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In the uk this sort of bike is seen as hopelessly old and past it, but in Europe this is totally fine...
Wait, the UK is not in Europe?! Well, I am. I'm well Euro, me.
Joke apart, this is not snobbery to tell someone not to spend too much money on a bike/frame that isn't worth it, especially as it is obvious the OP may not have the experience in sourcing cheaper parts and/doing the work himself, hence the "ride as it is".
Also people on this forum sell ready to ride flat bar commuters for the same money than the donor bike here.
Lolo
user800813590210
In the uk this sort of bike is seen as hopelessly old and past it, but in Europe this is totally fine... I guess the moral of the story would be ‘don’t ask a forum full of bike snobs if a bike is ok’.
Flat bars are fine, sticking a pipe or even a cheap Planet X handlebar in there should be no problem. Just make sure to use the old brake levers for that full rat bike feel! Putting more modern brakes on is a bit more complicated as they’ve changed technologies/fittings several times. On my older bikes I use a pair of tektro-brand brakes which are designed to replace the older centre pull. Maybe it’s the r539, I can’t remember. That might not be the right thing for this bike, depending on when it was made, but expect things to be different from what the standards are now.