e-R writes:
>none of these guys/firms ever said
>they DIDN'T get their work from other sources; it's
>the consumer's perception that all work is done in-house.
Whoah there. Its the consumer's perception because all the promo material written by the PR people on the web sites and in the brochures makes it sound like the bikes were built by the marque's craftsmen in Milano, or where ever. I know, its up to the consumer to do his/her homework properly and caveat emptor, but the above perception you refer to is willfully created to fool the naive among us. It is deception by omission. Just look at the "Designed in the USA" flag decal on lots of Taiwanese-built bikes and then the tiny, easy to miss Made in Taiwan sticker place less prominently. Not misrepresentation in a court of law maybe, but certainly meant to mislead. You do not see 'Designed by Masi and built proudly in Taiwan'.
-Dan Borden in Brookline, MA