Re: [CR]Re: What really sells a race frame

> Martin,
>
> There is a running joke amongst bike painters about how much the frame
> counts compared to what the paint job looks like. I just mentioned to
> the World Famous Lou Deeter the other day that many observers of lugged
> bike frames do not know what "IS" lugwork and what isn't. Many can't see
> past a nice paint job. I've seen a pretty good number pigs made into
> silk purses by a good painter. Happens every day. Even a bare frame
> tells only a fraction of the story in regards to what kind of care was
> taken during construction. All it takes to distract most people from the
> actual details of a frame is a "pretty face".
>
> Since I'm on both sides of the fence I get a laugh out of the situation.
> Dave Tesch used to get quite upset when he would deliver a new frame to
> someone and the first and only thing they would say was how beautiful
> the paint job was. Made Dave crazy to hear that. Dave Moulton knew the
> "paint principal", which is heavily amplified by chrome, VERY well. I
> would say he got more out of the paint bit than any framebuilder in
> history. His reputation was truely built on marketing/promotion/fancy
> paint (which he picked up in a hurry from a certain few So. Cal.
> painters) in a way I've never seen before or since. For the level of
> frames that the paint went on there has not been anyone who got more
> milage out of slick paint in dazzleing colors than Moulton.
>
> It's a fact of life; back in the day, chrome and paint sold bikes in
> MOST cases. Period.
>
> Brian Baylis
> La Mesa, CA
> Wish it weren't true; doesn't matter to me if it is.
> >
> > All this talk about race material and weight for race frames has not touched
> > on the really important aspect of frame selection. Does it look nice! I
> > always pick my frames on this principle. I like chromed bits, so they usually
> > end up being steel. Nothing to do with the fact that I weight nearly 200 lbs.
> >
> > Nice paint sells frames.
> >
> > Regards
> > Martin Coopland