Well, I checked out this bike today and it seems like a real deal. It's a Novara Trionfo with Tange steel frame. The RD, shifters, and I think FD (didn't really look at it carefully) are all Dura Ace, and the gears look to be in good condition. The cassette is 6 speed, so I think that means it is from the 80s rather than 90s. Seller says she only put around 200 miles on it for triathlons, and before that her Dad was using it for an unknown amount of mileage; though I think overall mileage looks to be low since I could only see a little daylight poking through the biggest cog with the new chain on it.

The only problems I noticed were the frame being a little small and no eyelets for a rack. The first problem, I noticed that my neck was straining a bit while trying to look up at the road ahead. Also felt that I was a little too cramped/hunched over, probably due to the short, downward stem, downward pointing bars, and raised seatpost. My normal road bike is a 56cm with compact (sloping TT) geo, this is a 54cm with traditional (straight TT) geo, so maybe it's too much of a leap to try to compensate the size difference with longer seatpost/stem? And, if I find the 6 speed cassette to be inadequate for the hilly area I live in, how easy would it be to find a compatible >6 speed cassette given the older RD & FD? On top of that, would I be able to change the DT shifters to bar end shifters? I hear barcons should work well for that, right?

The second problem, I am researching workarounds and p-clamps are often suggested, though I doubt the stability of that solution for all four mounting points. Mostly, I just don't want to spend more money to buy another rack, so I just want some sort of adapter(s) that would make my standard eyelet-using rack work with this bike. How would a seatpost adapter plus a QR skewer adapter work? I will be carrying a backpack full of books weighing in around 15-30 lbs along with a hefty mini-u lock, so I want something rather secure.

Here are a few closeups I got of the componentry of the bike. Oh yeah, she mentioned that she got one other offer from a guy trying to save up $200, so apparently she might be willing to lower the price from $250. Also, the C-List posting expired, but aside from the details I've given already, pretty much she had the bike tuned up and replaced the cables, chain, tape, etc FWIW. And I intend to use this bike for commuting, hence the importance of a rack, good gearing, etc.