Originally Posted by
genejockey
A LOT of the threads on the C&V forum involve people looking for parts that are still in working order to replace parts that have worn out. 40 year old bikes today are kept alive by cannibalizing other 40 year old bikes and parts. For example, I needed to replace the Dura Ace 7200 crankset on the Lotus Supreme I bought, and I found one on Ebay, which had to have been taken off another 40 year old bike.
FC-7200 is a fairly standard square-taper crank, you only "had to" use a forty-year-old part because you decided to use an exact period replacement. Most bikes in the 40-year-old range are still extremely well supported in the new-stock replacement part market.