Upgrades? I have actually gone the opposite way. I've got an old French touring bike which I have restored to original condition, including the 8 speed (2x4) driveline. I suppose the Koolstop brake pads on the old Mafac brakes could be considered an upgrade. The areas I like to tour have more or less modern roads in decent repair, and even the dirt roads and paths are not difficult to navigate. The only drawback to the 8 speed system is that the mountains are a lot more challenging to get over.