Final update (for now). Went for a ride today, and I like it very much. The Shimergo 8->7 shifting works great. The crossed cables cross under the downtube, so they go to the correct BB grooves. I ended up using second gen 8-speed Ergos, since the 1st gen I had on it need a rebuild. There are a few things to tweak - not sure about the seat, might want a shorter stem, and it needs some new tires to be properly done. But for now it's a great ride.