In a message dated 1/2/2006 1:54:56 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org writes:
Alot of CR list members have this sort of info in their heads and respond generously to requests, but at the same time justifiably tire of repeat questions. Finding timeline answers in the archive is somewhat hit and miss in my experience. Here is a thought for making timeline information for period correct componentry readily accessible in the archive.
On the subject line of a submission to the CR bikelist adopt a standard key word. Type in all lowercase: datecomponentname. For example, "dateweinmannconcaverim." Or "dateuniversalmodel61" or "datecampagnolonuovorecordrearderailleur," or so on.
Don, forgive me but don't you think this is a lot more complicated than just learning to search the archives correctly? Your method requires that EVERY person who posts to the list conform to your format and it just ain't gonna happen... half the folks, myself included, can barely even remember to change our subject lines.
Searching the archives is easy as long as you keep in mind that it does not work like Google. If you want info on the date of "date Universal 61 brakes", you just type those four words in any order and Google obliges. But in the archives, it will ONLY return those instances where that phrase appears exactly as written... if someone writes "can anyone tell me the date of Universal 61 centerpull brakes?" your search will not pick it up. What you need to do to get satisfactory results is type each word (each one in quotation marks) separated by "and"... thus: "date" and "universal" and "61" and "brakes"
_http://search.bikelist.org/?SearchString=%22date%22%20and%20%22universal%22%2 0and%20%2261%22%20and%20%22brakes%22&SortBy=MsgDate%5Bd%5D&Scope=classicrendez vous_ (http://search.bikelist.org/?SearchString="date"%20and%20"universal"%20and%20"61"%20and%20"brakes"&SortBy=MsgDate[d]&Scope=classicrendezvous)
Once you get used to it, it's pretty easy... it just ain't Google.
Bob Hovey
Columbus, GA