Thanks to all who offered kind and supportive comments about the old Cannondale rebuild. It's flattering to think the work *may have* produced a good-looking, well-performing bike, since it was pretty much accidental!

I might add that one of my objectives in working on the bike was to keep the costs down; my recreational budget is already stretched. Another was to do my own work, for economic and skills-development reasons. The final objective was to use Campagnolo gear. I've admired the products for years.

Cheap and Campagnolo don't usually belong in the same sentence, but I discovered that the Mirage line was apparently being phased out, and that Mirage 9-speed gear was available on ebay for prices that seemed reasonable. I got a rear mid-cage Mirage derailleur for $25, a braze-on front for $16, and integrated shifters with a full set of cables, housings, ferrules, and the under bracket guideplate for $120. Cassettes ranged from $19 to $25, as did chains (I bought Record C9 chains). My local bicycle guru, Bill Stevenson, recommended stocking up on parts that are consumable (my term), so I got several of each.

All were NIB, came with full documentation, and shopping and bidding for gear was fun.

In short, a thoroughly pleasant and rewarding experience, complete with a 61-item checklist I developed to keep me on track.

Now, if the rain will stop, I'd like to ride the bike!

Again, thanks for the supportive remarks. I'm thinking of staying with the silver spokes, as recommended.

--JF