Thanks for the brake tip, will try that if it gets bad again.

I'm not looking to spend -too- much, but since I got it for free, I don't feel too bad about putting a hundred or two into it over the next 6-12 months or so. Since I am a newbie at city riding, I want to take my time with it and see how my use evolves. I know these bikes aren't all that exceptional and I could probably get a little bit of a better bike for around the same money I'll spend upgrading it, but then I'd probably miss out on some learning along the way. Plus I think these old steel French bikes have a lot of beauty/character.

Still, better than 9/10 rides will be <5 miles, I think, just commuting.

If I could do it cheaply, I'd lean toward repairing the wheels myself (I think replacing the hubs? is this a crazy/difficult/expensive idea? the rims are still true). I'm also not against replacing the wheels entirely, either with new 27" steel or alloy (is this also a bad idea? lighter wheels on a bike like this? do they have 27" alloy wheels for vintage bikes or would it be better to go to 700c)?