Hey all. New to the forum. I've got a late-70's Raleigh Record that I'm working on converting to a fixed gear. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on for the past month or so and I think I've got things pretty well set, but I thought it might be a good idea to outline my project to peoples that actually know what they're doing before I go buying parts.
So here's the tentative parts list:
Sugino RD crank w/ 48t chainring
Sugino 103mm BB
Miche 18t Track Cog/Holder/Lockring
Harris Cyclery (Formula) Fixed/Fixed Track Hub
Velocity AeroHead 700c rim
DT Swiss Competition spokes
Aheadset STS 1" threadless headset
Tange 1" threadless road fork
Kalloy Adjustable Road Stem
So, by way of explanation. This'll be my first fixed gear experience, so I'm not looking to spend huge $, but I want to do at least the important things right. I figure I'll replace the frame with something nicer in the not too distant future if I enjoy the experience. The stem on the bike was totally frozen into the steerer (and it was too low), I had to hacksaw the stem in half and the lower half remains lodged in the steerer despite my best attempt to remove it. So, new fork and stem required. Don't really feel like dealing with threaded nightmares in the future, so a threadless headset too. The bearings in the BB were shot, and cotters in the cranks frozen too, had to cut through the spindle to get them off, so new BB and cranks (probably worth it anyway?). And of course a new rear wheel. I figure I'll use the front wheel from my road bike to save some cash before I figure out if I even like the bike. Most everything else (bars, seatpost, saddle, front brake
) I'll use the stock parts. As I understand it, the BB Shell uses a non-standard thread pitch, but can be retapped to accept an English threaded BB. So I'm going to bring it into my LBS to have that done and get the head tube reamed and faced.
I'm guess I'm mostly looking for people to point out any glaring omissions or problems in my planning here. And general suggestions or things I may have overlooked would be most welcome. Thanks guys!