Hey, MattC. You just gave me a brilliant idea! (I think ;-)

When I first looked at your post, my knee-jerk response was, why Eldridge Grade?

A superb, tough steel bike! Why not?

Well, Eldridge Grade does not have horizontal drop outs. So out goes the simplicity of the project.

But that's part of the fun of SS/fixie culture - making silk purses out of sow's ears or something like that.

But then I looked in my bike room. Hanging on the wall is a 2001 Marin Eldridge Grade that like your Eldridge Grade doesn't get around much any more and wishes it were back on Mt.Tam It needs to get back on the snowy trails in Concord and Lincoln. Now I think it will as a fixie! I'll keep the rear brake (front braking in snow and ice causes loss of control) and go for 38:20 (like my SS 1984 Raleigh Technium). I'll pass on to this Forum any project advice from Sheldon.

I'll take off the WTB 2.1 MotoRaptors and experiment with a non-studded Nokia 26 x 2.3 Boazobeanna on the rear and a studded Nokia Hakkapeliitta W240 26 X 1.9 on the front. I just got this idea from a recent post by Bikkhu in Helsinki, Funland ;-)

12-21-04, 07:04 AM #29
Bikkhu
drunken master

Registered: Jan 2004
Location: Hellsinki, Funland. I Run a ice studded tire (Nokian a 10) in the front, cyclocrosser in the rear (Schwalbe CX Lite)

Fixie + Snow = FUN