Bryant Bainbridge asked:
By the mid/late 70's it became clear to me that a new generation of
> builders, with the Americans at the forefront, were leading the way in
> terms of quality and for my money it has been that way ever since. Why
> then do we heap so much praise on the French builders of the past and
> ignore someone like Toei, who builds not only exquisite frames, but
> racks, derails, stems, etc??
French builders get all the credit in some quarters because they are recognised as being the first at producing a certain type of bike which has heaps of charm. The fact that some of these frames may fall short of perfection only adds to their allure rather than detracting from it, a concept that will be as easily understood by some CR members as it is baffling to others.
When you buy into vintage lightweights, you're not just buying the bike but the romance, history and tradition associated with these bikes. You can't get any of that from Mr Toei, Brian Baylis or Richard Sachs, no matter how superb they are at what they do. I started collecting old bikes because my father, when he was in his twenties during the '40s and early '50s, had a Hobbs of Barbican and used to enthuse about it. I eventually found one and developed an interest in 1940s lightweights along the way. My interest in bikes is, therefore, inextricably linked to the past and, consequently, new bikes don't do much for me no matter how well made they may be. Anyway, some of these old bikes were as well put together as anything being produced today as Brian himself readily admitted to the list when he said a 1950s Flying Scot could stand comparison with a Masi.
The idea that American builders "lead the way" in 21st century framebuilding doesn't mean that they are intrinsically better than anyone else: just that they are able to spend more time producing higher quality work for their particular market. There are a certain number of American bike buyers who demand absolute perfection-or as close to it as they can get. Most of the western world doesn't see things the same way either because they don't consider it as important or because they can't afford to be as fussy. Possibly a combination of the two. My point is that there are plenty of skilled framebuilders around the world who could produce work to rival that of the top American builders-as demonstrated by Mr Toei-if they could make a living doing it. They have to give the market what it wants or they go hungry. Let's face it, we like looking at nice bikes but, to regurgitate a well-worn phrase, it's hardly rocket science is it?
Claims that US framebuilders are the best begs the question, "What were they doing in the 30s-50s when the French, British and Italians led the way?" Why weren't they producing bikes to take the world by storm? In fact, why, to a non-American CR list member, does it seem as if there were no American framebuilders apart from Schwinn before Masi moved to California? Instead of fixating on modern-day perfection-this list is, after all, supposed to be about old bikes-many US enthusiasts would, in my opinion, do better to celebrate their own framebuilding heritage. Contrary to the impression sometimes given on the list, Mr Masi didn't invent the bicycle.
Bruce
Dundee
Scotland