why do so many care about this issue and have opinions that border on 'holier-than-thou' regarding how another makes his choices? whether it's the <bikes should BE ridden> thing or the <n.o.s. parts should be USED not COLLECTED> thing, (both issues covered as threads dozens of times on this list...), people on and off this list have a myriad of reasons for seeking and owning the odjects that please them, even if those reasons include monetary and commercial tangents.
knowing about this stuff and examining it and owning it IS also <using> it. that is, riding these classic bicycles and using older parts for restoration is only one dimension. appreciating it all doesn't HAVE to include pedaling it down the road.
i have a modern bicycle that i like and i wouldn't enjoy my cycling as much on a bicycle with less efficient parts, or on one that weighed 4 pounds more, or on one that had been used heavily and then rebuilt. i've done all that. now i like what i like just because i do. using it, for me, also means looking at it, thinking about it, and learning from it.
my reasons aren't better than others expressed on the list but i think others think their reasons are better than mine and those of like-minded folks.
e-RICHIE
Richard Sachs Cycles
No.9, North Main Street
Chester, CT 06412 USA
http://www.richardsachs.com
Tel. 860.526.2059