snipped: "The modern methods are never really better; they are only quicker and less labor intensive or more marketable. They allow quality frames to be built with less time and effort than the old way of doing things."
baylis-immo - this is the only part of your text that i don't fully agree with. without putting words in your mouth, i'm assuming the "modern method" you're referring to is the investment cast process of making the lugs. are there other methods to add to this? all i know is that it takes me twice as long to make a frame now as it did in the pre-cast era. why? because the attention required of 3 lugs are only part of the equation, it's not "the" equation. (chuckie - chide me now, okay!?). we've discussed this onlist before. venerating the past is one thing and it's a noble thing, but bringing it along into the present can often enhance things without sullying them. it needn't be an issue of "changing course or bailing out".
i love ya' man. yes - in "that" way! e-RICHIE chester, ct
On Sun, 21 Mar 2004 14:49:52 GMT brianbaylis@juno.com writes:
Mike,
There may be several reasons why I haven't gone the way of the majority of the bicycle industry. As Richard has said many times, people are "buying into" the trends, not "selling out" to follow them. Perhaps some feel that "modern" fittings and methods are "better" than the old "traditional" methods. I personally do not buy into that at all. The quality of the end results depends completely on the skill and attention that the framebuilder imparts to the materials through his or her skills and experience. The modern methods are never really better; they are only quicker and less labor intensive or more marketable. They allow quality frames to be built with less time and effort than the old way of doing things. Obviously, it now requires less skill and fewer talents to produce handmade bikes than it used to. What is sacrificed in the process is hand labor and the style that results from it. We have come to call it "MOJO" on this list. I'm not saying this is bad or that the hand labor neccessarily adds something to the frame in terms of how it will ride or how long it may last. But to be perfectly honest, I feel that the modern thinwall steel tubes are somewhat unproven in terms of lifespan and that careful attention to selection of materials has unseen benifits that some may not realize. I will use OS tubing on special occassions, but I don't gravitate to the lighest tubes.
I am one of the types that apparently enjoys making things. I always have. I enjoy things that I can make that will impart a style and personal artistic signiture to a functional object. Knifemaking is very simular in that a functional object can be designed and made to not only work extremely well for the job at hand, while at the same time using all kinds of materials and shapes to enhance the attractiveness and beauty of the piece. I can make a bicycle very personal and one that is unique, which I believe adds tremendous value to the bike for the owner. Some people are happy to have one just like everyone else has, some prefer to have something NOBODY else has. Both ways are fine, and if you really love bikes you probably have some of each, as I do.
One reason I haven't bought into the modern methods is that I'm not finished having fun and being creative yet. Many may not be aware of this, and I really hadn't realized this myself until recently; but I probably have only built about 200 frames with my name on it in my career thus far. If you count the Wizard frames the number is still under 300. I had the tremendous good fortune as a beginner to work at Masi where I did large quanities of work at a very high level in a very short time. I learned the basics from some of the best in the world and found the inspiration to create great world class frames from the people at Masi. Inspiration is for me the most important element of framebuilding. In order to be inspired I personally must feel the excitement and the anticipation of creating something special. That is why I no longer make "racing bikes". The bikes I built for racing over the years were built using the same skill and methods I use for all frames, but I would not hesitate to use IC lugs or seat stay plugs occassionally and forgo some of the difficult lug cutouts and even some of the filing. I don't believe in taking a "work of art" to a criterium. I will send you with a bike that fits and handles perfectly for your needs, a weapon to use in the battle; but the artistic frames are not meant to be raced. Not that they can't or haven"t been, it's just not the purpose of those bikes. BUT, they are never built to NOT be ridden. I've never made a "wall hanger" and I never will. My approach will never be adding prescious stones or other such things to a bike (not that I haven't considered it in the past); my approach is artistry in interpitation of traditional framebuilding styles. I'm not really into extra ornate lug patterns. I perfer to make simpler things look exceptional by doing refined work and being creative withing certain perameters. I focus on making well placed and artistic cutouts in lugs for example; where the heart, spade, club, and diamond are actually cut by hand and the detail is as sharp and perfect as a handmade object can be. It is difficult to do, to make very small cutouts every time with no screwups or start overs in a set of lugs that are already finished being shaped or altered. Many see fancy profiles as workmanship, but most ot those are not truely cut by hand (as in the case of Hetchin's, as we have discussed) and don't actually represent the framebuilders cutting skills. My "lacework Nervex" treatment is actual lug cutting. Much of what I do is lost to those who are not really familier with what a given lug looks like before I add or subtract critical parts. That IS the art. The ability to make something unique that isn't obviously an afterthought or added on but is out of place. Real art is balanced and harmonious and the effect on the viewer should be pleasure and amazement at the same time. In order to see these things on a bike, one must develope an educated eye at times, because the beauty is often subtle and simple.
The answer to why I have not bought into the modern trends then would be that I still enjoy the hand labor involved in traditional framebuilding. It gives the bike a style and look that can not be created any other way. I have not built so many frames that I am tired of it nor have tapped out my ideas and enthuesiasm. I'm not looking for a way to make my job easier; I'm looking for projects that expand my expierence and test my skills. There is work involved. My best frames are most deffinitely ahead of me. My desire to resist modern methods becomes stronger as it becomes more obvious that these methods are probably going to completely disappear once "the old timers" pass on. I have decided that there are probably only about 100 more Baylis frames in the future. 30 of them are spoken for (20 on the books and 10 personal projects). I decided a few years ago that everything I made from that point forward would represent my full talents and abilities and involve no compromises to increase production or profit (which has actually been my perpose all along). I also resolved to not buy into any current trends in order to follow customers buying habits. The reason for this is simple. I want to preserve the craft the "way I found it", leave it the same way I came in, which was at a time that hand building frames was at it's zenith and ALL world class frames had some character and recognizable style. I feel I should do what I do best, which is put a lot of handwork into a frame along with all of my design experience and all the skills I've picked up along the way. I really don't see the point in having all this ability and experience and not using it just because it would be marketable regardless of what I made (within reason, of course). Craftsmanship at it's highest level will never be out of style. The quantities will always be limited ( less than 10 per year). The wait will always be a little long. The product will be without equal in the end. This is not a recipe for a "successful business"; it is a recipe for a successful artist. The fact that the art is something you can also ride and enjoy and take great pride in owning, is a bonus.
If I had the financial ability to build the last frames of my career all for myself or at least that which I was inspired to build, I would do it in a heartbeat. But then again, there is something very special about shareing my work with some of you. I'm happy either way. That's why I haven't changed course or bailed out.
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA