Folks;

Complete newbie here, looking for help and ideas and found bikeforums. TIA for all the experience you all offer.

Recently got my hands on a 1987 Cannondale Black Lightning in good (not great) shape. It will need some work, like a new BB (the old one makes metallic clinking noises when I stand on the pedals). But it's fairly light, accelerates quickly, and is fun to ride. And basically it looks good.

Some questions:

It's got 126 spacing, and I'd like a drive train with more cogs and some lower gearing (I'm in my mid-60s and the hills got higher and steeper), so would like to put 7 or 8 speed cogs in. Is that doable? Not coldset to 130, but inside the existing rear fork? And if so, what kind of components would work?

Next, can I swap the old Sugino AP double crankset for a more modern compact 8 speed double?

Last, it's got DT shifters, and I'm going to stack the bike up reaching down. Learned how years ago, but would prefer integrated shift/brake levers. Anyone have experience with Modolo Morphos shift/brake levers?

So, and to cut it short, am I overcomplicating things? Part of me says, hey, this is a 20+ year old bike. Fix the small stuff and ride it like it was meant to be. Another part of me wants better gearing and the security of on-bar shifting.

Thanks in advance, and pardon any protocol lapses.

Would a photo or two help? List of components?

Cheers

--JF