An old Record was the first bike I had when I "re-started" my riding. ( I had a Schwinn Continental back around 1976)
Picked the thing up in a thrift shop for 25.00, and spent a like amount on tires and tubes.
The dreadful Simplex DRs were a royal pain, and the gearset was impossibly high for my out-of-shape legs.
By luck, I found a castoff Fuji that was way too small for me. I stole the Suntour DRs and the 6-speed rear wheel, which had much lower gears. I picked up a clamp-on downtube shifter mount and a pair of friction shifters from my LBS's junk-parts bin. Made the old beast sufficiently rideable that I kept it for about a year while I had a more current ride in the lay-a-way.