I ended up building this as a single speed the same night I got the bike in the mail. It only took about an hour and a half to strip the frame and sort everything out, though I haven't done any cleaning to the frame. It is dirty, but I can see its real color underneath where shifters and FD were clamped on, and it is bright. This will serve as a grocery-getter and errand bike once I get a rack and a basket or two on it.

Just got a new camera today, so the after pics look a lot better than the before.

Before:



After:



The funky seat angle is due to the totally corroded seat post hardware - I found creatures living(?) within. If you have a 26.2 post to spare, PM me please

Details:





Check out the massive binder bolt, need to cut that down or get a proper one.