Originally Posted by
Barabaika
It's a nice bike, but it will be difficult to upgrade and maintain it for a 40-mile commute as the author wants.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgest...stone-300.html
* it has 27" wheels, rims and tires are difficult to find.
* it has stem shifters, they are obsolete. If he wants to change them to STI, he needs to change the derailleurs and housing
* it has a free wheel, it is obsolete
* the saddle cover is probably cracked
* the wheels might need to be trued
It's good for riding AS IS, improvements will cost money.
I agree that it's good as is... but I disagree about the freewheel and 27" wheels. Decent 27" tires for commuting use are still plentiful as far as I can tell. And 6/7 speed freewheels are easy to get. And there's nothing particularly wrong with non-STI shifters (I personally would switch them from stem shifters to Suntour bar-ends).