What's really needed is a good visual guide to the traits of particular builders over time, gathered into one place. Maybe even something a bit more permanent than a website. For most of what's typically collected, it shouldn't be too hard since the popular brands were produced in relatively significant numbers, and there's enough information to gather. The custom nature of some bikes, especially ones from earlier in a builders career before they got into series production will always cause problems, but other information could prove the exceptions. I'm thinking of things like odd features on a bike that otherwise has all the right traits.
Actual racing provenance is even more problematic, as the original users considered the bike to be not much more than a tool that they did their job with. So there wasn't much interest in keeping track of what were the "right" parts or even whose frame was whose. Newer stuff has decals with the riders name, but from what I've seen, even 80's teams like 7-11 only did practical stuff like putting the riders initials on the chainstay with paint or a marker. Some people have done great work with particular brands, but it's usually published as a website, which as we've seen a couple times already can vanish overnight. And relatively modern info about team paint schemes and jersey designs - even who was on a team can be frustratingly hard to find.
Even the info in early 80's magazines can be hard to access without owning them. In the Boston area, the ONLY place with Bicycling magazine older than 3 years in any format is the Cambridge public library. And theirs is on black and white microfilm negatives that are arranged oddly. All their magazines from say June 1982 are on one reel, July is on another. And there's almost no index to Bicycling. The staff found one, but it took them about 20 minutes. I can only imagine the difficulties of trying to find a less mainstream publication - Like velo news was back then
Which is one of the reasons I proposed a bicycling/bikes version of SABR (society for American baseball research) The idea met with resounding silence - So do we actually value the myths over the realities?
Steve Birmingham Lowell, Massachusetts USA Darn, two down for today, I may have to hold replies till tomorrow. Unless I can plead that I'm using leftovers from the days I don't post anything