With the aid of a dremel tool I modified a road cable to fit securely in an MTB lever, and this bike is now back on the road. I also found a pair of grips in the parts box that I had forgotten about.
I decided to go with version 5 even though this bike is practically back to stock. The difference is the tires. With these 29er knobbies, the bike just has a totally different character from the 35mm “City Bike” tires that it was marketed with. You feel the vibration coming up through the frame. I could probably tweek the indexing a little better, but that is best done after a trail ride or two, and I’m not happy with the gearing. The front triple is 48-38-28…I think it should be much lower, more like 38-30-22 (if that’s even possible); but for a low budget conversion, this will have to do. The cassette does get down to 34, so no problem there.
Pedalling Along 
Looks like a very comfortable ride.
I love those seatstay-chainstay kickstands, they just feel so … out-of-the-way, in a practical sort of way. (I think that makes sense only in my head! Moving on …)
Say, I would like to subscribe to an RSS feed for your blog, but I can’t find it on the site. Here’s how to do it (and pardon me if I’m insulting your intelligence!): http://faq.wordpress.com/2006/10/23/put-your-feed-in-your-sidebar/
It took me a bit to figure out the code, but I think I got it. Learned something new today; thx.
Where did you get your kickstand? My husband has a Larkspur and claims no kickstand can be attached. Consequently, his bike leans on mine in the garage and they both tumble over.
Trudy