Above all a bike's builder intended the machine to be ridden. The art in a bike is as much in how it rides as in how it looks. So if someone decides to put the latest Campy gruppo on a old Herse or Cinelli, that's okay by me. So long as he (or she) goes out and rides it. Nothing is neater than reading a story in VBQ about some old Frenchman who has been riding his custom Herse since 1959. So what if it has a Brooks saddle now instead of the original Ideale and it's on it's 10th set of wheels and hubs are Shimano.
There is no question that it's nice to have great bikes in mint condition. But huge collections of bikes that never get ridden require that many people won't know the joy of riding those great bikes.
Chris
http://velo-orange.blogspot.com/
Chris Kulczycki
Velo Orange
109 Colonial Avenue
Annapolis, MD 21401