1989Pre brought it up in the other thread. I have no problems modifying your bike however you please. I have a pink powder-coated 1960s Umberto Dei sporting Ergo 10, Speedplay pedals and all sorts of new tech.
But then there are bikes where I want the experience of riding the old tech. Purely because, for me at least, I want the variety, riding the same bike and tech would get boring for me.
Now if I had wall-hangers, I'd keep everything as is with the exception of probably giving everything a good clean. But I like to ride the bikes and there are a few things I won't do, mostly for safety sake. Here are the old things I tend to avoid.
Wood rims older than 30 years old.
Tires/tubes older than 20 years old.
Brake pads older than 10 years old.
Used bearings, period.
Non-stainless spokes.
Corroded cables/housings.
And I am not abusive to aluminum that is older than me.
Rola 01 by
iabisdb, on Flickr
Frejus 01 by
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Frejus001 by
iabisdb, on Flickr
Cinelli_Model_B 004 by
iabisdb, on Flickr