Originally Posted by iab
Don't forget parting out a bike to get the maximum money will have the same effect. The frames I bought are from parted out bikes. I tried to get as many of the original parts as I could but I didn't have the means to get them all.
I agree. The people who love vintage bikes the most are destroying the history. I myself will upgrade bikes, but I'm very careful about saving the original parts, just in case it will mean something to posterity.
Still, I'm considering some changes that would not be easy to undo-- painting, for example. With paint changes, and component upgrades, I might still know the vintage, and I might still have the parts in a box, but will anybody else be able to identify the bike, beyond the make?