> i agree it is a shame for a classic road bike in > good condition to have... a pair of track ends > brazed in...
I'm not convinced that even this is so awful. Doing so merely converts the frame to a "proper" fixed-gear road bike. Perhaps it's no longer original, but it's not as if fixed-gear road bikes are some sort of modern affectation. They've been used for training for many years.
One can be chagrined at the practice of modifying frames, but hasn't that been going on for ages as well? Didn't Herse and Singer modify legions of frames? If it's done properly - as opposed to simply cutting off the derailleur mounting tab - I don't see it as always being such a travesty.
Cheers,
Fred Rednor - an aging fixed gear rider in Arlington, Virginia (USA)