The Golden Boy 

When I was building up my Trek 720, my intent was to have Dura Ace 7803 derailleurs- front and rear. But I ran into a problem with the front derailleur. Although it was built specifically for a triple, it was designed to work with certain sized, ramped and pinned chainrings. As much as it didn't really make sense to me (it's just moving the chain over), I had to figure out what FD to use. I had a stash of some pretty cool front derailleurs that were meant for a triple, Suntour XC Pro, Cyclone MII, my personal favorite the Mountech, the Shimano Z206 and @bulldog1935 's favorite Shimano 600 Arabesque.







While I was waiting for a chainring to be delivered, I used the Z206- I justified it by virtue of it being used on the 1986 and 1987 Schwinn Voyageurs. Later, as I realized the Dura Ace 7803 wasn't going to work, I put on a Cyclone MII. In any comparison, the Cyclone is a Class A derailleur. It works flawlessly, it has a tremendous range, it's crazy light, it's durable. But I couldn't get over in my head pairing the Cyclone with Dura Ace. So, despite having a box full of front derailleurs, I bought a Dura Ace 7700 FD. It was inexpensive, so I figured I'd be able to file it down and not feel bad about it. But when I mounted and adjusted it- it worked PERFECTLY. So, even though I not only had a box full of derailleurs, I had several of my personal favorites in really nice shape- but I was too picky to pair any of the circa 1984-1994 derailleurs with the circa 2005 Dura Ace derailleur. It wasn't really about "period correct," it was about "matching." To be totally honest, it still kind of bugs me that it's 7700 mated with 7803...

bikingshearer 

Overall, moderately picky. More so with some aspects than others. My frames are pretty much all ones I lusted after as a teenager but couldn't get my hands on - I have pretty much satisfied that. Part of what goes into that is satisfying a nostalgia jones, but I also care very much about overall appearance. That means if I don't like the color, I don't want it or will have it repainted. If I don't like the graphics, I don't want it. Looking at them is as much part of the joy as riding them So on that level, I'm fairly persnickety.


As for the parts, I'm stuck on Campy 10-speed triple set-ups (with two exceptions). The main criteria there is functional, but I want them to be in decent shape cosmetically. The exceptions are my Eroica bikes. The 1961 Bianchi Competizione was set up with period-appropriate parts (but not limiting myself to using only the parts that were on the original), including a Campy crank with 151m bcd. That was a special project. On the Cinelli I was able to score last year, it has stayed mostly as it came to me.


I do make some effort to get cabling and bar tape done properly, but I do not obsess about it.

The Golden Boy 

Oh no... That's M737, right? Won't earlier XT (M735) work with 10 speed SIS? Imagine an M735 drive train, or better yet- M900... oooh...

lasauge 

I'm extremely picky when it comes to component quality, fit, and visual coherence - but I draw the line at worrying about the age of consumables or component dates. I have one bike that's 100% period correct excluding consumables, but the other eights are all mutts.

If anything, I relish the chance to build mutts that combine the best of all worlds. I have two bikes with Srampagmano drivetrains, and two more that pair Simplex Retrofriction shifters with Suntour derailers.

LittleGinseng 

I did the same thing with my '81 Panasonic Sport. It was originally a bloated 1020 beast with chromed steel rims, alloy(steel ) crank, and a very basic Shimano transmission. Replaced with Cyclone/ Sugino drivetrain, Dia Compe brakes, Miche hubs laced to Specialized 27" alloy rims. The only OEM parts that remained were the seatpost/ saddle. Oh, and the kickstand too!

canklecat

I'm picky only within practicality. I'm hoping to keep my recently acquired Univega Via Carisma as original as possible, but it's not a collectible so I plan to keep the costs down.

This may mean eventually swapping the Shimano Exage hubs over to double wall rims in the original single walls aren't up to the task of fairly mundane gravel trails, chipseal roads and occasional unavoidable ruts and potholes. So far, so good, with the original wheels. I warped the original rear wheel several weeks ago skidding sideways on loose gravel over asphalt, but the LBS tech fixed it and it's been fine since.

But I swapped the original shorter Shimano black brake pads for Kool Stop Eagle 2 salmon pads for better braking. And swapped blue Thermalite platform pedals from Stolen Pedals for the original plastic Sakae Low Fats. Might replace the original foam grips for something that looks better although the originals are comfortable enough. This Via Carisma has the blue splatter over black paint, so blue accessories and components look good.

And I'm considering full length Jagwire blue colored cable housing to cover the exposed rear brake cable running along the top tube, and between the front and rear cable hangers and attachments to the cantilever brakes. Feels a bit risky leaving those cables exposed with handlebar and saddle bags that can rub against cables and interfere with braking. Haven't decided yet about the exposed shifter cables running along the underside of the downtube.

Haven't decided how committed I am to maintaining the original Exage shifters. The left is balky and skips the middle chain ring while downshifting. Might be able to repair it. Or I might swap to a single chain ring and skip the front derailer, if I can fit an 8-speed Uniglide/Hyperglide cassette to the rear. I could probably get by with a 40 x 12-32, if it's compatible.

verktyg 

NO RUST!

Mid range to top end lugged steel models from the mid 60's to early 90's - no gas pipe bikes. Problem with top end bikes is I don't ride them because I don't want them to get scratched or dirty.

A little patina is OK on a rider also a small ding on a bike that's going to be a beater...

Over the past 10 years I built up a number of wet weather beater bikes... Not for riding in the rain but after a rain when there's a lot of dirt and leaves on the road that get on the bike.

I like EVERYTHING on my bikes to work well so I spend a lot of time setting up even my beater bikes. There's nothing worse than breaking down out on the road.

Several of those beaters have become my favorite riders and I've upgraded the components.

Component wise I like stuff that works well, not the latest zoomy stuff. I've never ridden the 2 wall hanger bikes I have with brifters. Multo Retro Grouch!

If a bike is all or almost all original I keep it that way except for changing the saddle, bars, stem and pedals if needed for comfort - I keep the old parts.

If I'm building up a bare frame, I'll usually keep it period correct but not necessarily with original components.

A bike that works perfectly is better than a perfect looking bike that doesn't!

verktyg

Chas.

Prowler 

I'm much more picky about "mechanical rightness' than the cosmetics. My 8 (now 9) bikes are all riders, no garage queens. Nothing show quality but, I think, real fine ride quality. I fully understand how serious riders, BITD, swapped components to improve performance, to mitigate damage, to replace wear. I'm fine with period correct but do not obsess over catalog correct or all nicely matched.

I probably do obsess about bearing adjustments, alignments, proper fits, things tightened just right. I've used glass plates to check flatness and used winding sticks to align RDs. It takes me too long to get a BB adjusted to my satisfaction. I string all my frames and obsess over DO alignment. I tweek old handle bars until the sides match perfectly. I file the 'french cut' end of the stem and the matching wedge so those two slide nicely against each other. I de-burr everything. I true wheels to shavings of a mm. I made a set of hand held dropouts so I can put a hub under QR clamping force while checking the cone adjustments. I probably over do these things but waddaell. I have the time.

Oh, and I always remove that orange sticker from a new FD - first thing to go

jamesdak 

Well, no matter how original and mint some of my bikes look it's much more important to me that they work right. I ride everything so while I do try and maintain the "proper look" it's more important to me that they work right.

This one with it's total hodgepodge of mixed parts....



rides nicer, works better, and rolls faster easier than this 100% DA 7400 equipped one.




For the most part anyway, LOL! The Orbea just isn't designed to be a corner carver so it does resist turning.

qcpmsame 

One addition to my reply, my pickiness extends to my bike(s) only, I don't feel the need to critique other's rides. Thankfully, the C&V Forum isn't too prone to this aspect of human nature, or we manage to keep it to ourselves pretty well.

This thread included.

The Golden Boy 

I love that! Any sane person would say "why?" Maybe there's a back story, maybe there's not.

With my Trek 400- I looked for that bike for a long time, when I found it, the ride was... uninspiring. It was beautiful, but it didn't do anything for me, it felt dead and flat; my Trek 620, a full-on touring bike, felt more lively. After swapping out a bunch of parts- and especially the wheels- it's really nice and fun to ride.

The Golden Boy 

It was a new derailleur, and I thought it was cute the way the teeth lined up in the picture.

When I did take the sticker off, I was really disappointed with the lack of luster on the outer cage. It's brand new, it's Dura Ace, it should be awe inspiring... then I realized there was a sticker underneath the sticker that covered the entire outer cage... duh...

The Golden Boy 

Maybe it's because I wasn't into bikes in the 80s and 90s, but in my head there's a 10 year period between 84 and 94 that is "period correct" to me, even though it's really not. Again, when I did my 86 Trek 400 Elance, someone made a comment about the tri color brakes being some 8 years older than the frame. To me, they "belong" on that bike. But there are components that look too old- when I first put a triple on the bike, I used a Stronglight 99BIS. IMO- that's a really really cool crankset. But it has an appearance of "1970s" to me. I have one on a 1978 Trek, and it looks swell on there. I ended up with an Avocet crank (with drilled rings ) and the Stronglight went on my Schwinn Voyageur SP.

Wildwood 

Used to think i was sorta picky, until starting to post here and elsewhere. i'm a hack, just let me ride it.
edit: ......with Campy.

The Golden Boy 

I used to be (what I thought was) really into guitars and amps- music gear. When I was a kid, I traded around guitars like nobody's business, like often a guitar a week. I thought I was experienced in it... I took pride that a local shop owner of a classy store, not a "friend" but an acquaintance, had used my collection as an example of a "nice collection." Until the internetz- and I realized there's a whole 'nother league of guitar ownership that I hadn't even conceived.

LittleGinseng 

There is....

I've always been a fan of Panasonic bikes.

Back in 2005 I purchased my Sport new in the box. Someone on Ebay had 4 or 5 of them for a hundred bucks each. I thought, "What the heck!" I hadn't been in possession of a gas pipe frame since I was twelve. And I was already knee deep in my addiction to collecting components, so I knew there would be something available for upgrades.

The wheels made all the difference in ride quality. The original steel-rimmed wheels made it feel like I was driving a steam roller.

ramzilla

Are you kidding? I'm the guy that rips the drop bars & stems off of bikes and replace them with upright bars. I'm also guilty of drilling out rims for shrader valves. But, occasionally, I'll keep it original. It's got to be a really nice lightweight item though.

tashi

At most stages, I'm not picky at all. My builds generally have three phases: Get 'er running, optimize function, then make it pretty.


Most of my bikes don't make it to the last stage. As time is always limited I'd rather have a lot of bikes that all work than fewer bikes that look "right".

Not so say that I don't WANT to make 'em pretty, it's just that the vain and fussy side of me generally looses out to the practical and lazy side

Fahrenheit531 

Not real picky. Don't really know enough to be picky. I just avoid the crappy stuff as best I can and the rest is based on function, aesthetics, and hearsay.

fender1

...but...but..now, don't you need a Dura Ace Triple? How can you use Sugino & Dura Ace toghther???!?? Oh the horror....

WolfRyder

[QUOTE. That means if I don't like the color, I don't want it or will have it repainted. If I don't like the graphics, I don't want it. Looking at them is as much part of the joy as riding them So on that level, I'm fairly persnickety.

[/QUOTE]

Yeah paint color matters to me as well. I have passed on bikes where everything was right, but just couldn't get around the color.

The Golden Boy 

Uh oh... Hey... I see what you're trying to do here... your fiendish ploy will not be successful.

No- the Sugino is perfect! Even if it's mated to the Dura Ace stuff... But now that you mention it... No!! Maybe Dura Ace cables.... No!!!

hobbs1951

I'm super fussy and attention to detail is paramount, if I'm building period correct (not always) components have to be NoS or mint.

I do not have any factory built road frames, all my frames are handbuilt ones, a number of them for me, some have come from relatives: and the only non handbuilts I have are a 1966 Raleigh Superbe and a Trek Navigator.

I'm currently building (frame has been restored) a very very rare Bill Philbrook* touring bike and a Cliff Shrubb built Geoffrey Butler touring bike.

My bicycles tend to be a little left field, and from the finest builders.

Jon.

*see Jeff Lyon stateside.

The Golden Boy 

What often happens with me is that I'll "trial fit" something and then get distracted by something shiny or I'll get lazy and say "close enough for government work."

ollo_ollo

Not too Picky, more like "eclectic", since I use whatever I have on hand or find at the co-op so long as it's not too beat up & gets the job done. I do keep my eyes open at swap meets for stuff in better condition, or that improves function, or adds a bit of class to what I have, and I do regularly clean, lube & adjust all my bikes. It helps if you aim high & get the best you can afford though.

As a kid, my friend and I removed the fenders, fake tanks, & non-working lights off our old bikes. Then cleaned, re-lubed & polished everything, pumped up the tires to 32 pounds & raced each other around the neighborhood. Make the most of what you have & enjoy life. Don