marc - NICE!

So, if I were going to set it up as a 9 speed, what would you all suggest for my front/rear tooth counts? I understand everyone has a different opinion on this matter, so a little about me ~ I'm planning on taking this thing up big mountain passes, as well as across endless planes. I'm in decent shape and have pretty good endurance. Thoughts?

The more I think about it, it seems like silver is the way to go for the stem/seatpost. I'll definitely go with the honey tape to match the saddle as well.

In terms of hubs, I appreciate the input about the 105's. As I said, I picked them up from a friend, only because they were free - I hadn't even realized that they were spaced differently than my bike. I guess thats sort of a bummer, but decent hubs don't seem like they're that hard to come by on ebay.

Are you guys going with triple or double butted spokes?

One last question: the B17 saddle I have has been used for a little while and it's developed a nice darkened patch in the middle where the rider makes the most contact. I'm assuming this comes from sweat down there; is there any way to restore it to its original honey color and then coat it with some sort of protectant? Or is the darkening an inevitable outcome of owning a B17?


Geers.