> In my opinion, old bikes should be ridden.
> A bike that is 30 years old and does not need restoration has not been
> ridden enough.
> A good steel frame can last 100 years, so if you're not going to
> restore it 3x times, then you're mistreating your ride - either by
> neglecting to ride it enough, or neglecting to restore it when it gets
> rusty and/or unprotected.
> probably these views are controversial, but they are mine and i do not
> believe in forcing them upon others.
> - Don Gillies
> San Diego, CA
>
Well thank you Don. I was having misgivings, as an earlier post of mine
discussed, about turning my 60 year old (that's 2x30) Bates into a commute/tour
bike. Instead of decorating it with period goodies I'm going to outfit it with
vintage but tough, functional, and comfortable components and ride the bejeezus
out of it. So any of you hardliners, if you see me, don't throw rocks. Or
laugh for that matter.
Craig in Tucson