Advice for a complete novice

[tomosllyr]

I've already looked into hub width and the need to increase it to 130mm. In terms of mounting derailleurs/brakes etc this shouldn't be an issue on any frame? Are there any guides to fitting a new groupset floating about?

 

[hamster]

Provided you have a derailleur hanger you will be fine, as far as I know they are all the same. If you are going with reasonably modern kit, Campagnolo tends to jar less as it is mainly polished alloy. A 10 year old Veloce or Centaur ergo groupset would fit nicely. They are also bombproof and readily serviced - you can even rebuild the ergos!

 

[Bats]

My dad's bike is 56cm, and I'm the same height as him so looking for something close to that.

That doesn't take into account your leg length, or upper body length. Two "same height" people could ride bikes as far as 10cm apart.

I would strongly recommend trying out a few complete bikes, maybe ride a cheaper model for a while and learn as you go. If you've no experience and just blindly throw money at ebay, you're going to get conned and build a rubbish bike.

A £400 brand new racing bike will be far from decent, infact it will probably be a heavy lump of low quality.

Bollocks.

Three hundred quid: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-roa ... 39800.html

Four hundred quid brings you to carbon forks: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-s ... 06187.html

 

[bugloss]

Buy a complete bike and not a frame to build up with parts scoured from the web, it's much cheaper.

There are loads around for £200.00 or so, just don't expect to get a big Italian brand such as Colnago, De Rosa etc.

You may however be lucky and chance upon a Moser or Legnano for good money, maybe not £200.00 unless your lucky. Then there's always the English brands that don't come with the Italian price tag.

Campagnolo Nuovo Record is a well made, nicely priced vintage group set.

 

[tomosllyr]

I took a punt on a frame on ebay. It was poorly described, but after doing some research I've found it to be a Raleigh 653 Race, as found here viewtopic.php?f=23&t=249768&start=10

It certainly needs some work. The seat tube is stuck, which I'm sure I could sort given enough time, but what worries me most is a dent on the top tube. The top tube is still straight. How much of an issue is this and is it worth repairing? I'm handy with filler and sandpaper, but have no idea on the effects the dent might have on the bike's strength/rideability.

 

[hamster]

Most dents look far worse than as structural problems. A skilled framebuilder can pop many out by clamping pre-shaped blocks around the tube.

Unless it's more than 4 mm deep I wouldn't worry.

 

[tomosllyr]

Here are some photos I've taken:

I'm hoping no one says "It's f****d, dump it". I'd appreciate some advice on the best way of repairing it. I'm going to assume that filling over it is not an option? Should I start a new thread for more advice?

 

[bugloss]

Hmmmm, you need to talk to a frame builder.

 

[hamster]

Yes, that's nasty. What worries me is that it's a double dent. Agreed, talk to a framebuilder. Letting in a new tube would be around £100 I think.

 

[tomosllyr]

Is it worth it for this kind of frame?