Honestly, because I have money from my old commuter burning a hole in my pocket. Now, I will say, It needs new cabling, bar wrap, brake pads, chain, tires. From my experience commuting on bikes @ 700x23 and 700x32, I have to get some kind of reinforced tire or I'll suffer from constant flats. So I know I'll be picking up continental gatorskins. And this is where the spiral starts. Do I really want to buy 27in tires? Why not just upgrade to 700? Well why not go ahead and upgrade the freewheel, brakes, etc, etc. Maybe I just need to realize that tires are ultimately a consumable, slap some on, make adjustments, and get back on the road!