Thanks for your input, bikemig. I don't know why I never checked those earlier, but ehy're already looking better.
Originally Posted by
carpediemracing
Based on what little you posted I'd caution you to see if the frame is worth fixing up. It's one thing if you have a bike that is somewhat compatible - English BB, short reach brakes, some normal kind of seat post diameter. I'm assuming 1" steerer so you'll probably need to stick with a quill stem, although there are 1" threadless forks and all 1 1/8" stems work with such forks with a spacer that used to be included with every stem purchase (so lots of people have these unused spacers laying around).
cdr
You're right, I do need to check on the brakes and bottom bracket. Those are the pieces that I'm mostly concerned about. I also don't remember if this particular frame is an integrated derailleur hanger or not, which could cause some problems. The bike in question is about 2.5 hours away at the moment, so I am really hyopthetical at the moment, but those were on the to-do list. Also the fork, headset, stem, and bars are all already on the frame, so I wasn't explicit, but I don't plan to get new ones of those.
I do like the idea of a donor bike - another thing I hadn't thought of - but I think I'm going to avoid it if possible. There were three reasons for this (hypothetical build): To build a bike for the kicks and experience of it, to experiment with the microShift levers and mechs, and to use up the frame that's been sitting in the garage. It kinda bothers me to have it and not use it. So a donor bike would get this off the ground, but leave me with that same problem. It's a little compulsive, but you know...
I actually do have most of what I'd need to do a pre-indexing, but I like the idea of indexing for a few reasons: it makes for a better ride (at least in my opinion), it would be nice to have a steel bike with indexing, and i want to play with the microShift mechanics.
Thanks for your input. It's very helpful!