Well, that's the thing. I mean, I could do that with any frame, but it seems kinda silly on a budget frame like a Surly. (Affordability is way up there among my "ideal" frame criteria ) And frankly, if I were going to dump any more cash into things like frame mods and repaints, I'd go with a drool-worthy Bob Jackson that would be setup ideally (apart from price!) right off the bat.

And yeah, I could always run a chain tensioner for an internal gear hub or ss, but what about fixed? I want limitless flexibility, and I want it now! I'm actually somewhat amused at my own hang-up, as I'm well aware there is no do-it-all frame, and that at some level, every frame comes with compromises. In fact, I don't imagine I'd ever run the LHT fixed given the low bb and the frankly unappealing idea of riding a loaded bike fixed. But somehow the vertical dropout sticks in my craw. Maybe I'm just being retro-grouchy about why bike companies turned away from a perfectly functional design.