DrDaveTampa
Retro Guru
Absolutely this. Rims are wear items, and while you can still get classic looking rims from like Sun or VO, we won't be able to get NOS or like-new classic race rims forever ... I recently built up three almost identical Trek frames, different wheelsets on each, and riding them back-to-back, I'll tell ya, the right wheelset absolutely transforms the bike ... if I only had one frame to live with forever, I'll be danged if I'd be trolling thrift stores for crappy old stock wheels to keep it running
Interesting question in my mind, whether it's better to lay in a supply of parts for things like hubs, headsets, and bottom brackets, or to invest in stuff that'll last forever. Adding up all the hours I've spent on the internet, and combing through bins at the bike thrift shop looking for a frickin 70x107 spindle makes a Phil bb start looking like a good investment, knowmsayin ... I guess people make the same argument about Chris King headsets, or those Stronglight needle-bearing headsets ... dunno about hubs, I have plan old Shimano cup-and-cone hubs on my "zombie apocalypse" bike, those things are like cockroaches, they are everywhere and you can't kill em.. but I did buy a Stronglight headset for that bike ... frickin zombies, don't ya hate those things?
