I have found this thread as not only interesting and entertaining but for myself also very educational. I do not personally know enough about bikes or frame building to be able to provide an educated opinion on Confente as never even seen one. My becoming educated about a subject although not necessary to have an opinion on what you like is somewhat needed to be able to debate the relative importance or quality of the item. Several of the postings have educated me on not only bits of the history of several brands but also a little of what it takes to make a great bike. This is probably redundant to most on the list but to myself it was certainly worth the time to read the emails. My wife is a printmaker. When we attend an exhibition of prints she will always see more in it than I will. Technique is different from style and subject matter. I have constantly learnt more about the techniques of printmaking and can see in some fairly famous artists that they had not completely mastered the technique of their craft and others whose images are totally boring to me but a master printers. I will never, no matter how much I learn about printmaking , know as much as my wife about the art and artists. Doesn't mean my opinion on what I like is less valuable than hers but I cannot begin to be able to determine the relative value and importance of an artist or their art. As a serious amateur photographer I always look at the technical aspect of photographs (after seeing the image as an image itself first). I do not think that elitism is necessary a bad trait. A now deceased neighbour was a world famous potter who also was very opinionated. He developed many of his own glazes and who only provide the recipe to a fellow potter whose work and personality their admired and whose in his mind had perfected their craft enough to warrant his glazes. We in the western world look down on elitism and yet where would we be without the elite demanding top quality in bikes, cars, houses or art? Now snobbery is something else! Once again , thanks for sharing knowledge and opinions on classic bikes. As I said at the beginning of this post, I have learnt from most of the postings and that is why I am on the list. I just wished I had something beside this posting (which I wished was more articulate) to contribute.
Ivan Shukster
Medicine Hat, Alberta
1963/4 Doniselli
2002 Specialized Hard Rock
1986 BRC Columbus for running the dogs