Here it is so far.
Bar tape won't happen for a while, since I like to ride some to adjust the position of everything up front, and bar tape locks everything in. As I mentioned, it is a 1977 Gent's Racer frame at 61 cm. That was the largest they made that year, which is to me in and of itself interesting. I know Koga Miyata as a go to for big/huge frames, 62, 64, and even more, in the 1980s. But starting out, they didn't seem to have them made that big. I wonder if they had a heated debate with their new Japanese partners about the wisdom of building bigger than 61 cm....
Anyway, I unfortunately think it is a bit small for me, although that's just from sitting on it. I won't be able to ride it for a while. We have a big storm coming through, and then everything will be salted and junked up for a couple weeks. I am not going to do that to this bike right now... I've got bikes for that mess and this isn't one of them.
The frame came in very good condition, for me. I don't mind some rust spots and scratches. I don't usually try to undo these, rather to preserve and incorporate them. So I rust-converted the superficial spots and wiped down the frame. Inside looked good as far as I could see. Treating the inside of the frame in current temperatures is not worth it. It will have to be a dry weather bike until spring.
I like older frames but think that the apex re components happened late 80s-early 90s, so I never intended to restore it with the original Shimano 600 Arabesque. Instead, I put Tricolor derailleurs on it, shifted with some newer 9-speed Dura Ace bar ends in friction mode. I am thinking about putting Dura-Ace 7400 down tube shifters on the bar end pods. Newer (for us here) Shimano road shifters (interestingly not the mountain shifters, as far as I have noticed) have a rastered friction setting, which I don't really like so much. I have a couple extra 7400 shifters, and these have a true friction setting. They fit too. Why not use them?
Nothing is stock. The coolest/rarest part is the Hatta Kranz headset, probably early 1980s. Very smoth, very nice. Otherwise, as someone who rides short cranks, I have installed a set of Stronglight Impact 150mm cranks (they are actually Sugino XD2s), a Nitto stem with a Deda (not so)Speciale bar, Shimano BL-R600 levers, and the Shimano DA SL-BS77 shifters which I am not so happy about, and my go to Kalloy SP (steam punk) 602 medium set back seat post.
On top, a Netherlands appropriate Lepper leather saddle.
The brakes are Miche Performace, which are just Tektros with Italian branding, but work nicely and have the required 57mm reach. I converted them to external nut with the Jtek pivot bolt available from SJS in England. The brakes need the M7/M6 pivot bolt, which Tektro has discontinued and replaced with an M8/M6. The M7 version is basically unavailable except from Jtek.
Wheels are 1050 hubbed with Fiamme rims, Conti Ultra Sport 32s. 7 speed Uniglide. There is room for fenders, I think!
Anyway, lots of fun so far, and I haven't even gone on a ride yet. But there is the underlying doubt--the frame is too small...