Originally Posted by
3speedslow
What feels worse, buying it with no project ATM or suddenly needing it and the part can’t be found or has gone way up in price?
Although I'm a big believer in 'Better to have and not need than need and not have', I can never justify spending money on parts I don't have an immediate need for. Or, put another way, immediate need is what drives me to spend hours on Ebay doing semi-redundant searches looking for the best combination of cheap and good condition. For example, the last few weeks, since I finished up a 1982 Lotus with 6200 series Dura Ace EX kit, I found myself idly looking at 7400 series Dura Ace bits. I even toyed with the idea of putting together a full groupset, then looking for a frame to put it on. But it didn't hold my attention. Then I picked up another 1982 Lotus, this time with 6200 series 600 Arabesque kit, and that drove me to scouring Ebay again, this time looking for a left crank arm, as well as the usual cables, housing, brake pads, etc. For me, it's got to be going onto something I already have in hand, or I'm just not driven enough.