Originally Posted by
Dougbloch
...All along the way, I keep saying to myself that eventually I will find a light vintage steel frame that I am not concerned about preserving it's original patina, get it powder coated, and put whatever parts on it I think will be most comfortable, cost-conscious, and practical for me.
...
The tension between recreating something back to its original glory and the desire to have a bike that truly conforms to what you want from it. Maybe sometimes that is the same thing depending on what your goal is for the bike. I would love to hear some perspectives on this, thanks.
You've gotten some great perspectives. We all have our own motivations, after all.
You ask very good questions. You are not alone in your thoughts. There are certain phrases which pop up in the queries of many newcomers to the world of classic bikes. (I will not use the word "newbie" because it is demeaning, IMO.) Not necessarily in this order: "all original", "former glory", "already stripped it for repaint, now what?", "fully restored", etc.
Well, there is no former glory unless that particular specimen was a major race winner, in which case it most certainly shows the wear and tear of heavy use.
There's the glory. Or unless it's a museum piece. All the rest are just bikes. Sometimes they were upgraded by the original owners back when they were just bikes instead of antiques. Some parts of the bike are consumables anyway. Sometimes the original builder, whether small-volume shop or big manufacturer, didn't have a good idea of what users really needed, for example creating awesome race frames but equipping them with only race gearing which is completely inappropriate for us mere mortals. Ultimately the bike is meant to be ridden, so practicality wins out.
All that being said, there is value is aesthetics, especially it it can be maintained without loss of functionality. Sure, brifters make shifting easier, but for those of us who have shifted DT friction levers a zillion times the improvement isn't essential. Frames which look pretty are great, but a new paint job will pick up its own scratches if you ride it much. Powedercoat may not look as nice as paint BTW. Knowing you have French derailleurs on your French bike is cool, almost worth really having them! If they work well, then so much the better! (For example, we still have Simplex derailleurs on our tandem and they work excellently. I've made drive train compromises on some bikes in order to maintain aesthetics but not to the extent of making the bike unusable.)
Ultimately it's your choice. You can fully customize it or you can maintain all the aesthetics or you can find a balance. As long as nothing significant is lost then you have no constraints.