This frame set was given to me by an iBoB from the Seattle area. I went to pick up a Brooks saddle and ended up coming home with the Brooks, a rim (that ended up on this build) and a 1986 Stumpjumper Sport with most of the original components on it. BoB's rule.
Since last winter, when I spent most of my time on a single speed mountain bike, I've been thinking about building up a winter bike. I wanted a bike that could handle snow; one that I could wear boots with; and one that I could pile up with crud. I liked the single speed because there was no maintenance required. So I figured if I could find an old 3 spd internal hub and a solid old frame with horizontal dropouts, I could build up a good winter bike. Again, the iBoBs came through for me. Another BoB gave me a 1964 Sturmey-Archer 3sp Hub and a clicker for it. I built up a wheel around the hub, and squeezed the rear triangle on the frame down to about 115mm (it was 126mm and the SA hub is 110mm).
Although not on the bike now, I'll soon be putting Nokian studded snow tires (the 106-studded commuters). I ordered a lighting system from Peter White (front generator hub/wheel with front/rear lights and mounting brackets), and it rules. I've not used a hub generated lighting system before, and I can't believe how great it is. It throws a ton of light and the rear light (LED) stays on 4 minutes after I stop pedaling. I've heard folks talk about "drag" in the generator hub, and I've not felt it. Of course, this is not a high-performance, high-zoot, fast bike... I'm surprised at how bright the front light is on this set up, even at the painfully slow speeds that I typically travel at.
I chose to go with Kent's approach to fendering on this bike. I want tons of room between the fenders and tires so I don't get a bunch of snow build up in there.
Here are the components/notes: