Originally Posted by
gugie
In my opinion, the design flaw on that bike is chain stays that are too short. Horizontal dropouts would just make it impossible to get the wheel in and out, unless the stays were much longer.
Now if you just use horizontal dropouts the open down, not to the front, you get the SS/fixed ability, the ease of vertical entrance (especially with short chainstays and by using the old screws, the ability to both place the hub best for derailleur use and eliminate the need to have tight tolerences for chainstay length. Easy building, versitile, fast wheel changes, what's not to like? And you don't even need those fancy screws. They are a standard thread. Ace hardware and a small nut instead ot the spring and you are done.
Oh, those dropouts are hard to find? You mean in 120 years, no one has made a pile of them? Shame. I'm not the entrepreneur. I just drew up mine and had TiCyles build it. Outside of it being ti, there is nothing about it that couldn't have been done early last century with hand tools.