I've gotten a lot more info, entertainment, and insight from reading some of the compiled posts and archives than I have been put off from some of the negativity that occurs there. Some of the "back in the day" accounts are amazing. I've also bought a few items offered up to the list, even though I haven't joined (yet). In a way watching them sort out their differences is entertaining, they tend to do it with more verbal bite and formality than on ordinary forum disputes, which usually devolve into chaos.
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1989 Schwinn Paramount OS
1980 Mclean/Silk Hope Sport Touring
1983 Bianchi pista
1976 Fuji Feather track
1979 raleigh track
"I've consulted my sources and I'm pretty sure your derailleur does not exist"