I would have thought it would make a wonderful advert:
"Eisentraut: the 20 year bicycle." (with a pic of riders lined up on their old machines.)
Tom Adams, Kansas City
I will just add a littler to this discussion (great comments by Dave, Brian & Richard!)
Steel is the best material for bicycle frames. Other materials can approach and even surpass steel in certain narrow aspects, but in balance, steel wins. I just had to re-word my store's bicycle warranty to a "5 year" frame warranty rather than the the "lifetime" warranty I have offered for nearly 30 years. This is because of all these new so called advanced, hi tech materials and construction.
Steel frames, if properly built and ridden within their design parameters, do not wear out.
Frame builders must be business persons in order to survive plying their trade. Sometimes businesspersons cut off their nose to spite their face.
A framebuilder will succeed if he/she understands that existing owners of this builder's product want to feel good about that purchase, not just the next day and the next year, but forever. That customer will likely return for a second or third bike, will refer friends to that builder and will promote that builder through word-of-mouth forever. This builder, if he keeps a clear focus, maintains high quality and doesn't shoot himself in the foot with poor management, has a chance of a lifetime career and personal satisfaction in frame building. (This all is not easy but can be done!)
On the other hand, the builder/craftsmanwho maligns the long term value of his own (very excellent) work and that of competent competitors, is destined to have infrequent return buyers. That person is likely to end up a negative, bitter, complaining, unhappy and, in the end, not very successful business entity!
Dale Brown cycles de ORO, Inc. 1410 Mill Street Greensboro, North Carolina USA 27408 336-274-5959 Fax 336-274-6360 <A HREF="http://www.cyclesdeoro.com">cyclesdeORO.com</A> <A HREF="http://www.classicrendezvous.com/main.htm">Classic Rendezvous</A>