Rossin frame rebuild - geared or SS?

I had a hand operation a couple of months ago which has kept me **off **the bike but **on **eBay, and I couldn´t resist a slightly tatty early 80s Rossin Record frame which I bought for £160.00.
I expect this dilemma might be well known to some of you but I´m not sure what to do next. I originally thought I´d build up the Rossin to be as faithful to the original as possible but a quick look at vintage Capmag prices and it looks like a very expensive option. So should I build it up as a single speed, ignoring the shifter mounts on the downtube and the deraileur hanger? I think it´d look very nice which is the point isn´t it?
Again, becuase I´ve spent more time than is healthy at home of late I´ve put together a blog about the project which might be of interest to Rossin fans, or to someone interested in similar projects.
http://rossinproject.blogspot.com/

You can either painskatingly find classic part to fit the rossin or simply put modern part on it.

do not worry about which is considered the right thing to do.

ah....I do have a spare Veloce 10 speed crankset and cassette...

Geared or SS is a decision you need to make, based on what you want to use it for.

If it's SS, put whatever parts you want on because it'll never be "right" (but as long as you don't mess up the frame by chopping bits off there's nowt wrong with that).

If geared, depends on your budget and whether you care about it looking period, or being porn or whatever.

If it were me I wouldn't even powdercoat it. I'd build it geared with whatever hotch-potch of stuff I could scrabble together (probably 7 speed unless I saw some bargainous grouppo somewhere) and ride the hell out of it.

Geared or SS is a decision you need to make, based on what you want to use it for.

Yep.

I've just built up my Dancelli from a similar era as a 7-speed (finished yesterday).

Can post a pick if you like.

I'd run geared with modern components, I would want integrated shifters.

yes please, more the merrier!

is it 126 or 130 OLN?

if you can put on a 10 speed veloce groupset from a year or two ago. you can find it on clearance cheap.
or if you can spend more get whatever silver groupset is available. probably centaur.

You can either painskatingly find classic part to fit the rossin or simply put modern part on it.

do not worry about which is considered the right thing to do.

both is ok as long it has a proper parts ..

That's my Dancelli with a mix of Campag parts. 7-speed block and 8-speed Ergos.

I need a quill stem like that. Cinelli?

Cinelli 1a, 100mm. Requires a (beercan) shim with modern bars (these are Deda 215 bars; saves 100-odd grammes).

Every gram counts! TBH the Rossin frame isn´t light, but as a single speed with decent wheels it shouldn´t he too heavy. Could always get carbon forks if weight was an issue. But might not be in keeping.
Never heard of a beercan shim. Never heard of a shim full stop. Will ask the guys at the London Cycle Workshop. Will look out for a cinelli 1a, 100mm stem.
Thanks.

126 or 130 OLN?
Will have to measure when frame arrives.

126 OLN. What´s the significance of that? (Excuse my ignorance)

Dancelli is lovely.

El Prez - if every gram counts, you shoulda started with something else! Don't delude yourself that you can build this into something that performs better than a modern bike. You can however make a very nice bike, for not a lot of outlay, which you can especially enjoy riding because you know exactly how and why it all goes together, cos you've built it.

I have a 90s steel and a modern carbon road bike and I love them both, but I know which one has "the edge".

OLN stands for Over Lock Nut and is effectively the width of the rear axle, and hence also the width of the dropouts. 5,6,7 and (I think) 8 speed bikes had 126mm and then from around the 90's they moved to 130mm to accomodate 9, 10 and 11 speed, and its still the standard for road bikes. More info on SHeldon. Yours I would guess is 126mm but steel frames are flexible so if you were intent on building with modern parts you could make it fit.

Thanks for that. Yes mine is 126. I´m thinking of building it as a stripped down single speed a bit like this one, which would keep the weight (and the cost) down and keep it looking clean, if not original. What do you think?

I'd primarily focus on function, personally. I wouldn't go SS just for aesthetics. But if you think the weight difference and simplicity outweighs having a set of gears, then go for it.

Regarding weight, I'll shave another ~200g when I put some decent folding tyres on it. But weight is a funny one; on a serious ride, I'd add a litre bottle of water. That's 1Kg!

Build it up SS with whatever you have laying around so you can at least ride it while being on the lookout for a good deal on a groupset. If you're lucky you'll change your mind and decide to keep it SS, upgrade only one or two parts and be done with it and keep some cash in your pocket. Just don't burn your bridges by taking an angle grinder to it.

Downtube shifter mounts are definitely there to stay!