so, I live in south mexico. I was looking around one of the larger bike shops and came across what looks like a really beatifully lugged steel frame set up for downtube shifters, vertical dropouts, a bad paint job and some cheezy decals stuck on it. I dont know much about framebuilding or lugs, but the tubes on the main triangle are tapered, they become thiner as they get closer to the lugs, and the chainstays are kinda teardrop shaped.
the price tag on the frame alone is about 100 bucks (which is really expensive for here), but i am really tempted to get it and convert it to my new road fix as my current fixie has a bent frame
it is still ridable, but i can no longer pedal no handed, unless i want to make a sharp left turn!
anyway, i was wondering
i could have trackends welded on this baby for almost nothing here, and give it a pretty nice paint job for next to nothing, i am also thinking of trying for a "magic gearing", and keep the dropouts!
but I could really use some advice on what to look for in determining whether this is a nice frame or not. the guy at the shop could tell me nothing but "i think its made in mexico", no clue as to what kinda steel or anything.
any tips?