Steven,
You may find this difficult to believe, but my sincere opinion on that matter would go with Ron Cooper. I previously owned (an regretably sold) two Ron Cooper bikes. One was a Nervex Pro lugged 1972 road frame that was exactly my size. The other was a costom built for me 47 cm track frame sized for 650c tires and made from Reynolds 653 tubing (that currently belongs to listmember Wes Oishi) which came unpainted. I put a really cool yellow and black paint job on it and it is a great bike.
As Ray Etherton can confirm, we had a conversation at some point during the Cirque which centered around the topic of Ron Cooper as framebuilder. Ray like him quite a lot. I told Ray that I think Ron Cooper is the best English framebuilder I can think of. I have always liked that Cooper frames are "Italian in style" when many English frames aren't (not that there's anything wrong with that); it's just my preference. His caliber of construction is every bit the equal of Mario technically speaking; and he has displayed a wide varity of styles and abilities that I never saw from Mario. Of course Mario has a leg up as far as frame number go; no one can compete with that. Personally I would rather own a Mario built Italian Masi than a Confente; but I'd take either and would prefer to have both. But from a framebuilders perspective as a constructor, I see very little difference. Two expertly made brass brazed frames.
Had the need for money not been present when the two lucky buyers were, I'd still own those two bikes. But then where would I put them? Amongst 13 OTHER track bikes and who knows how many road bikes? Maybe a Cooper built Hetchins vibrant/helenic track frame I should order; and what the heck, make that for 650c wheels and 49cm C-T.
Ducking for cover now.
Brian Baylis
I'm not telling you where I live.
>
> > From: "Rick Chasteen" <rchasteen@kc.rr.com>
> >
> > Somebody pick a fight or get Gilbert wound up or ask a Masi question.
>
> Okay ... I'll bite.
>
> Who is a better builder ... Ron Cooper or Mario Confente?
>
> --
>
> Steven L. Sheffield
> stevens at veloworks dot com
> veloworks at earthlink dot net
> aitch tee tea pea colon [for word] slash [four ward] slash double-you
> double-yew double-ewe dot veloworks dot com [four word] slash