Hello. I'm new to the forums, so go easy on me. I'm also new to caring about what bike I have ... so your expert advice will be greatly appreciated. I am also somewhat new to beyond-the-basics maintenance/upgrading/customizing, so please forgive my naive questions ...

I've been commuting on an ancient (and HEAVY) Fuji Palisade 24-speed and would love to upgrade. I've been scouring the local craigslist for a new ride, but at the same time am working with a somewhat limited budget.

I recently found what appears to be a cannondale R1000D ('99) and the owner wants $500. If I look at bicycle blue book, the recommended price for a "like-new" R1000D is $536. The bike got great reviews in its day and has ultegra components. Here are the specs and the ad:

1999 Cannondale R1000D - BikePedia

Cannondale R1000

My questions for all of you:
Would this bike work all right as a commuter? The $500 seems like a lot for a 15-yr. old bike, but compared to many others I've looked at on bicycle blue book, this one seems to retain that sort of value, I assume because of the ultegra components and the cannondale frame which gets high marks. I'd love to be able to lock in at around $400 if it's a great deal - or should I hold out for a newer bike?

Also - the Cannondale bike is an 18 speed - is it possible and/or advantageous and/or worthwhile to switch out the crank to a triple? I'd have to replace the shifter as well, I'd assume - but beyond that, is that a complete overhaul (i.e., does the BB need to be replaced when the crank is)? Would having a triple up front affect the performance of the rear derailleur, i.e., does the FD/RD have to be replaced as a whole? Any switch would probably be a ways down the road, and I would do it as much for the experience as I would for any increase in performance ...

...I am so new to beyond-casual biking that I don't really know if a 19-lb. 18-speed road bike is an upgrade from my 36-lb. 24-speed Fuji. The Fuji has been a great bike and is a great climber, but I definitely have encountered riders on 10-sp. road bikes seemingly effortlessly passing me up on some hills. I have to believe the weight has something to do with it, but maybe that's just me not being realistic about my hill-climbing ... a typical cruising speed on my Fuji is around 15-18 mph, which seems slow to me ... also, I can't tell from the picture if there are stays for a rack or not - I currently have a rear rack on my Fuji on which I hook two panniers ...

Anyhow, sorry for the long post - any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
bsker