Originally Posted by
BigChief
There is another option. A daydream of mine that unfortunately isn't practical for me since my old body can't take much time on drop bars anymore. I'd start with a Raleigh Super Course frameset. Find a suitable crank, vintage trigger shifter, Sturmey Archer S5 hub and mudguards that looked as much like vintage Bluemels as possible. I'd strip and repaint the frame in a more vintage style with vintage style transfers. I bet I could even get used to toe straps again although it's been a while. I don't see this happening at this point. I'll just stick to my roadsters.
Following up the daydreaming theme, I noticed that if I'm willing to forego the Reynolds 531, it's not difficult or even that expensive to find a 70s or 80s Trek/Miyata/Fuji/Nishiki etc. road frame made with excellent, but not prestigious, Japanese DB tubing from Ishiwata or Tange. Project-wise I have a full plate right now and I'm still enjoying the novelty of the Peugeot mixte conversion, but for the future I might like using one of these for an FW or S5 based bicycle.