In the 1990s Crossroads were kinda meh products in the hybrid category aimed at more casual riders who were not going to pay a lot of money to have a bit of fun on a bike, so not the best components but still servicable Shimano drivetrain.

Specialized in-house cromo tubing and their big company budget automotive grade paint (which on this bike may well include layers of zinc phosphate conversion coating and epoxy-based primer system to prevent rust) makes for a great project base with nice road-ish geo with workable tire clearance. Good paint is good for salty snow zones, just like with automobiles. Durable finish for decades.

Build

We did a standard upgrade of the contact points:

• Grips went ESI silcone
• Handlebar with a bunch of rise to compensate for low front
• Big modern flat pedals
• Decent saddle

Build included all four new cabling and brake pads.

This one we turned into a snow crusher. Killer studded tires and fenders is a scrumptious way to roll on snow covered roads. Upright handle bars to get more weight on the rear drive tire lessens spin-outs on the snow (same for loading rear rack, similar to loading a pick-up truck and sand bags) and also lightens front which needs to be coaxed to dance around ruts and front tire control is key to not going down in the snow or ice.

Bon appétit.