Pompiere

This pretty much describes me, too. I do have my limits though, like the front and rear tires and rims need to match.

USAZorro

You win.

I know myself too well to even attempt to do a completely faithful restore to "as new". Frankly, imo, only a fraction of the bikes out there are even worth the effort. Until recently, means has been a huge discouragement. I've taken the path of finding something nice, but distressed on the cheap, and then making it different from original in some meaningful way as I build it. I've done this with the Raleigh Professional and Team Professional, the Viking, and am in the midst of doing this with a Giant Iguana.

That said, picky can take different forms. I am picky about not using Biopace rings, dork discs, turkey levers, stem shifters, chromed rims (except maybe on a coaster-brake cruiser), kickstands, and I avoid aluminum frames like the plague.

Andy_K 

Someone looking at a few of my bikes might not guess it, but I'm fairly picky. I have very little interest in keeping bikes period correct, but I definitely have a "vision" for each of my builds. Sometimes that's as simple as dropping on the right modern groupset. Sometimes it's something that no one but me is likely to understand without explanation.

My Austro Daimler, which I just showed at Velocirque, is a good example. That bike has everything from Shimano 1052 brake levers to an Ultegra 6700 cassette, with something from every generation of Shimano parts in between, mixing 105 and Ultegra along the way. Yet it all fits my vision for the bike as a sort of crypto-retro build -- modern functionality with a retro style. The 10-speed indexed downtube shifters were the original inspiration, but I obsessed over every detail, right down to the water bottle cage matched to the decal color. I can't even tell you how happy I was to find the shiny Shimano 600 pantographed seatpost in the correct diameter to finish the build.

jimmuller 

I've been watching this thread play out for a few days. (Truth is, I've been too busy to think about answering.)

I'm not picky about having the exact model of any component; in many cases I wouldn't know what they are supposed to be anyway. I ride all my bikes so functionality usually takes precedence over style. Take the saddle, for example. (I can't ride it so please take it!) That being said...

Some elements of style are important. Unless the bike is purely utilitarian I like the wheels to match. I try to keep cultural or national-origin unity where it makes sense - mostly Italian components on the Italian bikes, mostly French components on the French bikes, etc. I will run my Mavic sew-up rims on the Gazelle but not the Grandis. I try to maintain rough chronological consistency at least w.r.t. any upgrade an original owner might have done. I've made exceptions, for example a Cyclone-GT RD on the Motobecane and the Bianchi because it just works so incredibly well. MKS road pedals because they work well and look the part. The Bianchi has Mavic hubs and rims, but they are at least self-consistent, work very well and fits the bike's utilitarian competence, and anyway the frame was made in Japan (probably) with an English BB.

The Masi made its own demands. Campy crank because, well, there was no other choice. But that meant 47-42T rings, which then meant a big FW to handle the local hills. Campy derailleurs because there was no other choice, but that meant a custom cage on the RD to handle the big FW. Campy pedals even though they are slightly heavier than MKS. And Italian sew-up rims on Campy hubs but not like the original wheels.

Part of the fun of doing a new build is deciding which components will be simultaneously functional and stylistically correct. When everything falls into place then the whole is indeed bigger than the sum of the parts.

noglider 

Getting everything just right, whether it is aiming for originality or period correctness or company of manufacture or country of manufacture, is a lot of trouble and expense, and the result isn't necessarily the best, so I rarely respect any of those things. On the other hand, I have a certain amount of pickiness that you might not be able to discern, because I do labor over every little decision. And the result may be an ugly hodgepodge, but it works for me.

I find it hard to leave well enough alone, but @satbuilder has a point. The bike maker chose the components for reasons, maybe not the best reasons but they are reasons of some kind or another. I have a ~1995 Bianchi Volpe, and I haven't needed to change much, as it all works pretty well. I added dynamo lights, so I replaced the front wheel. Then the spokes in the rear wheel failed through fatigue, and I rebuilt the rear wheel with a rim that matched the front wheel, but the bike is mostly original.

All of this mixing and matching and planning and modifying and so on is a craft. If we just wanted our bikes to work with minimal fuss, we would buy stock bikes. But that's not what this crowd is about, for the most part.

@rhm, I like the way you use periods at the ends of certain questions, implying that the question is rhetorical.

Vintage Raleigh

With bikes I can afford to be fussy! They do tend to go through transformations to get them right. The international will at some stage get a shorter stem. The Grand Prix is a grandfathers axe, in it's next version the only original remains will be the stem and bars, brake calipers, parts of the head set and cranks, hub shells and QRs. The Europa has a mix of Simplex and Suntour currently. I like them set up period correct or with period upgrades.

hobbs1951

Not sure about winning, but I feel in order to do justice to the original builder's artistry the bicycle need to be restored to as, or better than, new. I'm currently building after a frame resto (see attached pic), my 1975 Bill Philbrook tourer - link:

Bill Philbrook - frame builder

That being said I do not have a huge quantity of machines, and I've never had one with a dork disc, turkey levers, stem shifters - the only chrome rims are on my '66 Raleigh Superbe !

I have to admit to having a Bianchi Reparto Corse - sorry, it has an aluminium frame/carbon fork.

Thanks for replying to my post,

Jon.

tricky 

Not too picky. I prioritize getting it on the road and actually riding it then having things perfect. I don't really have the space or patience to do super clean builds, though this black and chrome Raleigh TeamUSA frame I just picked up will probably end up looking very nice after I am done building it up.

ollo_ollo

Well, this is how my most ridden bike looked in April of this year. It's not vintage & I bought it new, but it illustrates my lack of "pickiness". The front & rear rims still match, and this week, I did put a silver SKS fender back on the front again, but the tires will need to roll some more miles before it gets a matching set. Don

due ruote 

I am picky about quality and maintenance, and very picky about random noises. I have a bike or two with matching coherent parts groups, but they tend to get fewer miles than others. I do like the wheels to match but I have a bike where they don't and it's still a blast to ride; when the wheels are spinning I can't tell the difference.

bulldog1935

sorry I'm late - those are SKS Raceblade XL, bought at closeout price from CRC.
Since they don't protect the BB and crank, I added a PDW Origami (front) mud guard to the seat tube - I also reduced the flare on the Origami bracket with a heat gun. They work quite well. The trick to the Raceblades is you shape the fender by moving the fender within the stays. They come with self-tapping screws to pin the stays, but ride them for a few weeks to get them adjusted just where you want them before pinning the stays. Even though they're held on with rubber bands, they're quite firm. Also helps to put helicopter tape (included) on the paint below the Raceblade feet. Even though they're rated for 32mm, they provide perfectly adequate coverage on my 38mm Barlows.



Here's what the Origami kept off the crank in just the first ride.


ok, they're gone at CRC, but ProBikeKit still has them at closeout price. https://www.probikekit.com/cycling-ac...ation=11350701

Last ride 76 

Yep, certainly makes it easiier.

Drillium Dude 

Picky for sure. All the engravings/fluting of the components have to color-match the frame's cutout colors. Likewise, my saddle and bar tape have to match. I strive to keep the bike as clean as possible (I have a ritual in which I utilize a dozen or more Q-Tips during the drivetrain maintenance). Hub engraving viewable through the valve stem hole when having wheels built, and of course rim labels readable from the driveside. Tire labels centered on the valve stem. I snip off the excess rubber "nipples" from new tires. I could go on, but then y'all would think I have screw or two loose

DD

crazy eyes

I dont have the money to be picky, i get it looking good and riding better and be done with it.

jimmuller 

And, um, expensive. But oh so nice too.

Dave Cutter

I am picky. I like things to match.... no... I insist things match. Tires, rims, bottle cages must match. Colors must match or be consistence with the theme (I use a lot of black saddles/black handlebar tape).

I like accessories period specific. My new bikes have plastic bottle cages... vintage bikes have aluminum cages. I have a 98 Cannondale that I just can't seem to find bottle cages that look right on it. I try to keep my bike pretty much catalog-like in appearance. I personalize them with my choice of saddle bag and (color matching) water bottle selection.

But I do have a style of saddle I like.

qcpmsame 

+2, hit the nail squarely on its head. Couldn't possibly say it any better.

Bill

juvela

Thanks so much for this very thorough explanation!

Much appreciated.

Even though this is the C&V forum I reckon it is OK if we let a snippet o' modernity slip in ever' now an' agin...

bulldog1935

it's a '92 CX frame - I had this for the goal when I bought it.

There's not hole one in the frame - not a brake bolt hole, not a dropout lug, so this was the only way to put fenders on it.

ps - once you get the Raceblades properly adjusted and pinned, it's 2 min. to install them, and 20 sec. to take them off.

The Golden Boy 

I was looking for an old thread of mine and came across this one. I guess I created 2 threads with the same idea.

I get so wrapped up in the little things, sometimes it's almost paralyzing.

Since I posted this thread, I've rebuilt my Trek 720 with a combination of what I consider the greatest parts of all time, as well as some of the finest "modern" parts. I also acquired a 1990 Miyata 1000LT. There were some damaged parts so I opted to replace them with M900 XTR. The 1990 Miyata 1000LT was originally built with the component group that was just below Deore XT. Because it spanned a few different groups the model numbers weren't consistent. MT-60, MT-62, M650... I've been considering replacing the brakes with M900 XTR cantilever; I really didn't understand the difference between the MT-62 brakes and the more prestigious M732 XT brakes. I still don't; but the XTR brakes are really similar to the contemporary Suntour XC Pro- but IMO, the XC Pro stuff was finished nicer. However XTR didn't come out until a few years after my Miyata was built, but to my way of thinking- the XTR stuff is elegant and "business" to the extent that no other Shimano components achieved. So I did the front and rear derailleurs as well as the seat post. I'm trying to decide whether to replace the brakes just because I like the big ol' triangle brake arms, but I also appreciate the stopping power and leverage of the more "modern" cantilever design.

Murray Missile 

No method to my madness, just madness to my method LOL. I'm all over the map, some bikes I throw together with whatever I have that fits just to use stuff up that I know I'd never use otherwise but some have been in the works for 2 or 3 years waiting for just the right pieces. Some are worth the wait but one by any sane standard isn't, it's been in the queue longer than any of them and could very well end up having more invested in it than most of the others. I bought this NOS 1982 FUJI Monterey frame set over 3 years ago and still don't have everything I want for it. It's a low end bike and it will never be worth anywhere close to what I have in it but I like FUJI's, I love the color and graphics and it's my size. I'm not building it to original specs, I'm upgrading several items with period correct NOS items and some items like the wheel set I'm using modern parts that "look" period correct from a couple steps back. I'm almost there, I just bought NOS Fujita black cloth bar tape last night, about the only thing left now is the right saddle.

The Golden Boy 

I did kind of the same thing with my 1986 Trek 400 Elance. It was a 2nd from entry level frame from Trek- but it was a 531 main triangle and CrMo fork and stays- that was effectively a 600 level frame the years before. The colors and paint are just so attractive to me, and it was the first bike I set my sights on that I was lucky enough to acquire. My initial thought was to build it with tricolor 6400, but it kind of morphed into a pseudo-tourer. It's all XC Pro, XC Comp, Superbe and Ultegra level parts. I do get a kick out of it with the top shelf stuff on what was an entry level bike from Trek.

I'll never get much of any of the money back if I sell that bike- I could part it out and hope for the best- but it's just such a cool and nice riding bike.

Kevindale

Is there a thread on this bike? I'd like to see it.

randyjawa 

Picky? You could call me randypickyjawa, if you want. That said, I built my Cyclops to be a rider, with little care taken to be model or period correct. I just wanted it to work really well. But, for everything else...

I strive for original, seeking components that are both period and model correct. This is difficult to achieve, and I would never keep a bike off of the road just because I did not have the correct front derailleur. However...

When it comes to period correct and original, I function under the philosophy of "period and price point correct". Put another way, I will fudge a build if I cannot afford to do it 100% correct/original. But there are exceptions to my rule, and a big one came my way just recently...

I took my newly acquired Peugeot out for its/my first ride the other day...



Loved the bike and ride quality but HATED the straps and traps...



With that in mind, decided to tap out the Stronglight 93 cranks to accept standard pedal threading(rarely do I do something to a vintage bike or component that cannot be undone)...



I intend to fit my SPD pedals to the X10 so that I can better appreciate the ride that the bike has to offer...

The Golden Boy 

Yes! The whole thing

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...e-rebuild.html


Since PhotoBomb won't allow embedding- here's a link to the album: Trek 720 Project by 1969tgb | Photobucket