chicken0207

This might seem strange to some of you C&V guys but i want to see if im alone with this one. I recently bought a frame from Irvri that i absolutely love with the intention of riding it as a fixed gear for a short time as i am slowly collecting the parts to rebuild it to original spec's , well in my hunt for Replacement ultegra 6500 hoods the local bike shop pointed me in the direction of a campy "collector" (hoorder) and i gave him a call and a week later i was digging through his collection which is small for bike parts but big for campy parts, I managed to snag a campy super record seat post for my bike, NOS in box campy super record headset and a mix of bb parts including nos bearings that combined to make my current bottom bracket . Now we reach my dilema , i pretty much stole this stuff from him at the price i payed and he knows this and gave me a great deal because his isisnt using it and he knew despite the fact im a broke college kid i would be using it to its fullest , i looked at what an NOS super record headset commands and i almost had a heart attack because of what i payed and seriously considered selling it instead of using it but i went ahead and had it put on and it is one of the nicest smoothest headsets i have ever felt,but i am having second thoughts about putting it on my slightly weathered and beat up Italian frame. So after regaling you with my amazing tails im wondering is you guys have ever felt remorse because you put parts you felt might be "to nice" for the bike you put them on.

RubberLegs

Mount it, Ride it LOVE it....(but I DO know what you mean, I have a set of NEVER ridden vintage Gipiemme Pedals that I am debating putting on my Italian build....probably NOT worth it as it is a mish-mash of Italian/Belgian/French/Japanese parts....)

SJX426 

No. They were built to be used and appreciated for their engineering design and manufacturing quality. Can't expereince that by looking at them. And there are a number of them out there anyway. I am envious about your SR seatpost if it is the second gen! They have gone up in price in the last two years that almost takes them out of consideration for me.

rootboy 

It is a dilemma of sorts. I'm of two minds. A NOS head set is a good example of something that just has to be used once in a while, especially if you're trying to keep that Italian ride original. If your old Campy head set was shot you didn't have much choice other than use a non-original model. There's still quite a bit of NOS Campy stuff out there but it is going up in price all the time.

chicken0207

Not sure what generation it is but its similar to this one https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-rare-Cam...item484cc889f3 , but mine the top and bottom of the flutes are rounded and not gradual and it has a b stamped into the front of it.

rootboy 

heh heh. By the way, don't go strictly by that seller's prices in determining your guilt level. His prices will make you feel worse than you might otherwise.

fender1

Just use the stuff. Enjoy it and forget about the "value". It was meant to be used when it was manufactured. As for what you paid vs. what its worth, who cares? There is no guarantee you woul d get a high price for it if you sold it. If the seller was happy with the price and you were happy with the price, why would you feel guilty?

I

robatsu

Back in the good old days, for most things, NOS parts were just old stuff, cheaper than buying a new production equivalent. That was fun. I hoarded lots of stuff, not for value/profit, but just because it wouldn't be made again, for example, dura ace freewheels.

Then the prices of this stuff started going up broadly to where it was more expensive using the NOS stuff than new production. I still continued to hoard, but when it came time to use some of the NOS stuff, sometimes a I couldn't bear to sully a NOS part, so I would then seek out a slightly used example of the part and keep the NOS in my stash.

I did this a long time, sort of spiraled downward... Eventually, I decided that it I would never use a lot of the NOS stuff I had hoarded, so I sold it all off.

I'll still buy and use NOS stuff now, but it has to make sense price wise and I have to use it right away. The hoarding is where the quandaries start...

And as fender1 notes, it is a done deal, just use it and ride...

KonAaron Snake 

Yes and no...it depends on the part, what I paid and it depends on the bike. If I got a part from a collector who gave me a break because he wanted to see the part used, I wouldn't think twice. I'd use it and enjoy it. If a part is extremely valuable, I probably wouldn't have bought it to begin with...because I don't buy parts just to have in the basement.

There have been times where a part is so valuable that I decided it would be wiser to sell it and get something different...like a pair of Campagnolo OR cantis I picked up. They funded some cool stuff, and a better set of cantis from a functional perspective. I wouldn't have felt guilty about using the Campy cantis, but it didn't make sense...they were functionally inferior to others that cost less. I also have a set of Dia Compe NGC 982s...which are quite valuable but I use them on a bike I ride quite frequently. My reasoning is that those brakes are, functionally, fantastic and I like them because of how well they work, not because of the rarity. The rarity makes them cooler, but if they were $10, i'd still want them.

I generally avoid buying NOS at high prices because it doesn't make sense to do it. Why pay more for a part you're going to use if it's double the price of a used part? If the NOS price is cheap, sure...I might buy it and use it. Robbie was extremely awesome in getting me a NOS ti seatpost for my De Rosa...the price was very favorable and it was exactly the right part for the bike. I don't feel guilty about it at all...it's a seatpost. I'm using it for what it was designed for. I wouldn't have bought it at a premium...but this was a good deal...and it's getting used.

I guess it boils down to this - if the value of the part is that it's rare or pretty...essentially a collector piece...I won't pay more for it to use it and I won't buy it just to collect it. If I come across it, I'll probably sell it. If the part has practical use and works well, but has a high value because of rarity, I'll still use it and buy it if I don't have to pay a premium. Example - a NOS OMAS headset I got from cDm. It was really no more pricey than getting a newer one, it looked cooler and it works extremely well. On the bike it goes!

TampaRaleigh

I had a bit of the NOS guilt recently. I built up a set of wheels on NOS Shimano 600 6-speed freehubs. A bit rare, and a bit expensive... but, cheaper than what it would have cost for a NEW set of hubs, and they look and perform beautifully.

In the end, it's worth it to get that stuff out of the cardboard prison in which they are suffering.

rootboy 

I do think beautiful NOS parts have value as display pieces too. I have a couple of old Campy parts that have never been used and which occupy a nice place in my display case next to my pocket knives and fishing reels. I don't believe that since they were built to be used that they have to be used. There is plenty of stuff out there to use.

TampaRaleigh

I'm thinking about putting together some kind of display of broken/worn out parts. An homage to:

bobotech

When it comes to deals, it depends on how I got it. If I got it from my bike co-op, then I keep it and wont' flip it. If I got it from someone who gave it/sold it to me very cheaply because they know I can apprecate it, then I keep it. If I get something super cheap on CL or Ebay, then I will do with it as I please.

I don't like the idea of using a bike co-op as a income generation business, it just seems to go against my feelings of karma. I know tons of people will be happy to take advantage of a co-op, but not me.

KonAaron Snake 

Our co-op asks optimistic ebay pricing for parts not in eBay shape...they are hardly worth the time as a parts provider.

I have no problem with people collecting parts or displaying them, it's just not my thing. I prefer having a complete bike with the parts on it...it's just my preference. I'd rather look at fancy never used parts hanging on a display bike than displayed separately from the bike.

jeirvine 

I think most of us here have pondered this dilemma. I got a NOS SR BB from the co-op and hesitated long and hard before finally installing it. I do, however, keep a stash of nicer parts on display, and if I get a nicer version, the less nice example gets bumped and used. (Trading up, so to speak). I think shiny old cranks and derailleurs are beautiful, so a lot of my stash is on display, even if it may get used someday.

buldogge

They're bike parts...use them.

You scored a good deal on some nice parts, now give them the life they deserve...ride the snot out of them.

rootboy 

Cool picture. Have you posted that over in the vintage motorcycle thread?

TampaRaleigh

No... that was from one of my favorite movies. "World's Fastest Indian".

oldskoolwrench

Nice tribute to Mr. Munro of Invercargill...

Personally, I'd be bummed if the bike I put nice C & V bits on ended up getting stolen, especially if whoever stole the bike had no idea of what was on it in the 1st place...

Chombi

In the last year or so, I learned to lower my sights from NOS to VGC components when it comes to finding and buying them for my bikes/projects. It's the only way I can afford them now anyway with the drastic escalation of prices for NOS items in the last couple of years. I've lucked out many times when VGC turned out to be very close to NOS with some of the stuff I bought, so there's no guilt felt at all when I mount them on a project bike, but more of added satisfaction that I did not have to get into that much more expensive NOS trap.
Think about it, NOS parts are not NOS usually right after you mount them as they will then have at least some "witness marks" indicating that they have been mounted on a bike. So I'll gladly take a few scuffs, dirt, small scratches and some "shop wear", as long as most of the compnents is close to as new condition. It's gonna get that way after some miles with me anyway....
Only thing I will not consider using used parts for is the headset, which usually get chewed up pretty badly and usually don't look so good used. No worry cause I've stocked up on NOS headsets in the last couple of years.

Chombi

Lascauxcaveman 

Any part that comes through my shop that I sought out and bid on gets mounted on a bike - otherwise it wouldn't be there. That is what I specifically bought it for.

OTOH, I haven't yet found any truly 'grailish' components (only frames), so I have yet to face this dilemma. I haven't yet been afflicted by Campagnoloitis Vintatageous. I do have a bad case of the Suntourus Cheaposius, however.

Michael Angelo 

Vintage Parts Guilt? My wife thinks I'm nuts........

rootboy 

LeicaLad 

All due respect. . , I agree with your wife!

Wowzer!

wintermute

I can understand guilt if he was a really nice guy and didn't understand what he was selling, but it sounds like this guy knew what he was selling and was giving you a break because he wanted to help out a starving college kid and wanted to see the parts put to good use. If it's gnawing at you, when you have the $, maybe send him a gift card as a thank you.

I thought this thread was going to be about having to put a modern Shimano derailleur on an old Italian bike.