Rejoice! Now you have something to repair! If the brakes are generally beat, maybe you should consider replacing them.

Otherwise, I've had good results bending my own replacement springs from music wire. You can get it at any hobby shop. You'll also need the correct size steel rod to bend it around, a vice and vicegrips. If you try it, take the old spring to the hobby shop to get the correct size wire. Get enough to allow for a learning curve. It's cheap. You can bend it in only one direction. It won't bend back.
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Ok, this is the quickest assimilation I've ever experienced. I haven't ridden any other bike since I started this thread. I've ridden the Antelope to work several times now and took it on a shopping run this morning. It's also served for my daily fitness ride. This used to be split between a Cannondale SR300 and a Ross Eurotour in imperfect weather.

I'm not going to abandon my other bikes just yet, This may just be infatuation but this Taiwanese bike seems to be a perfect fit for my cycling needs, the crappy roads here and the hills that predominate this area. It seems to be true Antelope love for many posters to this thread. Isn't that illegal in most states?

The changes so far. Bear in mind that I'm trying to keep costs down:

New Tires: Kenda Kwest, marketed as Pyramid 26x1.95, K193. These are robust road tires, slick down the center with an inverted outer tread pattern. They stand a full 2" off the rim. Max pressure is 65 lbs. They're a few ounces lighter than the original worn knobby tires. I'll do a full review of these when I update the page. I like 'em.

Old Rack: It's just an old rack...

Grips: A pair of gell grips I had on hand. My hands are still going numb with these bars so bar ends are going to happen soon.

Bag: An old Totes camera bag that I added Velcro straps to. It has a zipper pouch that holds a mini pump, multi tool and a spare tube

Bell: Cheap black alloy bell with a spring clapper. Available anywhere. They're required in my state.

Cassette: I bought a 12-28 cassette (not mega-range as pictured) but haven't installed it yet. I decided to replace the aged brittle cracked dork disk at the same time and don't have a new one yet.