Offered only to be illustrative. It apprears that I might need to make my first "For Sale" post. Earlier, I reported that we had bought a nice 1976 Windsor Pro for my wife to replace her stolen (and beloved) French road bike. Gorgeous, but someone had once substituted Shimano brakes -- which had to go.

I've been watching the "local" Craigslist since the middle of last year and, a few days back a set of Record calipers surfaced and the photo looked nice, offered in the next state over. I asked my wife if she wanted to check it out, she contacted the seller and made arrangements to pick them up at a "midpoint" that still meant 2.5 hours R/T for her (she went alone). She came back late and the brakes looked "funny" but we were both so tired…

Next AM, looking closer, something it very wrong. What I noticed was, versus the ad: (a) more corrosion on the chrome but I think it will clean up (b) Arms do not have the block print on the front, but script on the top of the arms (c) "Acorn" nut is not rounded but more conical (d) no wheel guides (e) There's a cable attached to one of them but that is immaterial. So, I contacted the seller.

The responses appalled me, and they included "It was just a generic photo I don't have a camera what's the prob they r the exact same brakes!" and "if your a half decent mech you can make em work " and here's a real gem: "A windsor pro is hardly a classic no offense , i would understand if you were restoring an italian classic ,Basso , Colnago Scapin ,Cinelli , and you wanted it to be period correct . Good luck". Caveat Emptor! Well, IMHO, they are Dumpster Chow. Options:

(A) Enter the world on on-line reselling, which I had always wanted to avoid. The setting up of accounts, shipping, the scam artists, ugh! I don't mind buying, but have avoided selling (don't look in my basement! :O) Are these even worth anything? I was planning on donating the Shimanos to a good home.
(B) I need to take a look at my "new bike", a 1980 Palo Alto bought off eBay in 1997 IIRC. Pretty sure the brakes are Records, and I'm not emotionally attached to a bike that new. I could install the SR's on that bike and the Records migrate to the Windsor. Are there installation woes ahead? Am I diminishing the Palo Alto?
(C) Heave-ho the SR calipers, crack open a bottle of sangiovese using the Campy corkscrew, and get over it.