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!

since it's not a track bike there isn't really any reaon to use the miche cog/carrier and I don't think the miche lockring is the right size eiter.

sounds like you planned things right. i'd suggest a brake if you're new to fixed. no one knows how to ride brakeless right off, and usually end up looking like a jackass if not getting hurt.

two things: you know for sure you need a 103mm BB? i'm always murky on this and keep my fingers crossed when setting up a bike. but i guess you also don't need perfect chainline.

two: you talk about "if [you] like fixed..." and, um...well, what if you don't? i guess you could flip that flop to the...oh...wait...

You can put a single speed freewheel on a fixed side.

With a road crankset you may have clearance problems with a large ring like the 48 when mounted on the inside of the crank spider to achieve good chain line. When mounted on the outside of the crank spider your chain line will most likely be way off.

that's the right bb (the sugino 103) for use with rd's if you want to mount the chainring on the outside and have a decent chainline for fixed. clearance problems with the stays still apply

you can put a freewheel on the fixed side, but i'm pretty sure that's not exactly advisable.

Perfectly advisable.

By this do you mean it wouldn't be an issue with a real track crankset? I thought standard track chainline was 42mm? Which (supposedly) is what I'll get with the Sugino RD, with the single chainring on the outside and the 103mm spindle. I'll definitely have to measure my frame when I get home to check my chainstay clearance though, better safe than sorry. Thanks, wouldn't have thought of that one.

Is there any reason to not use the Miche cog/carrier? I'm ordering most stuff from AEBike and the combo is only a couple $ more than a Surly cog. Seems worth it, unless it's actually not going to work for me.

As to what happens if I don't like fixed... The description of the Harris Cyclery hubs says you can put a freewheel on one (or both) of the fixed sides. So for $15 I can switch it to a decent single-speed. Or boot it off on Craigslist, I guess. But I'm gonna like fixed, right?

Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate it!

I think that the problem that some people see with the miche system is that unless you are switching cogs very frequently they are kinda pointless and just add another interface that can develop play...for what its worth I haven't switched cogs on my bike in over a year and I would guess that most people rarely switch their cogs

Make double-extra-sure the BB fits. Up through the 90s, Raleigh used wide BBs and proprietary threading (26 tpi vs. the standard 24 tpi), and no standard shell will work. Have the bike shop measure the threads.

Raleigh Records were the bottom end of Raleigh's ten-speed line. They're not bad, but not remarkable either, so you're not getting butted steel or special anything. I don't recommend putting a lot into a buildup that you can't move to a better frame later.

More info from the invaluable Sheldon Brown:
Raleigh bottom brackets: https://sheldonbrown.com/raleigh26.html#bottom
"For most of the '60s and the Bike Boom '70s, the Record was the bottom of Raleigh's drop-bar line. The frame is basically the same as the Sports three speed. It competed with the Schwinn Varsity..." https://retroraleighs.com/record.html

Ignore him he had no clue what he was talking about.

If the chainring is going to hit with proper chainline and a road crank it's going to do it with a track crank too. There is small possibility the tabs on the crank might hit if you put the ring on the outside but it is very unlikely and can be remedied easily by putting the ring on the inside.

The miche system is good for track racing but kinda useless on the road. It also has been known to wear down fast with street riding.

I actually brought the frame by my shop last night to get it re-tapped. They were sort of incredulous that it had non-standard threads, so they tried threading a BB they had lying around and it worked fine. Surprised me (I'd of course read that Raleigh article by Sheldon), but no complaints here, the less $ I put into this frame the better. Like I said, it's really just a temporary home for some components. I just can't really afford to buy a frame and wheels at the same time. I forgot to check the width of the shell though. Do I need to worry about a few mm?

Forgive me for being obtuse, but if the tabs on the crank are going to hit when the chainring is on the outside, isn't the chainring going to hit if I move it to the inside? Or are we talking about moving to the inside and using a longer spindle?

Alright, guess I'll just go with a Surly cog and lockring.

Thanks again!

BINGO!! All of that was assuming correct chainline.

Cool. That's good to know and I'll check the threads on the mid-70s Raleigh Record I'm currently rebuilding...

BTW don't worry, you are going to like fixed. It sounds like you're doing everything right, so carry on. And given that a standard bb threads in ok it's almost certain that your shell is 68mm, but you can easily confirm that with a common household ruler.