I for one would be the complete "purist" if only I could afford it. CV
anything bike in Japan is expensive. My income combined with shipping and the lack of a local network for trading and so on make for rather expensive projects.
Some of you may have seen the Simplon I just completed. The frame may be nearly 35 years old. And
some of the parts are definitely vintage. Other parts are what I call "retro" that sort of fit with the bike. But the wheel set for example just screams
'm-o-d-e-r-n' . Not what I wanted, but it allowed me to get the machine on the road without
waifu-san strangling me in my sleep.
My '85 Trek 560 is more on-topic. There are some retro parts, but also NOS vintage and used vintage parts, as well as the original finish and decals. My Vitus 979 is the most pure of my roadies. All the parts, both NOS and used, go back decades. But, as a whole, it may just fall short of 25 years. I don't know exactly when the frame was made. In addition, some people may not include early aluminum bikes in the idea of pure CV.
My salient point is that despite my less than pure, on-topic bikes, I am grateful for the forum and the companionship it provides in a shared passion. I don't think that there is another forum on BF where I belong more. And all you men and women who build and or restore these purebred classics get a lot of admiration and respect from me. Coming here gives me a chance to see bikes that I would very much like to own and ride. No "wall queens" in my tiny bike shed.
