Mercian Audax (?) Is this puppy killing

My rat bike had to be retired due to a crack in the seattube and another in the chainstay, but have this old Mercian picked up from a car boot lying around. Its got a bit of a dent in the top tube, no front mech, and I know nothing about geared bikes, is it complete sacrilege to turn this into a fixie skidder commuter, or is it worth getting fixed up properly?

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I'd be tempted to go singlespeed if you don't want gears. Anyhow, don't saw anything off the frame if you do go fixed/suicide hub. Keep it in one piece, it's a Mercian and it's nice.

oh for sure nothing coming off the frame, just need a runabout and dont know enough to fix it properly

Single speed gravel conversion:
35c
cantis
cheap ano
flared bars

Would be great imo

Yes.
Sure, they're already there.
Wut.
Why not.

Definitely.

What are the issues you have found / need to fix?

rear mech skips cogs and chain falls off a lot, no front mech and wouldnt really know how to set one up or find one that works with the rest of the bits. considering itll be mainly just for commuting in london I'm not sure its that worth it

Ghetto SS would cost basically nothing, all you need is shortening the chain.

That would make a lovely fixie, just take the screws out of the rear drops out, carefully as they may break, soak with plus gas beforehand if necessary.
Look forward to seeing it as a fixie

this but with v brakes

It's a great colour anyway and original paint. Does it fit you well?

it's a little on the small side, but i've been in the parts bin and made it into something a little more upright. next up is tackling the seized seatpost, any ideas on how to get a seatpost unstuck?

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There is a whole thread on here about it. I was lucky enough to pop in to Mercian with mine and they wrestled it out for a small fee. I tried pretty much everything before that. Looks good though and I'm sure those brake levers will be more usable now for commuting.

So I’ve noticed this second dent on the down tube next to the shifter. Top tube and fork both seem straight, but is it stupid/dangerous to keep riding a frame with that damage?

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Ooh. That looks like a frontal impact to me.

I crashed an old 531 raleigh and rode it like that for years, though

It does right, I’m just wondering how likely it is to fail. Was yours a similar dent in a similar spot?

If you want to be certain, remove the paint and check for cracks. If it's just folded that's one thing, a crack could worsen at any time.