Got Myself a frame for a fixie

AndyMorris said:

At last I've managed to get a second hand frame to build up into a fixie. Its a Raleigh 501 road
frame, lugged, sloping fork crown, threaded head set. looks straight, pretty undamaged paint job,
no rust to see and for a very decent price.

Not a Record Ace or Record Sprint? Mr Paul Hartigan[1] of this parish sold me one of these- they
make fantastic fixers. I look forward to getting the front wheel for my other bike back so I can
ride it again. The fixer's front wheel is currently being used for donor purposes you see.

Quoted message said:

There's no mudguard eyes, which is a pity as I will want mudguards and to carry spare clothes to
work. I have already have some nice panniers and a rack top bag, so do I bodge on a rack with
P-clips or get a big old saddle bag, or one of those beam racks?

I'm looking at a beam rack for mine at some point, but since Durham is very hilly I've used a
seatpack whenever I've needed to carry tools on it.

Quoted message said:

What components are available? I'd like to get them thru my LBS as he's a fine chap who got me the
frame and has seen me right in the past.

The rim and spokes (Mavic Open Pro and DT double butted) will obviously be available from your LBS.
Mine couldn't do a hub so I went to SJSCycles (see below).

Quoted message said:

Hubs, preferably 36H double fixed.

I use the Sovos from SJSCycles. I imagine other places will stock them too. I only have it set up as
single fixed but it has all the right threads for double fixed AFAICT. You will probably need to pay
for respacing (the sovos is 110mm OLN by default) and possibly add some jaggedy track nuts as I
experienced problems with pulling the wheel out of the dropouts unless I did the axle nuts up to
stupid tightness with the standard ones.

Quoted message said:

Chainset, I'd prefer a road type as the MTB types all look like something from a soviet tractor
factory, 39T ring preferably, I use 175mm cranks on my other bike, would prefer 170 for the fixed.
I've been thinking of getting a campag Xenon double, chucking the big ring and faffing around with
spacers to use the small ring on its own. Its on wiggle for 39 quid, I cant see ant way of getting
a half decent crankset any other way.

Mine came with the frame. I haven't bothered to remove the big ring yet.

Quoted message said:

Cogs, I'd probably start with a 15 and a 16 as its hilly round here and I'm a bit of a lardy boy,
what are the decent ones?

I'm using a Cyclus 16t cog. Seems OK so far and only cost a few quid so if it wears away to nothing
its no great loss.

Quoted message said:

Brakes, I want both front and rear, I was thinking of getting Tiagra callipers and R400 or
600 levers.

Picked up some 105 calipers & some old aero levers then subsequently discovered I'd need to modify
the frame slightly so the allen key fittings would fit into the brake drillings! ATM I'm making do
with some old single-pivot jobs until the wheel comes back and I can actually use the fixed again.

Regarding tools I needed to buy a lockring tool and a steel rule for checking chainline.

Hope this is useful.

Regards,

-david

[1] If you're reading Paul, I *will* send you some photos once I give the fixer its wheel back.