There was a time, several years ago, when repo items did not bother me a bit. In those days, a set of Campy hoods, original ones and they were available, cost an arm and a leg to acquire. Need, coupled with price point prudence, suggest the repo hoods were acceptable. However...
These days you can get just about anything that you need in repo form. Hoods, bar tape, crank sets, brake levers, brake calipers, wheel rims and, probably, a host of items I am not aware of. All this means, to me, is that anyone with the money can skip the search and buy his or her way into the vintage scene, without actually doing the work to get there and understand there when they arrive. Of course and for what it is worth...
I recently bought and install a nice set of moderately priced ($15.80 US shipped) repo hoods on one of my favorite bikes, my (now gone) Motobecane Grand Jubilee...
But I would have preferred a set of original hoods.
For my last few builds, I have tried to work with as few repo parts as I can. Period correct, yes, but not always model or brand correct, as can be seen on my all chrome Torpado LUXE...
And my latest project, a PX10E from the early seventies, is shooting for 100% original. Will I ever get there? Not sure but trying to do so is a big part of the fun, for me...
