I guess my answer to all of those who are saying "why not just get an original C&V bike?" is simply that some folks would prefer a fully modern bike with classic styling. But the $3800 price tag on those things is pretty ridiculous when you have the retro Raleigh and Masi Gran Criterium with Potenza going so much cheaper. I haven't looked into the frames on those, are they of the same quality?

Now the other question, how could you buy a carbon fiber bike when these bikes are available, well, totally different purpose. Some folks are more interested in all out performance than in style and beauty. A sub 15-lb carbon bike does offer performance advantages over a 21-lb steel bike.

I was riding my '73 Bottecchia on a group ride once and people were checking it out and we started talking about C&V bikes and one of the riders, an older gentleman who had been very active on the racing circuit mentioned that he had just parted out and sold his original Italian, full Campy, 1961 bike (I forget what make/model it was) that had been his first racing bike. He did not see the allure of C&V. He was riding a modern carbon fiber bike and totally kicking a** despite being well in his late 60s. I was aghast at the thought of selling such a memento even if he wasn't into C&V - I would have had to at least hang it on the wall. But he had no particular attachment to it. It was a just an obsolete old bike to him and he'd had many.