what tool? I've got an 80's Nishiki mixte with that headset. And the headset definitely needs an overhaul.

Hozan lock-ring pliers are a great investment for any C&V enthusiast... hmm new thread idea!

The Hozan C-205 BB tool has a small end that should work also, just haven't wanted to pop for a $25-30 tool to fix one old bike. Those pliers should be more versatile.

Good choice. Maybe my crooked toe-out posture on the bike ain't quite right for this stem. I can't get six blocks from the house with it before I twist it about 45 degrees. I wound up sawing and filing the bottom of the thing at an angle and bolting a wedge from another stem onto it.

Traditional Fenders (as opposed to the newer MTB style shorty fenders that mount to the seatpost or the downtube or the underside of the fork crown.)

They loosen and rattle. They make the rear wheel difficult to remove on a bike with horizontal dropouts. The front ones bang into your toe. They go out of adjustment if you look at them too hard. They're absolute hell in gravel.

...Sure look beautiful when carefully mounted though!

Brent

I'd have to look it up, all of my stuff is in storage right now since I'm moving soon. I'll look when I get home though and see if its readily available. I just got it from an LBS. Explained to him it was a headset with 3 notches the size of bottom bracket notches and he pulled one out of a drawer. It took a few tries to get mine off, the leverage is finicky and far from ideal, but with patience and an over-abundance of cuss words to scare it into submission, it'll come right off.

The vintage is better than modern thing...over-rated.

Shorty fenders are about as useful as as matches in a shower.

They're OK in my part of California, where it only really rains a couple of weeks a year. I've got some old ones I cut down, mainly to protect my headset and underside of my Brooks saddle.

Folks in California might not understand how nice full coverage fenders are... head a little ways north and their value improves exponentially.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you don't mean "rains more or less continuously for a couple weeks at a time during the year," and do mean "there are a couple weeks a year where it might rain." and in that context it makes sense.

I actually kind of enjoy riding in the rain many times, even on longer rides, and sometimes even when it's in the 30's or 40's. But only with proper fenders.

I did a whole 40 mile organized ride a few years ago. No fenders, on my 85 Trek 600. Rained the entire time. It was fun, even though my cycling shoes had mesh uppers. I could squeeze water out of my socks by the time the ride was over. I kind of had to ride staggered between the rear wheels of my group, since they were slinging water and wet gritty sand.,,,,BD

Apart from their early hubs and headsets and their pedals, anything by Campagnolo, although I do have a soft spot for their Gran Sport and 1st gen Record RDs. Otherwise, there's always something contemporary that does the job better.

I second the poster who named cloth bar tape - looks good but you might as well have bare alluminium.

Kool Stop pads for their awful screeching.

Way off!

The historical yearly average rainy days in Berkeley, CA is 63.7.

Re read this whole thread and based on my experinece yesterday, my vote is for the Campagnolo seat post binder as the most over rated and over priced fastner. I thought the Japanese and Chinese were the only ones who provided single use fastners!

Suntour roller cam brakes. Not BAD per se. But no better that cantis, imo, with way worse mud clearance
.
The Cunningham ones at least look at little more elegant.
.

U-brakes work better on the same posts.

Heaviest brake ever invented. Plus they look bad.
.

My Campy Euclid looks pretty good to me, but it is heavy.

Nothing C&V is overrated. Love all of it!

upgrading to ti fasteners on a C&V. (guilty)

Aluminum freewheels and cogs.....

+1
I like that Santucci thinking.
https://blog.santucci-cycles.com/About

Ouch. I have three Suntour builds in the worx.

At least they'll never rust.