Originally Posted by USAZorro

I strongly suspect that step two will reveal a completely different feeling bicycle - especially if those Michelins are the ones that are completely black with thick sidewalls. For the sake of experimentation without busting the budget, I'd throw some Paselas (the regular, not Tourgard) on and give it another go. Either 27 x 1-1/4 or 700c x 32 - depending on what size wheels it has.