Originally Posted by gruppo

You have a frankenbike now that, it seems , is worth something to you, and you want to spiff it up without making it more of a mess or spending much. Hmmm, well you're going to need:

- The frame's rear stays spread to 130mm and the dropouts aligned
- Rear wheel with Shimano compatible freehub (Depending on the freehub, might need spacers)
- 9-Speed Shimano or Sram cassette
- 9-Speed STI shifters/brake handles (I 'really' hate the the term brifters)
- 9-Speed Shimano road rear derailleur
- 9-Speed crankset with STI rings (Find one to fit your square taper bottom bracket spindle)
- Might as well get an STI front derailleur too (Sram or Shimano - Probably 28.6mm)
- STI derailleur cables and housing
- Handlebar tape

*You could try to get by with your existing front derailleur and crankset, but... Keep in mind that index shifting is great when components match up and they are properly installed and adjusted. Otherwise it's a giant pain.

With some effort you'll be able to find all this stuff on e-Bay pretty cheap. A local shop can do the frame work inexpensively and you can do the rest if you have a bunch of tools there. Good luck.