Gosh all this bandwith expended and I, at least, come to the conclusion that vintage lightweights and modern bikes are 1) completely different in technology, materials and aethestics,
Peter, I think this is an odd way to look at the world. It's like saying that there is no connection between the Wright Flyer and the Space Shuttle. It's all part of a continuum, and it is the connections between eras, disciplines, philosophies, and so forth that make anything, not just bicycles, interesting. Your interest in bikes may have died at some point, but bikes and bike racing went on without you. It fact, one can see affirmations of the value of much of the gear we love if one looks at the modern offerings that provide true utility. CF bars, maybe not, but the bulge formed center section of modern alloy bars was an improvement over old sleeved bars, and can be traced back at least as far as 3ttt offerings from the 1970s.
I get that you like Peugoets and Raleighs, as used by specific teams in the 1970's, and those bikes hold much personal interest for me too, but there was stuff that came later that built upon the qualities of those bikes. Sorting through the nonsense of the modern market is too daunting for many, and that's fine, but there are plenty of echoes of the past sitting there ready to be appreciated.
Tom Dalton Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA.
---------------------------------
Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.