Single speed , drop bars and long distance riding/climbing?

[tctyres]

I bought a Bob Jackson Vigorelli last year for this purpose. I've done about a half dozen 200k brevets on that and its single speed predecessor.

My big problem in production frames was that the HTA/STA are steep, like 74 degrees --- not a bike I want to be on all day.

I agree on the point made about changing a flat by @muz. I have track ends and do not run fenders. Changing a flat when you are running fenders is a hassle, as noted above. Horizontal dropouts are preferable.

If you decide to do a conversion on a steel geared frame with horizontal dropouts, there are a few things to consider. I have a 62cm frame. At that size, conversions of older steel frames are flexy for my riding style. In particular, those frames are not designed for low cadence, low power, and high torque, so this is why I went semi-custom. I'm sure someone could say, "Did you try so-and-so?" Well, high quality late 80s/early 90s steel is generally designed for 25mm tires. I prefer 32mm tires. Frames from the early 80s and prior to that have a slack geometry that I didn't (still don't) care for.

[bigman]

This was built by Franklin Frames - i built into what you see - it probably at least 30 years old, 531 and is anything but flexy.