questions about a raleigh super record.

hi everyone this is my first post and since the clydesdale forum gets no views im gonna post my questions here.

i just decided 2 weeks ago that it would be a good idea for me and my girlfriend to start riding for exercise and better health. so my friend told me he had a bike he could sell for cheap so i bought it and it was a raleigh super record. its in decent shape needs a little cleaning and tune up and def new tires and chain.
my questions are:
*i am 6'1" and 275 lbs, can i ride this bike at my weight ?
*now moving on after i assume its ok to ride this bike, what would be the best type of tire to use for my weight and for riding on regular sidewalks and pavement?
*and last question is how much would it cost for me to tune this bike up to perfect riding shape and how much would it cost to convert it over to be a single speed if i was to decide to do that? ( these prices should include the labor charged by the shop since i have no bike mechanic knowledge)

thanks for your help and sorry for being such a noob ! LOL

Old, 80s Raleigh with Campagnolo Super Record stuff? Freewheel type rear hub? Got any pix?

The frame will certainly be OK but the wheels, particularly the rear hub, if a freewheel type, may be a problem. May tend to bend/break rear axles.

Bike tune depends on where you live, the local shops but expect a good tune to be n the $75-$100 range plus parts.

If it has horizontal rear dropouts(if early frame, it does), single speed conversion is easy. Single speed freewheel, chain, remove derailleurs, get single chainring bolts, use one chainring, keep the brakes, use the existing rear wheel, easy. Single speed freewheel is about $20, chain about $12-$14, chainring bolts about $9 per set of 5..little labor.

ok so i dont know much about this bike but all the components on the bike say suntour and my camera batteres wont charge so i threw in some old batteries and was able to take 2 pics.

Fattest tires you can fine, at least 28mm if a 700 c wheel or 27 1/14 inch. The size, 700 or 27 inch should be on the tires on now.

Bent axles may be an issue. Right 'light' and get off the saddle if you go across railroad tracks, etc, best to avoid.

Easy to make a single speed...I think you could take all the stuff off the crank but one ring.

Your Raleigh Super Record is a perfect candidate for a Single Speed conversion ...

What you will need to do is to decide what gearing you want ... so, you may want to ride it AS IS along the path you plan to take and then decide what rear cog works best when the chain is on either the outer or inner chainring.

A common choice for FLATLAND riding is a 42t chainring + a 16t single -- basically, you will remove the current 5-cog freewheel and replace it with a 16t BMX freewheel. I opted for an 18t (see second attachment) ...

The BMX freewheels come with either 3/16" wide teeth (road) & 1/8" teeth (track) ... you want the narrower size. Cost is between $10-and-$20 for most BMX freewheels.

You will also want to re-center the hub & redish the rear wheel so that the single cog lines up with the chainring. This can be a DIY exercise if you are familiar with wheel building and/or truing a wheel OR you can have a bike shop do it for you. I would like to think that a shop would do this (i.e., remove the current freewheel, repack the bearings, move the spacer from the right side to the left side of the hub, and center & retrue the wheel) for LESS THAN (?) $20.

You can remove the deraileurs, shifters & extra chainring, yourself. You'll need a 5mm Allen wrench to remove the chainring bolts ... you may be able to mount the NUT backwards OR use a ~4mm spacer to compensate for the missing chainring if you don't want to buy a set of "single" chainring bolts right now.

I think bike shops charge between $30 & $40 for a tune up + parts ... the bike may not need anything other than some oil on the chain & air in the tires ... you should probably ride the bike first (after you replace the tires & tubes if you are sure they won't hold air) ...

BTW. You're probably going to need to raise the saddle by about 4 inches.

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im getting very excited about this! thanks to you all for the great information.

i live in florida so theres no hills at all!!!! haha so its gonna be easy cruising lol. i used to ride bmx when i was younger and bmx is single speed and i did just fine with that so i will have to try out the different gears and see what combo i like, im sure your recommendation for the ratio will be fine but i will check it out.

how much can i get tires for ?

IMO, not really necessary to redish the rear wheel. 120mm spacing and using an inner chainring will make for acceptable chainline.

I don't know how much 27" tires cost at the moment ... I'm pretty sure that WalMart still sells 27" tires ... go there to get a reference price & to see the quality/weight before you go to your bike shop.

For 700c tires, the price range is somewhere between $15 to $80.

Also, see: Singlespeed Bicycle Conversions by Sheldon Brown


BTW/CORRECTION. To state what may be obvious, the narrower 3/32" tooth size is the ROAD compatible size & the 1/8" is the TRACK compatible size.

You are right ... but, there really is much less chain drag if-and-when the chainline is close-to-parallel with the bike's centerline.

I'll agree there is 'less'....

Before you sink any money into it, I would try some online fit calculators. The picture looks as if the bike would be a smallish fit for a 6'1" person. I think some racers order their bikes up that way but a somewhat longer, taller bike is supposed to be better for long term back and neck comfort. Also, if you can't nearly fully extend your knee at the bottom of the pedal stroke, you can eventually hurt your knees. Last, the saddle should span your sit bones. I found Wal-Mart MTB saddles typically have a bit of extra width.

The axle thing is a fatigue issue. I don't believe you'll break it outright, but if you ride regularly it will eventually go. I think on your bike it will bend and let the rear wheel get loose on the axle.

ok i will check it out, i did ride the bike for a short distance down the street and back and it felt pretty good. when i standover the bike its pretty high and im on my tippy toes a little. i think i might be longer in the torso rather than the legs. i wear a 32 length pants so im not sure what the average guy wears though lol. im definately going to get a wider seat because i have a big butt haha and dont want my tail bone to hurt.
thanks for the info!

Good luck with that. Personally, I just don't feel right riding a nutcracker. The experts advise to have at least an inch of clearance when standing over a road bike.

BTW you replace the chain when it skips a tooth during hard pedaling. Most used bikes I've seen had chains that were fine.

Get a nice set of fatter tires (whatever will clear the frame and not be impossible to get through the brakes) and carry a phone.

Tires, depending on wheel size (700c or 27") get either a 700x28 or even a 32 or a 27x1 1/4". Continental do some nice wide touring tires. Inflate to around 100 to 120 psi.

There's nothing to be gained by going to single speed. Ignore fashion go for function.

The phone - if the back wheel gives out then just call someone. You'll be inconvenienced by about an hour or so... In the grand scheme of things that's not a whole bunch.

Go out, ride, have fun...

If you have a 32" inch inside leg then that frame shouldn't be too far off... unless it's a 25" frame designed for Lurch.

Saddles - no laughing matter. Specialized do a range of saddles in different widths under their Body Geometry range. I've got one of their saddles and it's the f$%king business. It's so comfy I forget that it's there. If you want one, find a local dealer, go sit on their "butt-o-meter" that tells them how far apart your 'sit bones' are and they'll tell you what width of saddle you might be better off with. My local dealer even told me that if it didn't work out they'd swap it for the next width for no cost - your 'mileage may vary' with that though.

... and you don't sit on your tail bone, so that'll never hurt.