Alex, I appreciate your perspective, but I think one thing has not been brought up as of yet. I think that your argument for not riding certain bikes is for preservation sake, and I can argue that with some care and a follow up cleaning, a bike can remain in fairly pristine condition (or whatever condition it was acquired) for quite a long time. I believe that virtually every bike I own is in better condition than I acquired it as it is habit to strip it down, clean, pack the bearings and lubricate. Some have had a bit of touch up, but that is rare.
My point is that anything mechanical should be worked once in a while, jsut for the simple reason of keeping the lubricant from drying out and settling. My machine shop tools are from mid last century, used quite a few times a week, and have needed minor maintainance with lubricants and belt changes. This is not the case with machines that sit idle for quite a long time, they usually require a major overhaul. One could put a bike on the stand and spin the wheels, rotate the headset a few times, but that sounds like work to me. I would rather just ride it.
the internals are as important as what pleases the eyes.
alex m wrote:
> Something different again : a bike that COULD be ridden practically as is.
> But it would be a shame to ride it into the ground :
>
> http://www.reneherse.com/
>
gabriel romeu
chesterfield new jersey usa
G L Romeu
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