MY PLANS:

First, clean her up. I plan to tear down the bottom bracket and repack. I'm confident the bearings will be in good shape and I don't want to do any damage by riding on dried grease. I know now that a cotter press is the best way to go. I'll stop into my LBS to see if they carry cotters and whether they might lend/rent a tool. If not, an order with Bikesmithdesign.com may be in my future. She needs fresh tires. The cables can use replacing. The brakes pads too.

My goal is to make a commuter to test my will and commitment to commuting. Plus, I like to tinker with stuff, bikes included. My route would/will be under five miles one way, but with some serious hills. I often transport my laptop briefcase and I'm thinking in terms of a pannier set-up.

The collective wisdom seems to be that this bike will never have great monetary value given it's high production volume and its entry-level spec. So I won't treat it's parts as sacrosanct. But if I replace things, I will probably retain the original kit, just because it is so complete.

That said, I'll definitely get some nice grips and maybe even a saddle. Well, certainly a fresh saddle but maybe even a Brooks B66 or similar. Then, I'll see if the stock rack will support a modern laptop pannier like an Arkel latop briefcase on one side, and a gym bag on the other. I have a mind to replace the brake calipers and levers. I'll put some miles on before I do, but of the entry-level components, those are the ones I'd rather upgrade first. Naturally, I don't want to slather money on this throwback to the point where it will be wearing the value of a new bike! But any items that could reasonably transferred to a future modern commuter purchase is open for consideration. Like a new rack, lighting, pedals, etc.

This should be fun!