FarHorizon, did you part with that racing bike you loved so much? If you still have it, a good framebuilder ought to be able to take measurements off it and create a bike that steers similarly but accommodates the changes you want.

I did this with my 1st custom ti bike. I chanced on a Univega racing from the mid '80s that fit and steered wonderfully. Not a practical bike and it was a lesser model and the frame was heavy and stiff. I took it to TiCycles and said that I wanted that steering feel, a longer top tube so I could go 12 cm on the stem and higher BB (I hit those Univega pedals all the time).

My ti fixie came about in similar fashion. I had a cobbled together fixie that was a blast to ride. Measured it up and drew it up (in a CAD program on the computer), tweaked it a little, raised the BB a lot and now have a sweet fixie that can do any ride and is both a blast and joy to ride.

I now have a "database" in my CAD program with most of the bikes I have owned drawn up and placed on different "layers" so I can look at any of them singly or superimpose any bike on any other. All bikes are drawn around the BB, so fit changes are readily obvious. The same thing could be done with paper, using translucent drafting paper or film, drawing the bikes full size (or say half size) and viewing them on a light table or perhaps hung in front of a sunlit picture window.

So my quick take? Don't let good rides escape undocumented! (Best do it now; it may be very hard to get good measurements after a crash.)

Ben