ever since i started to bring my old '96 raleigh m-80 back to life several years ago, i've been having some of this same problem. It's supposed to be my bad weather/winter/back-up/"don't mind if i have to street lock it" commuter bicycle, and yet i can't help but monkey around with it and make improvements instead of letting it be the old worn-out mountain bike beater it's meant to be.
Changes already made:
Switched out suspension fork with rigid fork
new saddle and seat post
new vuelta zerolite wheel sets
new spd pedals
new crankset, cassette, and chain
new gripshifters and bar grips
now i find that i'm really not a big fan of gripshifters anymore and i contemplate upgrading to some thumb shifters, but because it's an old 7-spd cassette, it would probably entail also getting a new rear derailleur and 8-spd cassette. And if i'm getting a new rear derailleur, why not get a new one up front as well? I'm still relatively satisfied with original canti brakes, but the levers are pretty banged up these days, so that's also probably just a matter of time too.
Why do i obsess so much about bike aesthetics? Why can't i just let my beater be a beater?
