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tynan
I compared a RR1.2 and a Deep V to each other today, they both seemed to weigh the same, both had the same rim profile, same depth, same width, in fact they were pretty much identical except for the DT Swiss stickers.

The RR1.2 are heavier than the Deep Vs (if you believe the manufacture's websites). Deep V (520g) and RR1.2 (585g ). The RR1.2 are .3mm deeper and .5mm wider ... I can't believe you couldn't tell that from just looking at them :)

I think the only other real diff is that the Deep Vs join is pinned and sleeved where the RR1.2 are welded? I don't think it really makes much difference these days but some folks care.

http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=583
http://www.dtswiss.com/Products/Components/Rims/RR-rims/RR-1-2-black.aspx

To the OP: my fav rim right now is the CXP-33 just because of where they fall on the strength/lightness chart. Really like 'em a lot for all purpose wheels.

Lacing and building is not hard. The tricky part is getting the tension up to snuff and even throughout the wheel. In the upcoming orgy of consumerism thats about to descend, may be you should get the people who like you (or are related to you) to spring for these (in order of usefulness):

1 x Park Black (and then Red+Green) nipple wrenches.
1x Spin Dr/Minoura truing stand (50 USD in the states - an eye watering 70 quid in the UK) - Obviously you can use your frame, but to get really solid wheels you'll need some kind of truing stand and this is one of the cheapest decent stands that I've used. Much much better than the Park home mechanic stand. The M-Wave stands probably ok.
1 x Dishing tool - makes life much easier for road wheels and the like
1 x Park TM-1 Tensionmeter - Wonderful, easy to use. Allows you to check and maintain even tension throughout your wheelbuild. Again, wicked expensive here for some reason.
1 x Bicycle Research Nipple Driver - Saves so much time during the initial lacing
1 x DT Swiss spoke punch (for the anal wheel builder in you) - allows you to get the spoke hubs flush with the rim for the final professional touch.

I'll also heartily recommend "The Art of Wheelbuilding" by Gert Schradner, which has a really easy to follow lacing guide for 32h x 3cross that is a great starting point for wheelbuilding.

By installing well, I mean grease well, install by hand and then snug down with tools/rotafix. Then go for a quick ride (without using any back pressure), which will probably tighten the cog on further so you'll need to snug up the lockring. Your wheel should be good to go now.

The problem with the Jnrs is that the threads/hub bodies seem 'soft' so a cog tends to a 'bite' a little into the hub body over time. This introduces a little play between the cog+lockring and as the lockring threads are also a little soft, the hubs have a tendency to strip under back pressure.

So they just need a little babying. BTW DA lockrings are only a fiver from http://www.hubjub.co.uk amongst others, so hardly a real expense. Well worth it.

Well Carlton aren't known for making rubbish frames and so even though its heavy and from the 1960s its probably got a decent ride, as well as being handmade in the fine city of Nottingham.

They're not the finest wheels known to man (MA3s have been replaced with the Mavic Open sports and I bet they're Suzue Jnr hubs, which are no longer made) and I'd urge you to exercise some caution when installing cogs on these hubs.Get a good lockring (Dura Ace) and cog and install well. Periodically check that everything is snug as the Jnrs have a habit of stripping, under back pressure, if theres any play between the cog and lockring.

They're also loose ball and tend to have a weird mix of hardware. When they first arrive make sure they're well adjusted (ie spin freely and without play). That way they'll last, as they often have a tendency to turn up poorly adjusted (often coming straight from Suzue set really tight).

However, after all that negativity, if you're not much of a skidder/skipper then you should get quite a lot of miles out of these things.

http://chicagoist.com/2007/10/23/for_once_going.php#more

I love that Frame! Its a fantastic piece of steel work and yes, as everyone else is saying don't do anything to it. Find a sympathetic way of plugging the holes and then ride the bejesus out of it.

Its far too nice to mess around with.

I would get a compotent frame builder to replace the tob-tube so you're best bet is Witcomb. But Argos, Roberts, Yates etc are all possibilities but involve sending the frame.

Prices really depend on what the frame is, what kind of tubing you require, the construction technique the frame is made with etc. Basically I'd just get on the phone and start asking around.

Plus you're going to have factor in paint+new decals. I look around for either decent replacement decals or some custom made decals to make the frame really stand out.

For example heres Argos's price list:
http://www.argoscycles.co.uk/renovation-pricelist.htm

Just to be clear I wasn't saying that you can't use ISO cranks on JIS BB:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bbtaper.html

Its just that it will deform the Campy crank, so if you use a Campy Crank on a JIS taper, you probably shouldn't then try and run the crank on an ISO taper. You may be able to get away with it, but its likely the fit will be poor, leading to creaking and other issues.

My advice still is for Protoype to identify the taper of the spindle his cranks are sitting on and use that for the basis for working out which BB he needs. It sounds like its probably ISO, otherwise the cranks would be really really far out - in which case any symmetric 109/111 bb ISO BB should do the job.

Oh and you may need to mill the chainring lips on the inside of the cranks off so they don't interfere with your chainstays. It really depends on the bike. Aside from that the Stradas are really nice cranks.

My personal feeling is that you have to try and identify the Taper of the mystery BB first. If its JIS, the crank is going to be sitting much further out than with the equivalent ISO BB and secondly the cranks may be a deformed so you may have to a JIS BB. The best bet it is to pull the BB and look for manufacturers marks/stamps etc.

Also going to a really small 102 BB is probably the wrong thing to do, as you will probably move the crank way to inboard and most likely you'll have problems with the chainstays etc.

I ran a converted Strada crankset on a bike for a long time, and I think I had just the standard 109mm Campy BB down there (you could use a more modern 111mm as it only effects chainline by 1mm). As long as its the older fluted kind, I don't think theres a huge difference between the Pista, Strada and BMX fluted Campy cranks in terms of BB needed for a good chainline.

I have to stay I haven't seen chrome spokes for sale for a long time. You may be able to find some NOS but I don't think they're worth the effort because:

1: They're heavy
2: Material technology has moved on a long way and my gut feeling is that they won't be as strong or give as good a ride.
3: You probably could polish modern steel spokes to a reasonable effect anyway

If you're just using the spokes for generally riding then sure go for some nice DT/Wheelsmith/Sapim etc Dbl Butted Spokes. If you're going to be doing any racing build the rear with straight gauge, but thats my own personal preference.

There are people still making chrome finish bicycle spokes but none of the major manufacturers seem to do it these days and I'd worry about quality issues etc

Check out this ridiculousness:

Sadly not available to UK buyers but its crazy steep - http://cgi.ebay.com/1981-Custom-Pursuit-Aero-Pista-Germany-Campagnolo_W0QQitemZ120174990340QQihZ002QQcategoryZ98084QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

One good source of Bike Jumble info is:
http://www.campyoldy.co.uk/events.htm

though only downside of the location is (like Ripley) its not very ammenable for folks on public transportation. Not too sure how you close the gap between Epping and Thornwood, I think theres a bus. Well theres always http://www.tfl.gov.uk so you can figure it out :)

Its a pretty short ride from Epping itself if you get the train/bus out there. Or if you're in Hackney/Leyton its about an hour each way by bike (prob a bit longer if you don't know the route). Nice ride, pretty easy and with a nice mellow jumble on the end of it.

Generally a few gems down there.

roland Apparently you also need a bell now as well.

Riding without one risks a £1000 fine.

Where did you get that from? Theres no legal requirement to fit a bell AFAIK. Bells are only mandatory if you're selling new bicycles. I know some local authorities have been trying to make bells mandatory, but they're pretty much useless in noisy urban enviroments anyway and against the ipod generation.

'bout the only place you're legally supposed to have a bell is if you're on a canal towpath as its a quasi private space these days (British Waterways requires that you also have a special licence to ride on the towpaths too).

I wouldn't say its normal to have "quite a lot of flex around the BB shell."

I really don't get any noticeable flex from my track frame, even when sprinting on the 'drome'. Theres definitely a suppleness to the ride which I like esp on outdoor tracks. Had other frames such as a 531 frame where I felt a little more flex. But maybe its because I've always been a skinny git, so never produced enough force to really feel the frames' flex.

I feel though such perceived flex depends a lot on the material and construction techniques used for the frame. Rider size and cranks will also have considerable impact.

By raised you mean like this right? Just a little band in the middle of the hub.

Not an expert in the older Shimano stuff but try looking for markings on the deraileur/shifters. Sometimes they're stamped with codes and id numbers, which can be useful in tracking down such information.

Secondly, has he ever changed or had the hub worked on? Does he recall whether its a freewheel or a more modern cassette hub? Freewheel would probably indicate 6-7 speed and the cassette, 8spd. - This is rubbish as they made 6spd cassette hubs too.

Thats about the depth of my knowledge on these things. Hopefully someone will know more.

This is probably the shortest stack height H/S easily available for threaded forks (30.2mm). Basic, but it has a steel lockring which should work better if your threads are still a little too short for this:

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Tange-Tange-Passage-1-inch-Shallow-(30.2mm-stack-height)-Steel-Cup-Threaded-Headset-9225.htm

Headset stack heights are hard information to find easily. Lots of the Tange headsets (solid but nothing fancy) have stack heights around 31-33mm, while Shimanos are all typically 37.5mm (although there are short stack 105 headsets (32mm?)

Chris King may be one option, as they have a short stack height option (34.0mm), that is designed to work as long as theres some thread engagement:
"GripNut is ideal for heavy touring or rough riding conditions. Its design is also a welcome solution for problem forks with damaged or undersized threads and for threaded forks that have been cut too short."
http://www.chrisking.com/headsets/hds_gnut.html

The first thing to do is make a guesstimate of the stack height you need, following some of the procedures here and a little 'reverse engineering':
http://parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=111

So firstly, how longs your head tube and steering column? As long as theres 30mm+ difference you're probably ok.

One of the main problem with London bike shops is that outside of Condor, BLB and Brixton the amount of fixie/track stuff is often limited and shops have only one or two bikes/frames. It could be that that one frame is the one for you, but it does require some leg work.

While not as shiny or exciting and it depends on your budget but, Cycle Surgeries carry the Gensis Flyer and Specialized Langsters and Evans should have the Bianchi Pista, which are worth having a look at in the cheap-o market. Oh and it might be worth calling up London Fields (a little remote but a single bus ride out of central London) as they carry Dolans amongst other - call 'em and see what they have in stock to see if its worth going over there.

Witcomb was a cool shop to visit for the history, but their new pricing policy makes the chances of buying anything there remote.

Overheard a few normal looking folks in a shop this weekend discussing the Langster and talking about how they thought it was so cool that you didn't need brakes. But in that scary, confident, matter-of-fact tone that the fixed wheel naturally and easily confers all the braking power you need.

And this is no means an isolated incident. Read/heard a lot recently from people looking at their first fixed bike and making similar claims that no brakes are needed. Even my sister's husband stated that he thought it was cool that you didn't need a brake and is looking into getting one.

Its all starting to make me very nervous.... there seems to be a reality distortion field settling over track/fixed culture.

And while I know people will learn soon enough that they just don't have the chops or the laugh-in-the-face-of-death attitude needed for brakeless riding, the fact that its almost becoming pervasive 'fact' is causing me a little anxiety.

Thats all, you may go about yer business now... its probably just me being over-sensitive and hyper-aware about this issue that makes it seem like suddenly `everyone' wants to do it.

Have you read any of these? If not, do so:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html
http://www.63xc.com/gregg/101_1.htm
http://staufenberger.typepad.com/repository/PumaFixedGear101.pdf

In central London: Condor, Brixton Cycles, Brick Lane Bikes, Cavendish Cycles, London Fields etc should all be able to supply you with a cog and lockring. However, if you're converting an non track hub, you'll have no reverse threading for a locking and are building a 'suicide' hub as they're known. For such a hub you'll need loctite and a bb lockring.

If you've never ridden a fixie before please put a brake on your bike. You will not be able to stop safely without one - until you've learnt how to skid/skip confidently. This is esp true if you're using a suicide hub.

peejay78 moral: even the big hitters make schoolboy errors. people are fallible.

And this is where we get into the territory that separates a good bike ship from a bad one. How many mistakes do they make and more importantly, how do they rectify those mistakes? The original posters feeling is that the bike shop cocked up, but then just tried to cover it.

Thats what engenders bad faith in a bike shop. Mistakes do happen, but BS'ing your way out of it doesn't win you customers - its just the shop trying to take advantage of their position of power.

Have you tired brick lane bikes btw? They sell BagJack bags, who make a radio holster so they may have one lying around; I'd give 'em call. Or find a Reload bags stockist (who also do a nice holster).

Pretty tricky things to find in person though.