Hi ya, sorry for the late reply, i didnt know the debate had continued as its very hit and miss whether ot alerts me to a new post it seems.
first off Hotgolf,you have nothing to be sorry for, i bought the stem coz it looked pretty, even in my ignorance of all things ringle i knew it was not a zooka stem, a change of plan for the build meant it ws surplus to requirements, so i listed it here with no takers, then put it on the bay where the whole furore began. no blame attached at all matey
during the listing i did get a message fro mthis guy edloweryhotwheels in the USA and i quote
Not really a question, Just wanted to say as a collector of MB parts and frames,that this is somewhat of a rare hybrid between new and old very nice piece and one day this has the potential to be fairly valuable. I own several of these and they are rare indeed.
again i would agree in terms of rarity these are like hens teeth compared to zooka
the stem sold for 2 p less than what i paid, which is coool, so the value attached was also correct.
without wishing to start a massive debate, i agree to some degree about the snobbery, but for me at least retrobike is not about the high end boutique parts i could never afford as a young en, i have no affinity or real desire for them, its the mid range stuff and low end stuff that i saw around me and used myself which appeals to me at least, hence the reason spending silly money compared to its original retail price doing up the muirwoods, and the next project of a cindercone, Kona's were bikes i saw around me, had the chance to ride etc and weere desirable to me,
i also think it will be the low end stuff that does not get preserved which is a bit of a worry,
anyways
been fun and im sure it will crop up again,