Hi,

I just bought a used, seemingly older Fuji Royale (late 70's, early 80's?). It's got a rack on the back, drop bars, currently has 27 inch tires, and shifters mounted on the tube. I'm a novice when it comes to DIY bike repairs, but am willing to experiment a bit on this bike.. and/or work with my LBS for some modest improvements.

I'm looking to turn this bike into something that can: 1) provide for a comfortable/durable commute to work, about 5 miles roundtrip on the streets of San Francisco; 2) take on an occasional gravelly trail for recreation; 3) maintain some semblance of being relatively lightweight. 4) maybe in the future use on a camping tour, a few hundred miles, but limited gear.

So, my questions are 1) can bikes like this accomodate thicker, sturider tires. 2) can all racks accomodate panniers? (not sure what kind of rack is attached on the royale); 3) would an older fuji royale accomodate fenders; 4) what else am I not thinking about.

Any help is greatly appreciated - again, I'm very new to doing any repairs/upgrades to bikes. I've commuted on a Trek 7.3 fx for years (which I sold to purchase a Scott S50 for triathlons this summer), and have ridden the Scott road bike in triathlons and training. So, I've got riding experience, but clearly on a budget. Thanks.