My office is near a part of town where people who are far hipper than I live and hang out. Judging from the bikes I see, one can apparently not be a part of this scene unless one rides a fixie. In the last few weeks I've seen at least three with what look like really nice old frames. No head badges or tubing stickers remain, but two had what looked to my untutored eye like ornate Nervex lugs.
If one were so minded, would one be able to restore them to their former glory, or does the process of conversion to a fixie cause permanent damage (other than to the soul of the perp)?