In a message dated 5/7/02 4:26:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time, chuckschmidt@earthlink.net writes:
> Maybe it is time for a little historical perspective here: Through the
> years Tullio Campagnolo's first tier derailleurs were always designed
> solely for professional racing use. Using it for anything other than
> it's intended purpose was done so solely at the discretion of the user.
>
Excellent point ! Back in the early 70's I bought Campy because it was strong and wore in very nicely over years of use. Plus, all the other stuff was clearly second-quality (except for maybe some French bits). Campy was definitely worth the extra investment because of its professional quality - sort of like buying Snap-On or Proto instead of inexpensive dime-store tools.
I was pleased, though, to be able to "upgrade" to more functional rear mechs when they became available. Perhaps I left something behind at the same time, though.
I admit to being somewhat in awe of those of you who collect and restore mainly for the preservation of the art, but my needs lie elsewhere. I found a Beautiful Huge Lotus frame on my side porch this afternoon and hope I can get some parts on it in time to test ride it this week. I think this was from Ken Toda via the Cirque, and am overwhelmed.
Glenn Jordan - Durham, NC