Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Conversion to fixed gear and buying wheels

I am currently converting (and generally fixing up) a 10-speed 1981 Huffy Carrera Road Bike to fixed gear. I have read Sheldon Brown's detailed and helpful article on the subject, and have perused the forums here but still have questions. Maybe someone can help, and the discussion will shed light on this kind of tinkering.

One issue is buying wheels. The back one was shot, so I figured I'd just get new ones. I want to make sure they fit. I believe the old ones are 26" but here is where it's confusing. When I consult online sources on where to measure from, it seems to indicate a point inside the tire. How do I make sure I buy proper wheels? Advice on a good place online to buy wheelsets would be appreciated too.

I am leaving the current crank (52 and 39 teeth) on. I know it's based on personal preference, but how many teeth (16? 17? 18?) should I have on the back sprocket/which front crank should I (now permanently) use?

Lastly, it seems that wheels are rarely sold including rim, tire and sprocket. Am I out of luck if I want to buy them all together?

Thanks for reading.

There are a lot of factors that go into deciding your gear ratio ... how much power you want, if you will be skidding, what the bike is for, etc ... so I am not going to touch that one.

But I would advise that when buying a wheelset, there is no need to buy the cog and lock with the wheelset. You can pick those up at your LBS for a reasonable price. If you want cheap wheels, go online. If you want fancy wheels, your LBS can probably build them up for you, and you can get them when you buy your cog/lock. As for your tires and tubes, usually you buy those separately too.

Is there a reason you want to purchase all of these parts together as a package?

Pictures would help to know your situation. I don't know about measuring wheels but if your bike was a 10 speed road bike it would have 27" or 700c wheels, not 26".
You might want to pick one chain ring or the other on the crank and remove the other one.

Look at the gear inches chart in this forum.

Thanks for the quick replies. I suppose there's no reason why I wanted to buy them together other than I need all of them. Also I want to make sure I get parts that work together. Is it hard to put tires onto rims?

Thanks for informing me about them being 27", tmh657.

Thanks for the quick replies. I suppose there's no reason why I wanted to buy them together other than I need all of them. Also I want to make sure I get parts that work together. Is it hard to put tires onto rims?

Thanks for informing me about them being 27", tmh657.

Putting tires and tubes on your wheels is easy. In fact, it is a skill you will want to know how to do in case you get a flat while on the go. There are videos demonstrating the process on YouTube and Vimeo. The equipment is cheap.

Okay. It also just occurred to me that the old axles were different diameters, is this standard? The front one was clearly thinner than the rear one.

Another issue: I suspect the crank I have on there is for a 3/32" chain, would a 1/8" chain not be compatible? (I have since found out that it will apparently work, but not ideally. Maybe eventually I'll spring for a new crank)

edit- Thanks again for everyone's help, I will post pics when I'm done.