Originally Posted by
muckthatguy
I guess when push comes to shove, I can always buy a bike with gears and convert later if I so choose. The models that I've tried out, and enjoyed were:
Trek SU 2.0, K2 Astral 4.0, Novara Big Buzz, Giant FCR series, et al...
All of them would, eventually, convert fairly well I assume?
If you're looking to get a geared bike you can later convert, older model road bikes are usually your best bet due to many of them having (semi) horizontal dropouts. Surly makes the Cross-Check, which is also a good switch option for gears or single-speed, if you're set on something new instead of an older bike.
If you get a newer geared bike with vertical dropouts, the two most elegant solutions to fixed/single-speed conversion would be either the White Industries ENO hub, or an eccentric bottom bracket.