good grief. i didn't realize arithmetic would be involved.

but then with the exception of not following a couple of the steps, you have made it sensible and i appreciate that to no end: seriously/ kidding aside.

i'm certainly not such a strong or aggressive rider 8mm should be beyond my adaptation. one of the best BQ riding tips that i try to practice religiously is keeping my inside foot @ 12:00 o'clock when corning and shifting a little weight to the outside foot.

measured the distance between drop outs, weaving a long cotton swab stick between spoke & cogs, and came up with 125 mm.i would add for dropout thickness x 2 and whatever else is need but at least i am in the ballpark and measuring something fairly accurate.

the existing front brake has room in the shoe adjustment slots, but the rear will most likely have to be replaced. right now w/ the factory wheel 27" it's right at the bottom of the slots with only tilt adjustment. i could flip it to the top of the stay bridge, but that might make the cable pull on the brake cable yoke at an angl, ,which while it might work, would look a bit incongruous with the twin downtubes.

and afterall, they are why i love mixte frames, and the whole reason i'm embarking on this project.

my intention is to have this a winter project, and i can see it's going to take me that long to get a handle on all the variables.

thanks again; much appreciate the help.

sid