Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 19,810
Likes: 597
From: NJ, NYC, LI
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
It depends, as many have said, on rarity, condition, &c.
It also depends on history, or pedigree.
Case in point:
I have a 1982 Trek 720 I bought as a new frame in the summer of '83. I hated the color so much I almost didn't buy it, and I consoled myself, as I left the shop with it, that I'd paint it over. Now I have. I've ridden the hell out of it. Like 23Skiddoo, I want to add cantilever brazeonns.. Why not? It's my bike.
Compare and contrast, I have a 1984 Counterpoint Opus II. Got it pretty recently, but it's immaculately preserved. Serial number 21. I considered, for a while, having disk brake mounts and horizontal dropouts installed so I could run a Rohloff hub; ended up running the Rohloff for 1500 miles with a chain tensioner and eventually put the bike back to original configuration without doing anything to the frame. SOmehow it doesn't feel like my bike; it's a classic that has stood the test of 25+ years, and I'm taking care of it for a while. I have no right to change it, really... do I? Ethically, I mean. Not legally, I don't care about that!