Originally Posted by cudak888

Mine was dirtier, messier, and more neglected than yours when I got it - yours will turn out very nice.

Black stem is stock, and the only part I'd consider a near-mandatory replacement - the stock stems are ugly, and don't fit the bike one bit (and they're often too short once you're fitting riders past the 58cm mark). While you have the bar tape off and are running new brake cables (recommended - use some nice, teflon-lined white housing), take an opportunity to swap the stem (perhaps the entire stem + bar) to something nice. I went with a Cinelli XA mated to Cinelli Campione Del Mondo handlebars on mine. My stem is a bit overboard in length, but I've put a no-setback seatpost on it. A 1980's-style fit.

-Kurt