A sense of inner peace - the paranoia of the retro build ...

[2manyoranges]

Just how 'faithful' is 'faithful'? ... I admire those catalogue builds and the detective work which tracks everything down...but everything? I had to fabricate a collet to get a component working and for some weird reason it really niggled me that it was inside. In 1990 I would have just had a sense of satisfaction that I had got the component running again. But now it niggles me as not being original...and is in the heart of the machine. Bottom brackets, inner workings...etc etc...things which can't be seen...how much do they niggle you?

 

[ishaw]

Not at all. As soon as I got a bike bitd I'd be swapping out bits either because I wanted a bit of bling, or as/when stuff wore out. Unless I was creating a museum piece (which I'd never do anyway), I'm not bothered. Thinking about it cynically, if you replace a part with a period correct part, it still isn't the original part.

Some times to get old stuff working, parts aren't available.so making something to solve the problem and getting it working is much more satisfying than buying something imho.

 

[2manyoranges]

Yep that was me too - I've just been rummaging and found an early short cage XT with aftermarket bits all over it, from building in the 90's. I think your comment is a good reminder of balance....

 

[Tsundere]

I think aiming for catalogue spec is all about the challenge, if you manage to find out what should be there and then manage to source it all and get the bike back to its original state the sense of satisfaction should speak for itself, but yes, balance is important too, especially in these crazy times with the market being what it is, there's no point spending £500+ to achieve catalogue spec with a bike that will struggle to fetch more than £300 on fleabay, unless it's a very personal passion project.

It also depends on the type of bike and what it is you want to achieve, yes it's a great feeling when you find the exact grips that would have shipped with the bike originally, but nice aftermarket grips from the period should be fine, and when we start looking at the more perishable items, tyres, brake blocks, cables and housing etc then I'm sure most would agree that it's better to go with something serviceable rather than original.

However the truth is that there is a market out there for a certain tier of bike, mid to high end, rare and/or particularly iconic models which come with full catalogue spec.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Just how 'faithful' is 'faithful'? ... I admire those catalogue builds and the detective work which tracks everything down...but everything? I had to fabricate a collet to get a component working and for some weird reason it really niggled me that it was inside. In 1990 I would have just had a sense of satisfaction that I had got the component running again. But now it niggles me as not being original...and is in the heart of the machine. Bottom brackets, inner workings...etc etc...things which can't be seen...how much do they niggle you?

Bearings, grease, inner tubes, retro air?

 

[Imlach]

I never really tried to build a bike up to original spec. I often add modern components but that's probably because I don't have any real strong attachment towards a certain bike from a certain time, at least not the whole bike. For me it's all about the frame, the feel of it and the looks. I can see why people want the original components and why they take pride in accomplishing a build like that, as someone said, it's a challenge. But for me, I would find it stressful and it would take away from the hobby if I stuck religiously to specs of the past, especially if I was so perfectionistic that even using a different square taper bottom bracket than what it was specced with would somehow delegitimise my build.

 

[novocaine]

I've only ever bought 4 maybe 5 fully built bikes. Im not about to start building factory spec now.

 

[2manyoranges]

FC - bizarrely I do have retro grease, mainly due to it being at the back of the barn in a ‘I wonder what I left there’ kind of way. Retro air....surely someone on here managed to can or compress some in 1993 - but of course if you are doing a ‘94 build it wouldn’t be right....

 

[M-Power]

Apologies to those that do but I never quite understood the obsession to get a catalogue build identical to that as bitd. In most cases the companies bikes were cobbled together with the cheapest Taiwanese components for that price point or in the case of halo bikes, whatever bling was available. Often it was a compromise with non matched anodising, component blends etc. I’d rather see an individual or dream spec build on a halo bike for example.

 

[WandsworthRouleur]

Bearings, grease, inner tubes, retro air?

Retro air?! Now there’s a business model I could get behind. I could sell 2L bottles of the stuff on eBay. Just fill with regular air and add some lead, some CO2, and a few smoke particles for that genuine early 90s smell. Maybe even a dash of CK One.

who wants one? 10 quid a bottle. 5 bottles will do two 1.95 x 26” tyres. You’re not really ‘retro’ without it…