I can only guess that Sachs posted that when he was unable to source or had to wait for a tubeset that he really wanted for a build. It makes no sense to me although I think I get his drift. I’m sure a lot of these people decide to build a bike for themselves because they don’t want to wait 2+ years for someone else to build one for them. You can argue the opposite to Sachs, using economics. Maybe if we all went out and bought a set of tubes and lugs and stuck them in a closet, the folks at Reynolds would add a second shift to meet the surge in demand.

To extend the thought about us as riders and collectors of old bikes, I don’t see anything wrong with however one wants to go about it, except maybe that guy who beat up his bikes with a sledgehammer because no one would pay his asking price on eBay. Clearly there are plenty of old bikes to go around given the market prices right now. I think there are numerous ways to give to the community in addition to being generous with time or resources. One fine example is friendliness to others trying to participate like earlier this year when I rode at the Pasadena Velo Retro ride and the San Diego Brian Baylis ride. I was on a modernish Ritchey Breakaway but still was welcomed in the Tribe and had a great time as guys were happy to talk about bikes to anyone who would listen. Another way is to ooh and ahh when someone shows off their bike even if you really think it’s kinda meh (I’ve never done that!).