Originally Posted by
homelessjoe
I think for you to get your dream bike you will have to get a new rear wheel at least....Did you know some people change their chains and cassettes every couple of years because they wear out that fast.High end racing parts are made so light weight and so thin and to such close tolerances they wear quickly Fifteen year old spokes might be good to ride around the neighborhood but I wouldnt trust them on any high speed descends.I love building bikes Its a labor of love.They are art projects for me.In the last year I built four.I didnt want four new bikes I dint need four new bikes in fact Im sort of mad I have four new bikes.I just love designing and building them.pure joy
I think I've just recently discovered the feeling you're talking about. Especially doing work on old neglected (or not) frames that originally had a lot of work and skill put into them. I've been a utilitarian cyclist all my life, but I've always appreciated craftsmanship. That's why modern frame design doesn't move me at all, it's all about engineering and alot less about art and craft.
I would buy new wheels no problem, it's just that I will probably have to resort to a full black-parts-on-vintage-frame build, which I'm not too keen on. I can't seem to find new classic looking wheelsets. Ritchey zeta classic is discontinued and mostly out of stock, and that's alll I've found. I would even consider building a new wheelset, I have some experience with trueing wheels and replacing spokes, it's the next logical step to do so, but even nice silver rims are hard to come by.