Ya know ... there's a whole lot more to building a frame than just the three lugs and bottom bracket ...
What defines a craftsman is the whole product that's produced not just how pretty his filework is ... the lugs are just a small part of the whole.
Frame design counts. Brazing skill counts. Materials used counts.
Limiting your palette to Fisher or Dubois or Nervex limits good chunks of the rest of your palette as well, especially your tubing choice.
I don't want a new frame built with 531 with a 1" top tube ... I want my new frames built with Dedacciai Zero or True Temper OX Platinum or Columbus Thermachrom ... very light & very strong, and hey ... still luggable under a skilled torch.
Yes, thank God that Kirk P. is out there doing his thing with lugs that are compatible with modern materials AND have enough meat to them that the craftsman can be as crazily artistic as they want to be.
But on the other hand, thank God that Richard Sachs is out there with his very simple, delicate, understated lugs as well ...
Keep this in mind, living in the past also limits the craftsman.
Steven L. Sheffield stevens at veloworks dot com veloworks at worldnet dot ay tea tee dot net bellum pax est libertas servitus est ignoratio vis est ess ay ell tea ell ay kay ee sea aye tee why you ti ay aitch aitch tee tea pea colon [for word] slash [four ward] slash double-you double-yew double-ewe dot veloworks dot com [four word] slash
> Wayne,
>
> That's true, by the 80's Colnagos were being produced at an alarming
> rate. Ernesto is the KING of streamlineing framebuilding for profit.
> Their reputation fell in terms of quality on account of that. As
> with Masis, my fondness for them ends about 1975. Pre '75 frames
> still show lots of character and earlier is better with all of them.
> Personally, I feel that the advent of investment cast lugs is the
> beginning of the end of true craftsmanship on frames, in most cases.
> IC lugs can be reworked, but the whole point of them is to eliminate
> the work. Thank God Kirk Pacenti was thinking in terms of still
> allowing some room for style and creativity. I suspect his lugs may
> be the first and only IC lugs made that way.
>
> Brian Baylis
> La Mesa, CA
>
> Brian Baylis
> La Mesa, CA
>
> Wayne Davidson wrote:
>
> > Hi all, well this was a good read as per usual with Brian. I would pass
> > on the Colnago's, in the 80's it seemed that quite a lot of riders had
> > them here, bit like Ford Cortina's or HQ Holdens, everybody owned one, it
> > was nice to see something different like an Alan, Team Raleigh in Red,
> > nowadays they are all Avanti's or Giant's they all look the same, just
> > like Japanese cars, all look the same, thank goodness for vintage rides,
> > so endith the sermon......regards wayne davidson Invers NZ "its midnight
> > and I'm working in the morning"
> > _______________________________________________
>
> _______________________________________________
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