Hunting for a new frame

[PH]

IMHO for a utility bike, one with mudguards, I would avoid track ends. To remove the rear wheel it has to be pulled backwards which means the wheel/tyre fouls the mudguard.

Depending on the tyre size, it's sometimes possible to get a wheel in and out with a deflated tyre. How far below the dropout the guard extends is also a factor. On my Ogre with 2" tyres and guards that finish above the level with the dropout, I set the guards with the wheel in the middle of the dropout and the wheel with deflated tyre fits easily.

[PH]

ECR and Crosscheck are very different bikes for different purposes. My question above was why do they have horizontal drop outs, rather than comparing the two.

The Crosscheck for single speed, the others as Surly are quite keen on Rohloff hubs. It's not just the dropouts, they also have the right cable routing and the fitting for a torque bolt.

[PH]

Another make that's crossed my radar but I don't really know much about is INTEC. A couple of times I've considered one, but never pushed the button.
https://intec.ra-co.de/?lang=en

[francovendee]

The site mentions dealerships but I couldn't find a link.