Dear Tom and Others,
My post was not in response to any one post, just to
the discussion in general. Many valid viewpoints have
been expressed, including yours.
> But I also stand
> by my asertion that such bikes are objectively
> better crafted than mass-produced PY-10's, cool as
> PY-10s may be.
If I may go slightly off-topic for a moment... The roll-cage in my race car was MIG welded. The welding bead penetrates perfectly and the cage has been praised by many, many racers as being magnificent. That said, there are blobs of steel around the bead that could have been sanded off. The cage is unpainted. It is not a work of art.
So, my question to the list is "Who is the better craftsman? The person who built my cage? Or some guy that built something pretty but not nearly as strong as the one I've got?" Imagine yourself in the first moments of a roll-over as you answer...
Similar questions can be posed regarding bicycles. The terms "craftsman" and "artist" are not synonymous. There are certainly craftsmen (and craftswomen) who focus on aesthetics, but there are others who focus only on function, letting the final product look the way it looks. Neither group is inherently better than the other.
Sincerely,
Forbes Bagatelle-Black Santa Clarita, CA
Join the "Bicycle Restoration Group" at http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/