Thanks ahead of time for sharing your knowledge. I am getting back into cycling and am fixing up my olde 1973 Holdsworth. Mom and dad had it custom made for me when I was 16 - lucky me, but it's been neglected for many years as I had a family, job etc.

1. I just bought a set of used 32h Nuovo Record hubs on Ebay and want to build tubular wheels. I weigh about 195 lbs and am a recreational rider. My understanding is that the new tubular rims are much stronger than the olds ones. Can I get away with 15 gage spokes, or should I use 14 gage or 14/15 double butted?

2. How does one convert a Nuovo Record rear hub from 120 to 126mm spacing? I had my frame cold set at 126 many years ago and put Athena hubs in it, and am wondering if I should just go back to a 5 speed freewheel.

3. What is the max tooth capability of a Nouvo Record rear derailleur? The area I live in is very hilly.

4. Can newer Record index-shifting derraileurs be used with friction shifters (w/o indexing)?

5. Can newer alloy Record (10 speed?) cranks be used with Nuovo Record bottom brackets and older 5, 6, 7 speed chains? If not, about when did the compatibility end? On Ebay, a lot of the old Record is dearer than most of the newer Record.

6. Can the old Nuovo Record brakes be made to stop better, by using newer pads?

7. Any suggestions on tubular tyres?

8. Any other suggestions for making my olde ride a dream on the road?

A question that I forgot to ask in the first post...Can newer Shimano bar end shifter be used with friction derailluers like Nuovo Record?

If your hubs are drilled for 14g, you must use either 14g or 14/15 spokes.

Replace axle. Add 6mm right-side spacer. Increase dish by 3 mm.

That depends on your drop in front, but lots of folks use 27, 28, or even more teeth on the low-gear cog.

Yes.

I strongly suspect they will. Worst-case, you might need to replace one or both chainrings, but I anticipate no problems. Putting narrow chains over fat cogs is a whole different matter.

Install new cables, new housings, and KoolStop salmon pads, but this still may not be enough. Frankly, I am still not satisfied with the early NR brakes on my Bianchi, even though they look gorgeous and very appropos.

Nope, it already is!

I know todays brakes are pretty amazing, but in 1973, those Campagnolo beat anything else in existance!

"Replace axle. Add 6mm right-side spacer. Increase dish by 3 mm."

I just look on Ebay and the listed axle lengths of 128.5, 129, 129.3, 132, and 136. Any suggestions about which would be for 126mm spaced dropouts"

Also, where would one find the 6mm spacer?

Thanks!

1: any of those will probably work, although I always built with 14 ga.
2:use a five speed free wheel
3: about 28 teeth should be about the most you could use
4:Yes
5: It would probably work fine.
6: You mean they don't work OK now?
7: Don't use them for every day riding unless you like having difficult to properly repair flats on the road.
8: Build it up as stock as possible, and then ride it, ride it, RIDE IT!

"7: Don't use them for every day riding unless you like having difficult to properly repair flats on the road."

It originally came with the legendary Super Champion Medaille D'Or (sp?) tubuar rims and was wondrous. As I recall for flats, I didn't have them often, but would carry a spare tire under the saddle held by a toe strap. Fixing flats was simply a matter of cutting them open with toenail scissors, fixing the puncture in the usual way, and then sewing them back up. Velox used to make a kit for the whole operation in a little orange tin.

What of the current rim rim tape versus glue? The old Velox rim tape wasn't very good.

You'll get conflicting advice on rim tape. I've used the Tufo Extreme with good results. I'ne heard from good sources the regular Tufo tape should be avoided.

5. Can newer alloy Record (10 speed?) cranks be used with Nuovo Record bottom brackets and older 5, 6, 7 speed chains? If not, about when did the compatibility end? On Ebay, a lot of the old Record is dearer than most of the newer Record.

N.Record & S.Record BB's are longer than the spec for new 10sp Record square taper cranksets. Spec for the new cranksets is 102mm. Veloce/Centaur square taper cranks are speced for 111mm which is closer to the old spec length though.

Since your frame is already cold set to 126mm, go ahead and use a 6 or 7 speed freewheel. There's really no reason not to use a 7 speed.

A standard NDS axle spacer is 5mm. Your LBS may give you one for free.

I would use 14/15 DB spokes. They are lighter and yes, stronger than straight 14 gauge spokes.

Older tubular rims work fine. If you're worried about your weight (I'm 200#) find something with a semi-aero profile. I ride old Super Champion box rims on the TdF, but have one bike with Araya Aero4 and one with Mavic Mach2 CD2. Both of those are semi-aero and presumably stronger. My guess is the CD2 would be easier and cheaper to find.

I run Vittoria Corsa EVO CX on 2 bikes and they are wonderful tires, but they do wear faster than the Hutchison Reflexes I have on the other. I've managed to buy them at reasonable prices off ebay.

I use glue. Haven't tried the tape.

i think all the rest has be answered, but I believe the answer to his is no. I seem to remember that there is some year that even the square taper was changed for record cranks... I could be wrong though. Anyone else? In any case the BB length is different so would will need a new BB anyway.