc' - nice idea - but when I checked out the link I thought the £300 price tag a bit too steep for a bit of haste/laziness on my part!

Wheel building here we come! (And I haven't done that for over 30 years so I'm quite looking forward to it)