munga wrote:much easier to work on them when they're removed from the bars - you can unscrew them from the mounting clamps with an allen key iirc, so you dont have to take tape off your bars etc.
mid 90's 600 sounds fine. as long as they're both square taper i don't think there's any problem, unless you're looking at them both and one looks waaaaay different.
Thanks for all the advice Munga! I managed to remove the brifters and gave them a good clean out with the WD40 and lubed up again with lanolin and they work perfectly now. I didn't buy the 600 cranks and ended up picking up a nice light frame of unknown origin that had a Shimano 105 BB and crankset. The guys at Cheeky Transport swapped these across to the Shogun and I've now got another project to work on - I'll use the frame to build a nice, lightweight singlespeed.
I've also replaced the bars, brake and gear cables and the bar tape. The tyres and brake pads were replaced when I first picked up the bike ($45 at a garage sale). The rear hub needs replacing and the front is average, so I'm keeping an eye out for a suitable wheelset. The front fork is a bit wonky though - the front wheel is offset to the left by a cm or so - doesn't seem to affect the ride too much but it looks odd when you're looking down at the wheel while riding!
Here is the finished (but not polished) product:
