Having just about recovered from riding the Trans Pennine Way, I went out on the P7 this evening. First time I've ridden it for about seven years. First impressions are it handles really well, stable but also very flickable. On its smooth tyres its pretty quick on tarmac, not far short of my Carbon Scott Scale, though not as comfy on the mix of farm tracks and back roads I took it on.
On road tyres it makes a great urban bike, tough, light (mines about 22lb) and quick, hopefully old enough not to attract unwanted attention. I never feel able to leave my Scott anywhere even when securely locked, its too much of a risk. Pity, as it does mean I don't use it for errands as I would like to. This is the plan I have for my P7, it's a sort of proto hybrid, twenty years old but still better than most of the new stuff out there.
I would add that the lad who had use of the P7 last, did a good job looking after it, the old gears work silently and it shifts perfectly, once I stopped trying to change gear using the brake levers
The brakes are the one thing I found lacking, I remember them being great, but compared to modern disc brakes they're not so good. Needing a lot more pressure and taking awhile to bite. Could be down to the blocks? I think they are original and may have hardened over the years.
