I am quickly learning what you mean by how upgrading can be expensive. Donor bikes are hard to come by here in Portland, at least at a reasonable price. I'm leaning towards going the Nashbar microshift route, and upgrading everything to 10 speed. I think I can do it all for about $300, which will get me into a pretty nice bike. I'm still looking for a good modern front derailleur with a 28.6 clamp on the cheap.