Originally Posted by
jjvw
If you can't find the actual post-war/atomic era source material, you end up making the Disneyland version by adding artifice and faux finishing and flames and more flames (i'm tired of flames on everything).
This is very different from finding a car or bike from "the era" that has been used, maybe abused, repaired, maintained and upgraded over its life. Its the difference between authentic honest wear and artifice. Its the difference between a "rat rod" and an old bike.
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This. And don't even get me started on all those "French-style" randonneur builds with way oversized stems, tubes and Tiagra derailleurs with twine and shellac in places you'd never need it, like on the chainstays and under the cable clips. That just looks like a MacDonalds defiling a nice French city square.