Originally Posted by
sleepy
Old dude too, so I find myself wondering if I should just convert my old roadie into fixed, as opposed to getting another Track frame. Is the Steamroller appropriate to this?
It was SOP when road bikes had horizontal dropouts to strip off the derail drive-train and convert to FG for winter base miles training.
Light and lively classic road race bikes are excellent choices for FG conversion as they retain all of the ride and handling virtues of thoroughbred race machines and accept a FG drive-train readily. That preference is carried on today by some BF members in this forum who have years, if not decades, of experience riding FG on the open public roads over considerable distances at pace.
Looking online at a Surly Steamroller it has track ends and is " a dedicated single speed road bike" with generous tire clearance built for commuting.
Might be over built but I'd ride that instead of a "track-like" on my rough hilly chip seal roads.
One "modern" frame that I do know that is a capable FG road machine is the Wabi. My riding buddy has a Classic that he's ridden with me on century rides, it rides and handles well for him, a powerful ex-track sprinter. All that being said for me a classic road racing frame FG conversion is my strong preference.
Read this if your "old roadie" is a suitable candidate for conversion:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed-conversion.html
PS: I prefer "Senior" to "Old" Dude, it has a bit more distinction and panache'.
-Bandera