I think it might have been when I was told I needed a stem that put my bars ahead of my fork trail to be correctly fit. But I grew up in the 60's and found that some things are best when well designed and worked the way it should. In my mind steel frames with Super Record kits are some of the simplest and easiest to work with. But then again I would rather repair something than just replace it. I have been a bike mechanic, a machinist, an electrician and so on, because I grew up being taught to repair it not replace it. First car was a junk yard revived 1959 Plymouth wagon. And so It has gone on.
I am a grouch when folks tell me they can't do something. One thing that incensed me last year when volunteering at the local co-op a person told me I was dealing with a homeless person. And the thought that shot through my mind was "you may be homeless but you aren't helpless!" So yes I'm a grouch! And Retro? Simplest is best! Smiles, MH