----- Original Message -----
From: "The Maaslands" <TheMaaslands@comcast.net>
> Ugo and 2 of his
> sons built whole frames day in day out for many years.............Colnago,
like Masi, on the other hand were and are less directly
> involved with building.
>
From your (or others) experience, are there any Italian builders known in the US that might fit the theme of this discussion? Meaning either one-man operations (a la Sachs, Weigle, Baylis, Landshark, Moon, Franklin) or multi-man operations that still control 100% of the labor from sourcing raw materials to finish work (except paint) - not a factory environment (a la Davidson, Spectrum, Columbine).
Some "builders" straddle the fence of this theme, such as Moots, IF, Seven, Soulcraft, that have maybe a 3-10 member crew, but still all workers involved in the product are more than "hired guns". They feel a personal stake (and sometimes financial) in the end product. they are not just a body in a position told to braze or file or sand in a capacity that any semi-skilled warm body could do, and that could be another person without altering the production flow.
I think this is the distinction we search for. I don't feel having the name on the bike being the only hands touching it makes it superior. A group of six caring craftspeople dedicated to their work and the quality and character of the finished product will make a better bike than a 2-3 man shop where low production costs and efficiency are the thrust and the "owner" of the name just hires manual labor to make frames to arbitrary average geometries and popular colors. The DT name doesn't have to be only builder, or even a builder at all, but it should symbolize something unique about the bike, about what the rider will experience. Something that would be lost if that person removed their work or their guidance.
I feel that names such as De Rosa, Pegoretti, Casati, and Mondonico might fit this bill. Comments?
Jon Schaer
Columbus, OH