>An exception to the rule was the Sears (Roebuck) Ted Williams Sport Special
>of that year, which came with Campy record derailleurs and shifters. The
>rear was mounted to standard drops with the Campy mounting plate. The head
>lugs and parts of the stays were chromed. Who cares about the seamed tube
>Austrian frame?
This is one of the interesting things about bikes in this period -- one finds all sorts of odd combinations. I suppose this example challenges the "rule" that one can generally judge the quality of the frame by the quality of the components.
I suspect our perspective on these bikes as "vintage" and fussing about "correct" parts is a bit different from those who bought and used them. I recall a friend in the mid-1960s who removed his Campy Grabd Sport rear deraileur and replaced it with a "high tech" Simplex Delron unit. He rode and raced that bike for many years and was quite pleased with it. I suppose if someone found it they would immediately discard the Simplex and search for an early 60s Campy to replace it as the "correct" deraileur.
A lot of time is spent on who builds bikes on this list, but a bike may also have a history -- a "relationship" with a rider which may span decades. I suspect that if one really rides a bike, even a hand-made prestige-name frame, that most of us tend to make changes, to conform it to our personality and likes and comfort. To make it ours.
Last year I bought a Cilo (Vitus) which a fellow bought new in 1984 -- and he paid a lot of money for it. This is a wonderful bike -- you get on it and it says "lets go!" -- light quick responsive; but he rode it about fifty miles and then it hung in his garage for 16 years. It's great to find a pristine exactly as it came out of the box bike, but also a bit sad.
Bob Atwood
Too much Heidegger hath made him mad!
Mesa, AZ, USA