There are no Bianchi's or Peugeot's in my area to be found either. But a large supply of Varsity's and Continentals. What makes sense to one person may not another. We all have different reasons for doing what we like but to me a bike is a bike and as long as your getting out there and cycling or have a love for bikes and cycling then that's what counts. If I could find a cheap Mustang to repair instead of a Pinto I would but there are no better quality bikes in my area that I've found but I have a basement full of Varsity's and Continentals that I can build into a few decent heavier road bikes. If I run across one of those cheap, better, lighter bike deals I sure won't pass it up but so far it's not happened.