Mad? Raleigh record sprint rebuild

Hi, I have an old 'record sprint' that i'm kinda fond of?! and am in the process of stripping her down for a paint job and rebuild as a fixie. Am i mad ? considering the low cost of production fixed bikes i.e fuji, lemond etc , they don't seem to have the character or the handling for that matter, that the old Raleigh does, but i can see my costs escalating already. What d'you reakon?

Is That The Old Black And Gold One With The Space Shuttle On The Side Slight Aero Tubing ? They Were V.nice I Would Go For That One Over A New Bike Don't Be A Sheep !

yep black and gold , gold cranks , brakes etc not aero tubing though.

Lovely. Go on, convert it if you want to. Don't listen to the harbingers of puppy doom.

woah dicki, nice caps! :D

From what I remember, the record was Raleigh's top of the range production model.....this doesn't mean it was any good, it certainly didn't come out of their special products division and matched up poorly to proper racing bikes of the day.....surely modern frames, built with modern technology will be better, even if they are cheap???

Sure, this is the problem that i'm up against, but a modern alloy frame doesn't have the the feel or responsiveness? of the Reynolds frame , even if it's only 501.

What? A modern alu frame will go like the clappers compared to the sluggish, heavy, blurgh 501.. and I LIKE steel frames.

I converted one and it's done many miles as a SS. Love the black and gold scheme on it. Not a featherweight but better than 103 or high tensile or any of the other cheaper steels sets.

Only real issue I found is that the drive side rear dropout is some where between a semi-horizontal drop and a modern one. Its weird as there is a lot of metal there that it seems was never machined out. Anyway, I just had to file it out and hey presto, adjustability.

Have I missed the meeting in which was decided that modern alu frames are less responsive then old steel slugs?

Yes it was last thursday.

I had one of those when I was 14, found it in a catalogue shop in my home town, it was selling for £80 and it was the perfect size, just had scratched fork sticker and a small scuff on the saddle. I was like the cat who got the cream walking out the shop with it. It had concaved rims, which were great, until some fat cunt rode it into a wall and I couldn't find a replacement! Had to use a plain black rim.

Sold it 3 years later for more than I bought it for - result.

Go for it Persil - I ride a battered old blue raleigh (1980s 501), I love it, rather that than any new fangled thingy...

Do you own a new fangled thing though?

Raleigh bikes from the 80's topped out at the Team Professional, then the Record Ace, Road Ace, Competition, Grand Sport and so on (all 531 frames), the Record Sprint was the top end of their 501 frames from what I remember.

If you like how the Raleigh rides, then just go for it...you shouldn't have to worry what everyone on here thinks. The beauty of the whole ss/fixed thing is personalisation and customisation. If you buy an off-the-shelf bike you can be almost guaranteed that you'll see (at least) a few others riding the same bike. Of course, to a lot of people this isn't an issue, but there is something quite satisfying and liberating about cruising round on a steed put together with your own personal mark stamped all over it!

If you like how the Raleigh rides, then just go for it...you shouldn't have to worry what everyone on here thinks.

If you didn't care what we thought you wouldn't post here.

with your own personal mark stamped all over it!

tis true! :-)

My point entirely, this bike is just to ride for riding's sake, i've other rides for speed, mtb etc and i like the 'retro look' with this one.
Ps Any views on 'dura-ace 'track hubs?

They're great for the track. They're purty. You can get seals for road use but never done it myself.

Only today I found out a mate of mine is converting the exact same bike to a fixed....Hmm.

I courierererered on small flange dura ace hubs with seals....they were amazing, not a single problem, 350 miles a week minimum for years and years.....still got the rear on my bike, seven years on.

Do you own a new fangled thing though?

sniff, sniff, weep...no....:-(

Well winston, i've done alot of thinking, considering your previous posts and have been looking and weighing various bikes in each hand and all things aside I don't think she's any heavier than the Giant road bike that I use for training,sportives etc and as long as the frame isn't damaged I think that it'll probably outlast a cheap alloy frame.A nice new paint job , wicked wheels , a Brooks saddle etc and I think she'll look ok.
I'd be interested to see what your mate is up to. cheers

I ride a Raleigh Record Based Fixie!

It had most of the gold parts missing when I got it,

I rode it a bit last year. - Then it broke.

Just got it back on the road today.

Nothing flashy, but I have a 27" malliard wheel on the back and 700c on the front.

Makes for a really nice ride.

Will get some pics up tommora!

cheers skeletonboy