Thanks, Bruce, but no jingoism intended! I have truly Jimmy Carteresque lust in my heart for a number of foreign-built frames even as we speak, even as I sit here typing this. I confess it!(and the older the better!) But we've come a long way in 20-25 years. Our frames do well in the Tour, and our best custom frames are second to none, on the road or trail. It took a lot of effort and time, and as you and others point out, a market that can support such quality -- that in itself is something of a change from the 1980s. I got out my copy of Kolin & de la Rosa (bought 12-10-80, I see -- yikes! doesn't seem so long ago) and re-read the chapter "General Observations: The American vs the European Frame Builder." Wow -- much has changed! Hey, our builders do nice work these days. But so do a lot of other builders elsewhere, as Bruce points out. But this isn't a contest, it's a windfall for us all. There are some mighty nice frames being made today, and I do lust after them in my heart. :-) Dennis in Louisville, where it's a summery mid-70s with storms maybe a-brewin ...
So while I might concede-since I've no evidence to the contrary-that US bikes are the best traditionally made machines available, I do not, for what it's worth, agree that Americans rule.
Bruce.
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