renaissance-cycles wrote:
>
(cut)
> Slip in there, kick open a box and there's 60 pairs of Campagnolo 3 piece
> hubs staring you in the face. A guy pulls out a box and say's what about
> these Brooks key hole saddles, yanks out another box and there's narrow
> railed
> Brooks Campagnolo saddles, all this takes away the pop of collecting.
> I guess you can call it collecting if I put one aside and sell off the rest.
Aahah, this is where it gets interesting. My experience checking distributors and shops in the US. When a dealer has something obscure and rare there is always a reason it was left behind (not sold when it was new).
The hubs have odd drilling like Record large flange 40°. The Brooks mod. Campagnolo saddle was a failure as the narrow rail spacing allows the saddle to rock sideways in the saddle clamp. The Brooks key hole is a French affectation so not very appropriate for many bikes. Or often the parts were warrenty/returns that were save for repairs (Try finding the outer pulley cage for the NOS Record rear derailleur you find in the parts drawer missing the... outer pulley cage! All used up in crashes.). Then there's always the very rare NOS Cinelli stayer stem (anyone own a stayer bike out there that doesn't have the correct stem already?). Vintage 36° rims easy, 32° rims not so easy.
Sometimes the part just wasn't ever for sale because the shop owner like everyone asking about it over the years (NOS sixties Hetchins curley prominantly on display in Westwood shop for years springs to mind).
Of course none of the above complaints affect the parts price/worth to the collector of parts (most especially NOS parts collectors).
Chuck "rather ride than collect NOS parts but that's just me" Schmidt South Pasadena, Southern California
.