SkippyX

How y'all doin'? Got a long-winded story and a few questions for y'all. The questions are down at the bottom. I know I go on at times.

I used to bicycle commute a couple of years ago. It was one heckuva ride - 20 miles one way. Flat as a table, though. Felt great. Was losing weight. Sorted out my car problem and that was that. I stopped riding. I got a new job a while ago, and it's only 12 miles from the house. The traffic on the main thoroughfares in my fair city is Mind Blowingly Bad.

There are times when I'm driving and am simply freaked out over how insane/careless/callous/selfish/plain stupid some drivers are. It is almost as if people aren't aware there are laws about how to behave when driving a car.

My solution? Ride a bike. Just make sure it's a safe route. Which was the problem for a while. I think may have found one which only adds a mile to the overall commute. It's very safe. Mostly.

Since I stopped riding my regular bike was stolen, so I was looking at buying another bike vs. what it would cost me to get the Fuji in a state where I was comfortable riding it. Given the prevalence of theft, I didn't want to spend too much money. A stolen $100 bike hurts a whole lot less than a stolen bike that I am into for a couple of bills more. The bike that was stolen was a Trek 7100 Hybrid that I had set up as a commuter. It was da bomb. I definitely got my money out of that ride. The only thing I didn't like was the front suspension. I didn't like that bouncy feeling. There was no lockout.

I don't know if any of you have looked at the "Show Your Vintage MTB Drop Bar Conversions" thread in the Classic & Vintage forum, but it got me to thinking about the sturdiness of those old rigid MTB frames. They really are some nice, stout, old relaxed frames.

While I was out and about I stumbled on and bought an '88 Peugeot Orient Express.



I don't think I got ripped off, but I sure didn't get one of those amazing "$5 and a jar of bumblebees" deals either.

Anyway, here's what I've got in mind:



Looking at the Surly & the Peugeot frames side by side, the angles don't look too far off. The bottom bracket looks a bit higher on the Peugeot, but not enormously so. A bunch of rake. Long chainstays. Plenty of braze-ons for racks and such. I have to do some clean-up and maintenance, but I can ride it pretty much as it sits and pick up parts as I go along.

tl:dr......So, the questions:

1. Have any of you done something like this? How'd it turn out? Anything I should look out for beyond the standard "36 spokes, a stout rim and good tires"?

2. Tomorrow morning I am making a run to the local xmart to pick up things like WD40 (I'm out) oils, solvents, anything needed to get it cleaned up and get started on the maintenance. Got any recommendations? I'm thinking dish soap (which I have) a can of chain lube, a tube of grease - standard stuff. Any tips on making the best of chipped paint? I don't think it's been ridden much, but I know it's been knocked around a few times.

EDIT: Dangit. Meant to hit "preview" and hit "submit". Just wanted to say thanks in advance for any wisdom that might flow my way.