Revered CRs,
If we find it important to give a name to the present classical style bikes like Riv, Sachs, Waterford, Longstaff et al (and I think there is a point), why not follow the standards for terms in the arts - like architecture, literature a.s.o.
A classical era is a time of high quality work when standards are set. Style, technical and narrative solutions, values. A canon is formed on how to do things and why. A classical era is a formative time followed by prestige and esteem also when times and practice changes.
If, in later times, people start to produce new work adhering to older values and solutions from a classical period we call that "classicism". In architecture we speak of the classicistic periods in early 19th century, of the 1920s and so on. Classicism means that you take up solutions and values from an older and formative time, but it does not mean that you copy it without adding something of your own. You can never enter the same river twice.
A classicistic period may be so strong in its performance and character that it to later people may very well be a classic period because of the strenght of the values it formed.
My Riv LongLow is to me a classicistic bike. It is made adhering to values and solutions from an older formative era. But it´s got lots of character of its own, to the children of coming years it may well become a classic.
You could say the same of most of GP´s road bikes. Except I would say of the XO/AR bikes. Those have got so much of their own values and solutions that I might call them classical, although on a tradition (as GP had declared).
With mountain bikes it is different. There the 80s are the formative years and bikes like the Stumpjumper and Bridgestone MB-1 are true classics, that is canon-setters. And will be collected as such.
Those who want may take the discussion further. What do the early Cannondales and Klein mean for the developement of the modern aluminium (I´m european!) bike - or the modern road bike for that? Merlin for titanium? The 90s are surely a decade of reorientation, but whither we don´t know yet.
My twocent piece
Olof Stroh
Uppsala Sweden