Glad to be aboard the discussion group. Nice to see my buddy Don Gilles from Raleigh Team group is here, too.
I just finished my latest restoration: a 1985 Trek 770, 531Pro tubing, Super Record gruppo, Mavic GP4 tubular rims, friction shifting (natch). According to the parameters, it seems like it's 2 years past the "vintage" cutoff date, but may be on the fence between the two definitions.
Personally, I think the 80's will be looked back upon as the pinnacle of the friction-shift/lightweight steel bike era. The early 70's bike-boom had cooled, so crappy Euro and Asian bikes weren't flooding the market quite so much, a new crop of "boutique" lugged-frame artisans was emerging, frame geometries were getting tighter and more responsive (aka: "crit" geometries), index shifting was still a few years away, and tubular wheels weren't quite so exotic.
Anyhow, if anyone wants to see the completed project, I posted pics on Road Bike Review:
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/
Sorry to hear the Classic Rendezvous has been cancelled for this year. I was thinking about exhibiting some of my steeds. Will anybody be doing any of the planned rides, such as going up to Mt. Wilson?
Bill Silverman
Pasadena, CA
US of A