Originally Posted by
genejockey
Collecting and using vintage anything is emotionally driven. Logically there's no reason to obsess over obsolete technology, flexy frames, crappy brakes, hard-to-obtain components, etc. So, if it's driven by emotion, a lot of it is nostalgia, not necessarily something you had when you were younger, but something you wanted. Car guys are nostalgic for the cars they wanted as kids, not the cars they had. They want T-birds and Mustangs, not Falcons and Comets. When most of us were younger, Italian bikes and Campy components were what everyone wanted.
Yes and no - I really liked an Olmo when I was a kid but the bike I couldn't stop thinking about was the Peugeot PY10FC. And I bought back my first car 4 years ago - 65 Falcon. I agree with Surfer Rosa - parts are usually available with the vintage stuff or you can upgrade to newer components. I took a 70's bike frame into the LBS a couple of weeks ago and the two young mechanics couldn't stop looking at it. It was something different and they enjoyed it. That said - I now have a couple of Italian bikes because I wanted to see what the ride is like especially when compared to my Super Vitus rides.