irclean, thanks! The dork disk is scheduled for removal as soon as I get the right tool to remove the freewheel. I'm not a fan of it as it collects dirt and tends to move around a bit. The reflectors will likely stay though as I have lately started riding home from bars with my bike and well...I need all the visibility I can get!

CigTech, thanks! Awesome to hear your Denali has held up for so long, and from what I've found, it isn't surprising. Despite the bad mouthing these bikes get they are in fact very solid if properly taken care of. Your original two reviews are actually what got me into buying a Denali in the first place.

And, the final piece of the puzzle (for now) is here! Shimano Sora front derailleur, now I can finally make use of that 42 chainring.

Anyway, as requested, here are pics of the before and after, plus some individual component pics.

Before:



After:



Here are my component changes:

Brand new Shimano Sora 9 speed (works great with 7 speed though) road bike rear derailleur:



Brand new Shimano Sora front derailleur:



Slightly used Dura-Ace 7400 52/42 crankset (best ebay score ever):



And of course my Suntour friction shifters as mentioned earlier in this thread:



And probably a few other odds and ends.

As of right now I have 433 miles and change on the bike, and I have lost a total of 30 pounds! Which means that, among other things, I have now officially lost more than the weight of my bike. The Denali is a great riding bike, I couldn't be happier with it.

Next up: ?

Not quite sure what will happen here. I'd like to try brifters someday, but that's an expensive undertaking. In order to fully make use of the brifter options available to me I will need to convert to a 9 speed freewheel and chain which will add to the expense. So mark that as a possibility for the future, but not anytime soon.

Something a little cheaper I may try is dual pivot calipers. The bike stops fine but there's always room for improvement.

Something not on my list but one of the original remaining major components is the wheelset, but I see no reason to upgrade other than possible weight savings. They are still factory true after 433 miles. I see little reason to change out the stock Kenda tires either, they have held up very well with only a single flat caused by barbed wire (that would have made anything go flat).

There's also the possibility of upgrading to clipless pedals and shoes, but I have found that I am more than capable of keeping up with the group with my platforms, and don't have to deal with the hassle of snapping in and out, so that upgrade is unlikely.
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