I have rarely, if ever, been compelled to comment on the activities of this list in such negative terms. This latest Campy derailleur debate is interesting but misses the main point of classic lightweight frames and parts. First of all the derailleur in question is simply hideous. It isn't even as pretty as some of the things that can be found on modern K-mart mountain bikes. Isn't grace and style, and attention to artistic and mechanical details what characterizes classic biking. If the Campy in question isn't cobbled then is part of a severe lapse of taste on the part of Campy marketers. Please let us not dwell on every piece of crap that was sent in a box to a bike shop 20 or 30 years ago. Just because it says Campy on it, I am not willing to honor its heritage. I have said before that Simplex plastic derailleurs were simply horrid. Free spirit Sears bikes were manufactured during the eary 80's too, but they were not worth the time to take out of a box and assemble. This particular Campy piece is the nemesis of every classic trend, and if the group is going to go on about it, then I will feel slighted if I can't wax poetic on the merits of Shimano 105 downtube indexed groupos (which are outlawed by dint of the year they were born).
While I am on the subject, I would like to cordially (and politely) request that Classic Rendezvous extend it's loving light to the bikes of the late 80's and early 90's. I mean this only to further celebrate the beauty of the handcrafted lugged steel frames, made from pedigreed tubing and having lovely downtube shifters (indexed or not). The reason for rejecting aluminum welded frames is that they are ugly and lack physical grace and the human touch. The reason for rejecting modern wheels is that have lost their way, design wise and no longer even classify as true lightweight construction. The reason for rejecting welded stems and clunky seat posts is that they are klutzy and clunky. The reason for rejecting brake lever gear shifters is that they are fussy and will break before the next decade for collectors and bikers alike. The reason for rejecting 8 and 9 and 10!!! cog freehubs is that serve little useful purpose and require Barbie doll chains that wont last till next season. Dual pivot brakes are gorgeous and graceful. Some modern seats are prettier from a sculptural viewpoint than anything classic Brooks. Modern Cranks are also pretty from any perspective. Lugs are pretty and would add something to a bike, even if they served no mechanical function.
I like seeing old bikes, perfectly restored to their original glory. They are like time machines to help me relive my youth. From an art perspective, which is weighted to favor function, nothing compares to the bikes of the late 80's. From the perspective of period classic beauty, nothing so perfectly shines as the bikes from the 70's and early 80's. The road bikes of the 50's and early 60's that some here prefer, just don't function well enough to invite spirited riding. Every study of classic beauty, moves the parameters of focus as the years pass. Who would believe that the cars of the early 70's could someday be cherished as classic? Who would believe that the homes and buildings of the 50's and 60's could ever be considered from an artistic point of view (F.L. Wright aside). If it's hand filed and finished lugwork that we love than let us not make an artificial distinction for those frames that were made 10 years ago.
Really, from any perspective, other than intellectual combat, this particular Campy derailleur is ugly, not classic and not worthy of much attention. Just my two cents from Sunny South Florida - Garth Libre