I am jealous of those of you who own some of your top 5. For me it is still in the fantasy department. I would want an example from each of the traditional bike building centers; so one Italian bike, one French bike, etc. This list list is weghted heavily toward the 1970's. This is the period I like best, and it's my little collection. This is how I would stock it. I would not want anything that I would not want to ride. A Rene Herse seems too rare to be in my collection. Even if money were no object (the MegaMillions jackpot is up to $50 Million on Friday), I don't think I would want such a machine.
In alphabetical order
Hetchins Magnum Opus Masi Special Merckx from his first years. Molteni orange. Peugeot PX-10. White with the Stronglight cranks, and the metal Simplex derailleurs Schwinn Paramount. Chrome, from the early 70's
I chose not to do a KOF list, not because I don't respect and admire the work, but because I can't figure out what parts to put on them. At this point I am enough of a curmudgeon to not really want modern parts on a bike. I know that Sheldon and Rivendell advocate the opposite, hanging new parts on old frames. There have also been discussions here about whether to keep a previous owner's updates on an old bike. To me, it just seems weird to think about buying a new frame and hanging old, even NOS parts on it.
Has anyone bought a KOF frame and then put older parts on it?
Best regards,
Marcus Helman
Huntington Woods, MI