Originally Posted by
Keefusb
No reason you couldn't replace the bars and stem with something period correct. You could probably sell that Ti stem to offset the cost of a different one. You could also change your cassette to one with easier gears. If you change the cassette, you might as well put a new chain on it as well. Other than that, I would replace the brake pads, cables, and and perhaps the tires (even though they look newish, they may have dry rot from age).
It's a very nice bike. I would update these few things and ride it as much as possible.
Thanks! The bar and stem are absolutely period correct, though.
I took it out for about 20 miles today, and somewhat surprisingly, it seems the 53/39 x 12-21 is not unrideable for me, it’s just more time in the small ring than my ego is used to! I was riding super easy today, though, and no doubt on a longer and/or harder ride, the gearing would push me to exhaustion a lot faster than modern gearing.